ProgStock, Williams Center, Rutherford, NJ 10/9-10/12/25

ProgStock 2025 took over the Williams Center in Rutherford, NJ and was an outstanding success. The main even took place Friday 10/9 through Sunday 10/12, with a pre-festival event held on Thursday. I arrived to ProgStock for the start of the Friday festivities and I’m so glad I did. The festival featured sixteen bands and a number of lecture-style events. I have covered many festivals in my time, but I can definitely say that ProgStock was one of the best, most well-run events I have ever been to.

Please scroll below for the MisplacedStraws ProgStock live photos and recap.

The Venue

On of the more unique aspects of ProgStock is that it’s held indoors at the Williams Center. Weather permitting, Robeone (Robert Schindler) has his keyboard rig set up just outside the venue to entertain, but the rest of the event is indoors. For this event, the Williams Center consists of the large Rivoli Theater, where the performances took place, the “black box” which was a large, open area just beyond the last row of seats in the theater where various displays were set up, the main lobby, a small upstairs area with more displays, and a smaller theater for the lectures. The venue is located in the heart of downtown Rutherford, NJ with plenty of local restaurants and shops right around it.

The Exhibitors

ProgStock, like most festivals, is about more than just music. What makes ProgStock different, however, is that the exhibitors carry almost as much cache as the performers. Annie Haslam, legendary voice of the band Renaissance was on hand displaying her artwork, as was photographer and journalist Armando Gallo with his collection of Genesis photos and history. Roger Dean’s work was on display through Trading Boundaries, and author Kevin J. Anderson was in attendance with a collection of his books, some co-authored by Rush drummer Neal Peart. Pumpkin sculptor Deane Arnold and his team did some amazing work throughout the weekend, and the Bob Moog Foundation was on hand with information and a display of Tony Banks’ mellotron! There were other art and music displays, like the horror-themed artwork of Victoria Flowers, as well that certainly added to the festival.

The Schedule

One of the many things that sets ProgStock apart from other festivals is the way the music is set up. Rather than just running one band after another, ProgStock had sessions that were almost like mini concerts with an “opening band” and a “headliner”. Saturday and Sunday had 3 sessions, Friday had 2. I loved this format. Having a break between each session helped keep things on track, of course, some technical issues popped up Sunday that created delays, but Friday and Saturday ran like clockwork. The other benefit of this format is that patrons had plenty of time to grab food or visit exhibitors without missing any of the music.

The Lectures

A big part of ProgStock are the lectures and Q&A sessions. This year saw talks by Armando Gallo, Derek Schulman of Gentle Giant spoke about his new book, and attorney to the (prog) stars Ron Bienstock gave an entertaining and informative talk on the music business and pitfalls.

Lights & Sound

This could be where ProgStock truly exceled. The presentation of the music was extraordinary. The sound was crystal clear, both instrumentally and vocally. Whether it was acoustic folk, solo piano, or heavier guitar-based music, you were able to hear everything bright and clear. The lighting and screens were also top-notch. A few bands had their own video on the screen while the rest had generic video behind them that fit their performance. The lighting was fantastic, it fit the music and, from a photographer’s perspective, was balanced enough to get some great photos. ProgStock should really be applauded for the weekend’s lights and sound.

The Bands

The most important part of any festival is the music, and ProgStock went above and beyond this year. There was acoustic-based music like Melanie Mau & Martin Schnella, David Bainbridge & Sally Minnear, Flaming Row, and the Kate Hinote Trio, solo piano from Rachel Flowers and Peter Jones, heavier rock from Funhouse Mirrors, Points North, Discipline, We Came From Space, Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins, The Cyberiam, and serengazer, and, of course, monster headliners IO Earth and the Orchestra of Sound & Emotion, Pattern-Seeking Animals, Marillion frontman Steve Hogarth.

The hallmark of a festival is when you can see something that only can happen at that festival. ProgStock was loaded with those moments. IO Earth played with an orchestra, a configuration they usually only do in their hometown of Birmingham, England. A Pattern-Seeking Animals live performance happens about as often as Haley’s Comet, while serengazer, featuring Michael Sadler of Saga on vocals, Matt Dorsey on bass, event host Jimmy Keegan on drums, and Seren Sadler and Bielatowicz on guitar made their live debut. Perhaps biggest of all, the only US appearance of Steve Hogarth performing an “h natural” set. It’s moments like this that made ProgStock the event of the year.

Steve Hogarth