by Ian Carroll
We arrived late again that year, about halfway through Dog Eat Dog's set, I was only disappointed that we did not miss their entire set as their Metal/ Rap crossover was definitely not my cup of tea. In recent years I have come to appreciate some of the bands who fuse Metal and Rap (Linkin Park, Bodycount and Stuck Mojo to name but three) but in those days I considered it sacrilege, shit! I was still smarting over the whole Aerosmith - Run DMC thing.
After a quick mosey round the stalls and obligatory wait around while the ladies joined the ridiculously long toilet queue, we headed over to the second stage to catch Type-O-Negative.
This year they had moved the second stage around so that it had the back of the stage facing the main stage; I am not sure why they did that? Maybe they found that this afforded better views or less sound leakage in the wind? I have to say, I was impressed with Type-O-Negative, their doomy, gothicky music appealed to me in a kind of Sabbath meets Sisters of Mercy way and their giant vocalist Pete Steel had the right type of deep voice that complemented their sound. I cannot remember what they played apart from 'My Girlfriends Girlfriend' but they hit the spot enough to ensure that I would buy their next three albums.
My opinion of Biohazard had not changed since their last visit in ‘94, so the chances of me giving them any time was nil. Unfortunately, with no other band playing on another stage at the same time, to drown them out it was impossible to escape from having to hear them. I promised my ears that they would get a treat later for having to suffer this annoying din.
I had heard some rumours about this band Korn and some bloke who plays bagpipes but had not actually heard them. Due to some kind of vote within Kerrang!, Korn were chosen to headline the second stage, this was odd to say the least for an up and coming act, however, on the day there was a huge crowd trying to watch them; we went over but could not see anything, instead we resigned to sitting as close as we could to listen. What I heard was slightly different and definitely something new; in fact I could not decide whether or not I liked it? However, I thought that the fact that I definitely did not hate it was a plus sign, about five years later I brought their back catalogue and liked at least 50% of the material!
There was one thing for certain, the huge crowd that were trying to squeeze in front of this relatively small stage were loving it, and the band responded in kind with the most energetic performance I ever saw them play. I think that this performance broke Korn in the UK and from that day on they appear to have almost secured a residency at the venue as not many Download festivals go by without them on the bill or a Korn solo project.
We were only half watching/ listening when Sepultura came on however, this time it was minus frontman Max Cavalera? We were advised that his absence was due to a personal matter that had forced him to return to Brazil, we later discovered that this was due to the tragic death of his stepson in a car accident. I was still not a fan of Sepultura but I admired the fact that despite what must have been an event that affected them all, they soldiered on with Andreas Kisser taking on the vocal duties.
‘96 was another Donington day when the weather was good, from what I remember all day. And who better to watch on a hot summer’s day than Ozzy! The Oz man has always had a penchant for slinging buckets of water at the crowd, this is usually welcomed by those hot, sweaty individuals at the front but those of us further back usually remain dry. Ozzy being a creative individual had remedied age old problem of soaking us stood further afield on this day by purchasing a water cannon, what a genius, he regularly doused us down and I am sure kept several people from flaking out. I have always been glad that Ozzy has his obsession with this particular element and not any of the other two!
Before Ozzy came on we got a five or so minute video of various famous film scenes with Ozzy appearing in them, including him knocking on the window of Apollo 13 trying to get in, this was a great way to start the set and got everyone in high spirits. Ozzy bounced on to the stage shortly after the vid and treat us to his usual greatest hits style set with a couple of new tracks (I remember 'Perry Mason' I think but none of the others). He was as enthusiastic as ever and kept telling us over and over that he loved us (as usual); his singing was not as good as I have heard on other occasions but this was easy to forgive when the set is good and the band having such a good time. I have seen Ozzy many times as a solo artist and with Sabbath and he has never given anything less than 100%, he is a man possessed on stage with boundless energy and a joy to watch.
During the interval it was time to get on with the usual chores i.e. replenish the beer supply and drain the all ready consumed beverages, I considered this to be absolutely essential on this occasion as I did not want to miss a single minute of today’s headliners set. Due to the queues myself and a not to be named acquaintance decided that we could not risk waiting any longer so we decided to use a security fence as a plan B. As we reached the fence there was no sign of any unwanted security so we went about our business watering the said fence and chatting. Before we had finished a whirring noise started and a KISS helicopter appeared (from behind the stage I think) this was of course a signal to get back to our group, I quickly zipped up, but my slower friend was still in mid flow when from out of the darkness leapt a gigantic Rottweiler and hit the fence at with such impact that it knocked my friend over. I picked him up and we headed back into the crowd, however, he was obviously a bit stunned? When I questioned "what the fucks' up with you" he informed me that the friendly canine had missed biting off his old man by centimetres, he swore he felt the mutts nose on his lucky love gun, a lesson had been learned.
