The finale of my article on LeakyCon 2009, covering the events of the final day, and my concluding thoughts.

Wizard Rock in the Afternoon was the final wizard rock show at LeakyCon. It took place in the afternoon because the Ball was being held that night. Ironically, while the Ball was held in the castle, where the other wizard rock shows had all been, Wizard Rock in the Afternoon was held in one of the ballrooms.

The afternoon slot consisted of four exceptional bands, three of which I had never seen live before. In order of appearance, Riddle TM, the Mudbloods, the Moaning Myrtles, and the Remus Lupins all performed exceptionally. Save for the Remus Lupins, all of the other bands were new live experiences for me, and none of them disappointed.

Riddle TM had flown all the way over from the UK in order to attend LeakyCon, and this sort of dedication showed in their music. Truly, they are dedicated to their craft. They showed so much talent that one anonymous wizard rocker professed that they would love to pack the girls up and take them on tour. It was a change of pace from the night before- where the intensity had really defined the atmosphere of each set. With Riddle TM, there was no less passion, but they channelled it in different ways. It was a very moving performance, and one I won’t soon forget.

The Mudbloods came out next, featuring Tyler Nicholas of the Remus Lupins playing bass for them. Now, I’m embarrassed to admit that I had never really properly listened to the Mudbloods before this concert. I had heard of them of course, and maybe listened to a couple of their songs, but I definitely hadn’t given them the sort of attention they deserve. Their set blew me away. The best part about the Mudbloods was that they were extremely well-rounded. There was something for just about anyone to enjoy in their music, and all of it was great. Needless to say, I’ve been a fan since. Adam Dubberly is a man to get behind.

Next, the Moaning Myrtles took to the stage. Lauren and Nina were in top form, as always, but so too was Jarrod Perkins, who was playing drums for their set. It was a pleasant surprise to see Jarrod behind the kit, firstly because he’s a phenomenal drummer, and secondly because it adds a bit of extra ‘oomph’ to the Myrtles’ music. As is expected with any Myrtles set, the music moved between fun and funny, sad and hilarious, uplifting and hopelessly morose. It’s really quite amazing how the emotions being conveyed by the musicians can affect the crowd, and it was very evident during the Moaning Myrtles set.

But, of course, like any proper finale, the best was saved for last. The Remus Lupins took to the stage, and all hell broke loose.

A big part of the phenomenal performance that the Remus Lupins put on that day lied in the strength of the band. Each member is formidable on their own, and they’re all multi-instrumentalists as well as fulltime musicians. Having that sort of background makes for insanely impressive shows, and this one was no exception. The LeakyCon set was especially awesome because it featured Nate Highfield (of the Muggle band the Good Cheer) on lead guitar.

Some of you have never heard of Nate. I’d recommend checking out his music right now. I’ll wait. It’s that good. When he gets thrown into the TRL equation, however, things go into overdrive. It’s amazing how every single song they played had this extra layer of depth thanks to the subtle guitar injections he added. He took what would have been a great set, and he turned it into an exceptional one.

I think the most important aspect of why the set was so good has to do with the frontman. TRL has been successful from the get-go simply because of the charisma and stage presence of Alex Carpenter. This was on full display during his set at LeakyCon. Even while switching monitors, Alex kept the crowd fully engaged, and even got everyone singing along to unreleased music.

So considering all of this, and considering that they would be the last wizard rock band to play at Leakycon, it should really come as no surprise that things ended the way they did. I am referring, of course, to the now infamous flaming guitar-smash at the end of the Remus Lupins set. For those not in the know, at the end of his set, Alex took his beautiful guitar, covered it in lighter fluid, took a match to it, and then smashed it to pieces against the stage- pieces which scattered spectacularly, and very nearly impaled Nate.

This final release of energy, this final send-off, was how the wizard rock portion of LeakyCon was wrapped up, and I can’t think of any better way. It was a blast from start to finish.

It’s time for me to thank all of the amazing, amazing individuals who not only made this experience possible, but made it so completely unforgettable. Hats off to the conference organizers, to the Leaky staff, to Paul DeGeorge and Matt Maggiacomo, and to all of the bands who played like they had never played before, and made it so much fun for the rest of us. My heart goes out to Melissa Anelli, who was running around so much the whole time that many people swore she had learned to apparate. Without all of you, none of this would’ve been possible. I have the utmost confidence that LeakyCon 2011 will be even more wonderful than its predecessor, but it must be said that it has massive footsteps to walk in.