ATLANTA,
GA. (ProgPower USA) - ProgPower USA has confirmed
Stratovarius as one
of the headliners of the festival's sixth installment, to be held
September 16 and 17 at Earthlink Live in Atlanta.
This
performance will be the Finnish power metal band's first ever in North
America. It is also the first confirmed show since the reformation of
the "classic" lineup including vocalist Timo Koltipelto.
"We
feel that the time is now finally right, and that the legendary
ProgPower is the perfect setting for us," said keyboardist Jens
Johansson. "We are really excited about this chance to connect with our
fans there."
Only
a total of 10 bands will be invited to play the acclaimed festival.
Other bands confirmed to date are Sweden's dark symphonic metal band
Therion, Denmark's Manticora, and Norway's Circus Maximus, whose debut
is due this spring on Sensory Records. Manticora and Circus Maximus
will be making their North American debuts while Therion will use the
festival as the cornerstone for their tour in the fall.
"We are
looking forward to going to the USA for the first time in our
18-year-long music career," said Christofer Johnsson, guitarist for
Therion. "We will play a 'best of' set that will cover most of our 12
studio albums and I hope we will satisfy both older and younger fans.
We are bringing with us six singers, the same as we used for the
previous touring on these new albums. We have heard a lot about
ProgPower and we've had the question why we're not playing there, as it
would be perfect for our type of stuff - so we are particularly looking
forward to playing there."
Additional bands will be announced weekly on the ProgPower USA website.
Tickets
will go on sale April 2 at 10 a.m. EST via all Ticketmaster outlets.
Only 900 tickets will be made available to the public. Advance Gold
Badges are already sold out.
One of America's most highly
praised festivals, ProgPower USA has sold-out for three consecutive
years over five months in advance. There is currently a three year wait
on the Gold Badge waiting list. Last year ProgPower USA drew fans from
32 states and 12 counties including Japan and Australia.
ProgPower
USA is sponsored by Pacific Drums, Sabien Cymbals, Shure Microphones,
Planet Waves Gear, J.'Addario Strings, and Evans Drumheads.
