Last Month's Poll Results & This Month's New Poll!!

Hey guys, it's now time for the results of last month's poll and the launch of this month's poll on the site, as it is November 18th! In case you need a refresher, last month's poll posed this question: What's your opinion on the large amount of metal, hard rock, and punk shows during the Halloween season each year? We only got 14 votes on this poll, which isn't high, but there is a clear result, so thanks to those who voted, and now, here are the final results for last month's poll!

 I love it, Halloween's a great season! (9 votes, 64%)

I don't pay attention to the time of year for concerts (3 votes, 22%)

It depends on the bands/themes (1 vote, 7%)

I don't like or celebrate Halloween (1 vote, 7%)

Can't they line up with a paid holiday, like Thanksgiving? (0 votes)

I prefer other seasonal events to metal/punk concerts (0 votes)

What do you guys think? In ascending order, I'm not too surprised with the choices that got no votes, as our reader base tends to prefer concerts over other Halloween events, and I know most people would rather spend Thanksgiving with family and friends. I did half expect at least one voter to not like Halloween, though I assumed more than one would vote for "It depends on the bands/themes" given everyone's varied preferences. I expected the top two choices to be the top two in this poll, with "I don't pay attention to the time of year for concerts" finishing in second being very reasonable, as some of you just want to hear the bands no matter when they're playing. That said, the runaway winner with 64% of the final total was "I love it, Halloween's a great season!", and given the turnout, enthusiasm, and participation of fans at concerts I attended over the end of October, it's easy to see that this time of year lends itself well to concerts and related Halloween fun! Thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, I wanted to address a recent trend in local concerts (all ages concerts in particular), that being the longer marathon sort of show featuring a large number of bands sharing the bill on the same day (for our purposes, 6 or more.) Possibly best exemplified by most of Heavy North Entertainment's recent shows at The Oddfellows Hall, such shows feature a number of varied acts that often start in the afternoon or at supper time, run all day like a normal show, and often see a fluctuating crowd size as people come and go based on their own schedules. You'll see more examples of large shows like this from other promoters too, like certain battles of the bands, Friday's Sault Band-O-Rama (with 12 acts), the 10 band Toystock on November 29th, and in the past, events like the Sewer Swampstravaganza, benefit shows like Rock For Dimes, Lemmafest in Sault Michigan, and summer concert festivals with live bands such as Rotaryfest, among others. Such shows offer lots of choice and options for the music fan, and a lot of bang for your buck, but do most of you guys like them, or do you have other ideas?

With that said, I'm posing this question to you guys: When it comes to local metal, hard rock, and concerts with a large number of bands (i.e. 6 or more), how likely are you to attend? Note that I'm not throwing these shows under the bus, I like the long marathon shows, I have since my teenage years, and they're great for efficiently covering many bands at once on the site. However, I know they can be a grind and not conducive to some fans' schedules, so I wanted to see what readers tended to think about them. I picked 7 choices for the poll that will hopefully cover fans' opinions on such concerts, so read on below for info on each!

Count me in, the more the merrier!: If you love long concerts with a high number of bands, you'll want to vote for this choice, as I can tell at 6+ band shows that there are a core group of fans that are there from bell to bell, enjoy most of the bands, and are in it for the long haul. Maybe you hate when concerts only book a handful of bands, and you wish they were far longer? If you prefer your concerts to be in the 10 band range, vote here!

It depends on the lineup: No concert is equal, and while having 8 or so bands implies a lot of choice for the fans out there, maybe few to none of the bands are your thing for certain ones? Toystock attendees who seek veteran cover bands won't necessarily have liked the Archelon concert at The Oddfellows Hall last month, and vice versa. Maybe you just want variety from similar preceding events to spur your attendance? Vote for this choice if you agree!

It depends on the ticket/door charges: Depending on the cause, promoter, venue, or scheduled bands, admission prices for a lengthy concert will vary, with some featuring formal tickets and raised door prices, others with a flat door charge, entry by donation, or even free entry in some cases. Money is tight, and maybe you don't have the cash for some of these shows, or will only attend if you have money to spare. This is your choice if you judge based on the cost of the event!

It depends on the event's theme or purpose: A large concert event of 6+ bands in this area generally has a reason for it's size, including charitable causes (Rock For Dimes), a benefit (the Ypres Metal Fest), seasonal timing (H.N.E.'s Devil's Night shows), all day entertainment for a festival (Rotaryfest), or established tradition from past installments (the Swampstravaganza), but as we've seen with shows like the Archspire concert, there doesn't have to be a true "reason" for a large show. Does your attendance depend on why the event is booked?

I can't be there all day, so I'd only go see some bands: Let's face it, most of you guys either work, go to school, have children, or some combination therein. Maybe you want to support the bands and promoters, but just can't swing being there from start to finish just based on your personal schedule.  Maybe you don't want to be at a show through supper time, or dare I add, maybe some of you would only go out to a show with 6 or more bands just to see bands that your friends are in? If you're in a situation where you can only realistically be at a large concert like this for only a part, vote here!

It's overkill, why not have many smaller shows?: I know that there are fans out there who find that seeing 10 or so bands at the same concert on the same day can be too much for their schedule and energy, but some have suggested to me in conversation that promoters of some of these events should break them up. Rather than promote one all day show with 8 bands, hold two 4 band shows with cheaper admission prices, then you can get more people who can actually go to see the whole thing in one or both cases. That does bring up the issue of doubling booking costs or working with two days worth of schedules, but is this the opinion you share?

I don't go to concerts based on the amount of bands: Do you go for concerts for quality, not quantity? Do you focus on the headlining and main local bands over the amount of performers?  Do you just love the concert experience and have no thought in mind at all for their length? If you go see concerts because of anything but the number of acts on the bill, here's your choice!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until December 18th to cast your votes in this month's poll, and be sure to do so at the red voting field on the right of the main page A.S.A.P.! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, notes, and previews this week! Thanks everyone!