We luckily found our group where we had left them just in time for KISS to hit the stage. For most of the next 90 minutes we were treated to the best visual display I had ever seen, this was light years away from their ‘80's incarnation, just simply stunning.
We got the whole package, Gene breathing fire and spewing fake blood from his platform that he fly's to at the top of the stage, we had Ace firing Rockets from his guitar, we got elevating drum kits, platforms than swing out over the crowd and more pyros than you can shake a stick at. The set list did not disappoint either, it was all old stuff such as 'Deuce', 'Hotter Than Hell', 'Detroit Rock City', 'Beth', ' I Was Made For Lovin You' and of course finished off with 'Rock n Roll All Nite'. They came, they saw, and on that night (for me anyway) they ruled.”
Roger Moore (Glinton, Peterborough)
“My memory of Donington at its best - dodging the dodgy content bottles that always got thrown!
Seriously, I really miss Monsters of Rock! They had the best acts and the best newcomers for you to see first hand.
My best bands have got to be Skin, White Zombie, Metallica and Pride & Glory - they were all fantastic live!”
Gill Talbot (Gravesend, now Carlisle)
“Apart from the co-headliners in 1996, KISS and OZZY, once again there wasn’t too much on offer for me during the day. But I rallied myself to go (it was now mainly because I had been to all the previous ones and didn’t want to miss it…I was clinging on to my youth….I was now 33 years old).
I travelled down with a new group of festival goers (which included John Slater guitarist-to-be with Blaze Bayley’s band after his departure from Iron Maiden. John lived in the same village as me).
The beer flowed quite freely and I must admit I really enjoyed my last Donington.
I went down the front for both Ozzy and KISS and had a great time, the downside being that I lost my camera in the melee at the front shortly after the start of the KISS set.
If Donington was going to go out with a bang rather than a whimper then I suppose KISS in full reunion make-up were the right band to do it. Their stage show is legendary and spectacular ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll All Nite’.
So there you have it, my brief memories of THE MONSTERS OF ROCK festival at Castle Donington 1980 to 1996.
I wonder how many other people attended all fifteen shows…..maybe someone could arrange a reunion…..who knows.”
&n
bsp; Paul Hartshorn (Chesterfield)
“I remember the first year Monsters of Rock had two stages, one of my mates scooted off to watch one of the bands on the 2nd stage and came running back to grab us; all he said was “Shit man you won’t believe it ya gotta see this band, the lead singer is playing the f#*king bagpipes!?!” Hence to say this was our introduction to Korn! I could name so many amazing bands I have seen over the years, I feel so privileged to have been a part of Donington so many times, with so many friends. The atmosphere never fails to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and on those barmy hot days when you’re sitting in a field with like minded people, a cold beer in your hand watching and listening to music you love, you will never experience a feeling like it.” Jude Wright (Wallasey, Merseyside)
2001
A Day At The Races
Stereophonics,
Ash, The Black Crowes,
The Crocketts, Proud Mary
In a total contrast to any of the Monsters Of Rock events, the 2001 ‘A Day At The Races featured a host of indie/pop bands and one band that had played at a previous MOR in 1991. Monsters Of Rock was put on a backburner and the ghosts of metal past were banished forever into the very soul of Donington Park; or were they?
First on were the Crocketts who have since evolved into the ‘Top Of The Pops’ appearing stars the Crimea. Minor hit makers and indie crowd pleasers, the Crocketts played tracks from their debut album ‘We May Be Skinny And Wirey’ and their 2000 album ‘The Great Brain Robbery’. Popular on the day, but still relatively unknown, the Crocketts split up the following year.
Next up were Proud Mary from Oldham. Favourites of Noel Gallagher of Oasis, they were the first band that Noel signed up to his Sour Mash record label, due to their ‘classic’ rock ‘n’ roll sound. They played a set that mostly consisted of tracks from their debut album ‘Same Old Blues’, including the popular single ‘Very Best Friend’.
Finally, a band from the MOR days was back to grace the stage with their Southern Blues-Rock style, The Black Crowes. Having played in 1991, the Black Crowes were back for another bite of the Donington cherry, slightly higher up the bill by two places and standing out from the other bands playing. What the audience made of the band from Atlanta, Georgia on the day was any ones guess as they certainly weren’t anything like Stereophonics or Ash, who were on next as ‘special guests’.
Ash from Downpatrick Co. Down in Northern Ireland were making their Donington debut this day, but would return as 2nd on the bill to HIM, on the 2nd stage at Download Festival in 2008. Playing a massive amount of singles including ‘Girl From Mars’ and tracks from their latest album ‘Free All Angels’ including the remarkable ‘Burn Baby Burn, Ash were an excellent choice for the special guest spot on the day.
