I just bought a ticket to the Joliet show. I'm not really happy about a 70 mile drive to the venue, but Enter the Vault had tickets on sale for that show at 50% off for Christmas. I can't pass up a ticket for $12.50. Plus, if I'm exhausted that day and not up to going, it's not that much of a waste.
Honestly, I'm pretty excited for an opportunity to see Primal Fear...I am so in love with that band right now. And I haven't seen Symphony X since they opened for Queensryche in 2004, when they were touring for The Odyssey and played a handful of shows with QR.. I've never seen Firewind, but I wouldn't be upset if I missed them since they don't have Apollo singing anymore. We'll see how I feel that week and if I'm up to it....having two very young kids just sucks the energy right out of me most days.