WeatherStock 2012 in pictures

Apelred Jnr attended his first WeatherStock on Landroval server and had a really great time despite the occasional issues with lag which meant the sound disappeared for a few seconds. He had to set graphics to very low res to ensure he heard the music so the screen shots of the performances are a bit fuzzy but managed high res for the group shots at the Lonely Tree. Screenies can also be found on Flickr.

WeatherStock 2012 - Just logged on and Apelred was starting to feel overdressed!

He managed to hear the last 8 bands and they were all great, the standard was very high. The music was varied with some having lyrics posted to regional chat as the music played. The lyrics were sometimes epic and sometimes funny, Ingolemo's "I want to ride my War Steed" to the tune of Queen's "I want to ride my bicycle" gave Apelred the biggest grin.

WeatherStock 2012 Light in the Dark winners Andunie

WeatherStock 2012 Light in the Dark winners were Andunie who did a varied set including an all percussion number, two mellow 'elvish' tunes and a jig.

The Great Smokeout WeatherStock 2012

Being a hobbit Apelred likes a good smoke.

Apelreds favourites the Songburrow Strollers during the Battle of the Bands WeatherStock 2012

Mornie Alantie - Batttle of the Bands Winners - WeatherStock 2012

Apelred thought Mornie Alantie's tunes were the most evocative of Middle Earth, and the Mordor, Mordor song a very witty ditty with a catchy tune.

Fireworks for WeatherStock 2012

WeatherStock 2012 Lonely Mountain Cup judging was very close - 'give us 3 minutes'

The Lonely Mountain Band did a great job of organising the 5 hour event which went very smoothly. There were a couple of killjoys who moaned and did group emotes but that did not spoil Apels enjoyment so a big thankyou to the LMB. They have recorded the tune they used to introduce the bands, you can hear it here www.tinyurl.com/weatherstockforever.

Lonely Mountain Cup winners Songburrow Strollers with their Bywater Bouncing song - the crowd went wild! WeatherStock 2012.

Apelred is a sucker for a song about biscuits and an excuse to jump about so he was delighted when the Songburrow Strollers won the Lonely Mountain Cup.

Procession to the Lonely Tree - WeatherStock 2012

We all cheer for a fantastic event, thanks to the Lonely Mountain Band - WeatherStock 2012

Harperella serenades the crowd at the Lonely Tree - WeatherStock 2012

Fireworks at the Lonely Tree Photo Shoot - WeatherStock 2012

Apelred can't resist another bounce! WeatherStock 2012

Grimberg hits L70

Grimberg hits L70 in Starkmore. He has skipped most of Starkmore and Dunbog so he can get to the content Apelred didn't get to experience.

The screen shot is from my lovely new 1920*1080 Dell Ultrasharp screen which is a great improvement from my laptop screen.

Apelred Jnr gets ready for Weatherstock

Apelred Jnr makes his way to Weathertop on Landroval so he can atttend the Weatherstock concert this weekend.

Riders of Rohan Pre Ordered - 3 Months to get to L75

The date for the Riders of Rohan has been announced as the 5th of Sept. I have added a Countdown Clock as a bit of fun. This gives Grimberg 3 months to achieve level 75 before the level cap goes up to 85. Captain Grimberg should be able to make this but poor Loremaster Florandir doesn't look like he will get any adventuring time.

There are three pre-order options for the Riders of Rohan expansion - the Legendary edition with its extra bag looks very appealing as Apelred is always running out of bag space because he is an Explorer and collects lots of materials for his crafting friends.

UPDATE
I went for the Legendary edition & for the 40% off Turbine Points deal that is offered when applying for the Pre-order. I got a bit confused when asked to enter new account details (email address &password), this is for a new Digital River account and nothing to do with your Turbine account. You can pay Digital River using Paypal so you can avoid registering your credit card with yet another company. After your puchase you get a key which you use to upgrade your Turbine account. There is no long download needed, all the stuff must have been in the last patch.

Here is what you get as immediate benefits according to the Turbine Account message. (I logged in straight away and got the upgrade so the 1 hour must be a worst case.)

You have successfully upgraded your subscription! Thank you for your patience while we process your request. Changes to your subscription may take up to one hour to be processed. You may not be able to log into the game or forums during this time.
You have activated The Lord of the Rings Online™: Riders of Rohan Legendary Edition™ Pre-Purchase. As soon as you log into the game, your characters will have access to:

An exclusive Rohirrim Mount - The Steed of the Eastemnet with matching War-steed Appearance available when Riders of Rohan launches

An exclusive in-game Rohan title - Friend of the Mark

An exclusive full set of Rohirrim Armor - Armor of the Eastemnet

A 6th Inventory Bag - Grants 15 Additional Storage Slots

Legendary Item Booster - Adds one additional legacy to your legendary weapon

Exclusive Rohan Content that allows you to earn a Mounted Combat deed that grants an exclusive skill for your Warsteed

A Rohan cloak that provides a power bonus to your hero

The Outriders Token - A 25% XP Boost for all your characters on your account that will last up to level 75

And, upon reaching level 20, a Soldier on Landscape Rohan Appearance You will automatically be provided access to the full content and features of Riders of Rohan when it launches.
An email receipt has been sent to you that provides additional details about your purchase.