Reggie’s Rock Club and Music Joint has officially announced the line-up for Progtoberfest IV.  Sponsored by InsideOut Music, the festival will be held on the south side of Chicago Friday through Sunday, October 19-21.  Tickets go on sale Friday, June 1 Tuesday, June 5 at 12 noon CST at Ticketfly.  Here’s the line-up, with event and band links included wherever possible:

Friday, October 19 – Reggie’s Rock Club:

• The Ultimate Queen Celebration starring Marc Martel (the original lead singer for the Queen-approved tribute band Queen Extravaganza)
• Screaming Headless Torsos (New York City, NY)
• Oak (Norway)
• Escaper (Brooklyn, NY)
• Gramps the Vamp (Chicago, IL)

Friday, October 19 — Reggie’s Music Joint:

• The Nick D’Virgilio Project (Fort Wayne, IN — jazz-rock fusion with colleagues from Sweetwater Studios)
• Tempano (Venezuela)
• Inner Ear Brigade (San Francisco, CA)
• No More Pain (Old Bridge, NJ)

Saturday, October 20 — Reggie’s Rock Club:

• Neal Morse performing a solo acoustic set  (Nashville, TN)
• Dinosaur Exhibit featuring Jerry Goodman (Chicago, IL supergroup)
• ABACAB: The Music of Genesis (Charlotte, NC)
• Unreal City (Italy)
• Jeavestone (Finland)
• The Twenty Committee (New Jersey)
• Strange Changes (Boston, MA)
• Alpha Lighting System (Mexico)
• School of Rock Chicago performing Supertramp’s “Crime of the Century”

Saturday. October 20 — Reggie’s Music Joint:

• Chester Thompson (Frank Zappa, Genesis, Santana, Weather Report — Nashville, TN)
• Soften the Glare (Los Angeles, CA)
• Bubblemath (Minneapolis MN)
• The Cyberiam (Chicago, IL)
• Valdez (Philadelphia, PA)
• Farmhouse Odyssey (Arcata, CA)
• Ad Astra (New York, NY)
• Lybria (Chicago, IL)
• The Gabriel Construct (Salisbury, MD)

Sunday, October 21 — Reggie’s Rock Club:

• Soft Machine (England — 50th anniversary tour)
• The Tronosonic Experience (Norway)
• Möbius Strip (Italy)
• The Chicago Zappa Collective, performing Frank Zappa’s “One Size Fits All”
• The Knells (Brooklyn, NY)
• Lucille Furs (Chicago, IL)
• Little Atlas (Miami, FL)
• The Devil’s Staircase (“fractal prog” from parts unknown)
• Fischer’s Flicker (Chicago, IL)

Sunday, October 21 — Reggie’s Music Joint:

• FM (Canada)
• Members of District 97 present a tribute to Bill Bruford & Allan Holdsworth (Chicago, IL — including the complete “One of A Kind” album)
• French TV (Louisville, KY)
• Lovely Little Girls (Chicago, IL)
• The Aaron Clift Experiment (Austin, TX)
• Axon-Neuron (Akron, OH)
• Ovadya (Chicago, IL)
• Westward (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Coyote Man (Chicago, IL)

Ticket prices are as follows:

• Single day general admission (standing room in Rock Club):$75
• Single day general admission VIP (including poster, BBQ buffet and meet & greets): $100
• Three day general admission: $175
• Three day general admission VIP: $240
• Three day Above Stage VIP: $275 (general admission seating in Rock Club balcony; my choice for Progtoberfest III)
• Three day Seated VIP: $325 (reserved seats up front on Rock Club main floor)
• Three day Red Chair VIP: $400 (reserved seats up front in Rock Club balcony)
• There are additional Ticketfly service fees, but they’re reasonable.

I had a great time at Progtoberfest III last year, and I hope to make it to at least one day of this year’s festival.  This time around, I’m especially impressed by the variety of genres represented (including a generous amount of jazz-rock fusion) and the healthy mix of national/international big names (getting Soft Machine is a genuine coup), local favorites and hungry young artists.  See you there?