Back after a 3-year break Night of the Prog Festival
Sankt Goarshausen · The Night of the Prog Festival is taking place at the Loreley Amphitheatre again. After a 3-year break due to the pandemic, the organisers are looking forward to the 15th event. The GA has taken a sneak preview of the line-up.
The location is a dream come true. And the festival is a real insider tip for progressive rock fans. So it’s no surprise that the Night of the Prog Festival in the wonderful Loreley Amphitheatre draws music lovers from all over Germany and Europe. There is also a beer garden with sensational views overlooking the Rhine valley for anyone looking for a bite to eat or something to drink in between the concerts. Winfried Völklein has been organising the festival since 2006 and was forced to delay for three years due to the pandemic. Now the 15th festival is taking place from 22nd to 24th July.
“We are excited to finally be holding the festival again after three years. Due to a number of reasons, we have unfortunately not been able to get the complete line-up we had planned for 2020. But despite everything, we are proud of the 2022 programme which covers a wide range of different genres,” says Völklein. “For example, Renaissance had their own concerts this year in Europe. Steve Hackett, like the festival, is catching up with some other shows and will play the ‘Seconds Out’ show in its entirety for the last time. In keeping with tradition, the festival goers will be faced with many unknown acts, who often then move into the spotlight of the music scene afterwards.”
Renaissance are headlining the first night of the festival, Friday 22nd July. The British experimentalist rock band, founded in 1969 with former members of the Yardbirds, no longer has any members from its original core. Drummer Jim McCarty and vocalist Keith Relf left the band after two years. Relf died in 1976 from an electric shock whilst playing an electric guitar. But Annie Haslam, singer for the band since 1971 with a legendary vocal range, is still active. Guitarist Michael Dunford who certainly determined the band’s sound, died in 2012 shortly after completing the band's last album to date.
Festival with well-known greats as well as unknown talents
The star of the second day is the former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett with his ‘Seconds Out’ show, in which he plays the entire cult live album from Genesis, including the epic ‘Supper’s Ready’ which Phil Collins and his group have not played for at least 20 years.
Völklein has planned three main bands for the third and final festival day: the British jazz rock formation Colosseum with a new line-up, the German prog rock giants RPWL and, as the final gig of the festival, Premiata Forneria Marconi, or PFM for short, a real attraction as the Italian prog rock band has only played in Germany twice since their foundation in 1971.
Franz Di Cioccio is the only member from the original group, who was quickly joined by Patrick Djivas. The change in members led PFM to develop a very diverse sound. Almost 50 years after their formation, fans and critics are celebrating their 20th album “I Dreamed of Electric Sheep”. The title is a reference to the novel by Philip K. Dick, which was adapted for cinema with the title ‘Blade Runner’ starring Harrison Ford.
Other bands: The festival kicks off at 2 pm on Friday 22nd July with the German progressive metal band Soulsplitter. They are followed by Blank Manuskript, Smalltape, Pure Reason Revolution and The Pineapple Thief, with Renaissance playing at 10 pm.
(Original text: Dylan Cem Akalin, Translation: Caroline Kusch)