Stereophonics show at Donington was part of a two gig series, the other at the Millennium Stadium; the original choice for the other gig had been at Chepstow Racecourse, hence ‘A Day At The Races’, but due to the ‘foot & mouth’ crisis it had to be moved.
Playing tracks from their recently released ‘Just Enough Education To Perform’, Stereophonics trawled through the stand out album tracks and yet to be released singles; ‘Mr Writer’ and ‘Have A Nice Day’ had already been chart hits from the album, but ‘Handbags And Gladrags’ was yet to be released.
Hit after hit were played and the event was a great day out, but it wasn’t Monsters Of Rock; but at the time we didn’t realise that metal was on its way to Donington once again this time in the shape of Ozzfest, the Ozzy Osbourne organised one day event, which would arrive at Donington Park in May the following year.
“It was just massive, we were checking out the crowd. We’d played at Reading a lot of times and Glastonbury, but this was equally as big, with a sheer amount of people.”
Mark Hamilton (Ash – Bass)
“I remember thinking that the Monsters of Rock Festival was the ‘ultimate festival’ as we grew up as kids and I remember listening to Tommy Vance.
So, when we got to play here it was a big deal; the stage was very cool, like a natural amphitheatre.
I really like playing out doors, especially in the UK, where people know us.”
Tim Wheeler (Ash – Vocals Guitar)
“I like it when we played with the Stereophonics because it was like a natural amphitheatre with all of the crowd looking down.”
Rick McMurray (Ash – Drums)
2002 Ozzfest
Ozzy Osbourne
The well needed return of ‘the metal' to Donington was a moment to rejoice, although the weather on the day wasn't.
The one day Ozzfest event was sadly marred by the torrential rain which occurred on and off throughout the day, drenching the crowd, but not dampening their spirits; the crowd were definitely up for another great day of rock.
The initial Ozzfest at Donington (it would return on the Saturday of Download 2005) was headlined by the 'Ozzmeister' himself, Mr Ozzy Osbourne and a fantastic supporting bill.
The second stage was positioned in the exhibition centre and so was packed all day long due to the rain outside. The stage was headlined by the British band Hundred Reasons with a fledgling Skindred and Otep also playing earlier in the day, but there were so many that played which have since disappeared, where are Cyclefly? Where are Pulse Ultra? Where are Flaw?
For every success story there are always a host of other rock 'n' roll casualties who get lost along the way
and the second stage at Ozzfest seemed to have an abundance of them.
The main stage was however a totally different story with a line-up that featured three future Download headliners; System Of A Down who headlined in 2005, Tool who filled the top spot in 2006 and Lostprophets who closed the festival on the Sunday six years later in 2008. Slayer, another staple of the Download festival played on the day and have been one of the few acts that have played Monsters Of Rock, Ozzfest and Download all at Donington in the last 30 years.
Ozzy closed the festival with a show stopping performance and would return again for 'Ozzfest day' at Download 2005, but this time he would play his only performance at Donington with the mighty legends that are Black Sabbath.
"It was raining and cold, they had the semi-circle at the front and it was half empty. The only people, who could get in there, got there early and they'd gone off drinking and Slayer were on after us, so everyone was ready for Slayer.
But, I love Slayer, but their fans are probably not the biggest fans of us.
You needed special tickets to get in the semi circle and it looked empty, beyond the semi circle it was rammed but nobody could get anywhere near the stage.”
Ian Watkins (Lostprophets - Vocals)
"We played Ozzfest at Donington, just before it turned into Download and it was horrible, one of the worst shows that I've ever played, disgusting.
For me whilst I was growing up the Monsters of Rock was huge. I remember Metallica headlining it and all these great bands and it was like WOW 'we're going to play Donington!'
It's like every metal kids dream to play Donington and it was shit, it was like the most disappointed I've ever been. Because I was so worked up for it, we were finally going to play Donington!!”
Mike Lewis (Lostprophets – Guitar)
“We were afraid that we were going to be trying to get everyone to sing-along and that they would hate us, so we were all pretty nervous before the set.
Then there was a massive rainstorm so the tent got absolutely mobbed; there were about 13,000 in there and they stopped letting people in, because they couldn’t physically fit anymore in!
It was packed and we were very nervous, but as soon as we went on it was brilliant. I actually have a BBC CD recording of that show and I listen to it when I’m depressed about anything, because it’s fantastic and you can hear the crowd, louder than the band, singing along to all the songs.
They had an after party that night, in a big tent, which was an absolute disaster, because of all the mud.”
&n
bsp; Larry Hibbitt (Hundred Reasons – Guitar)
“I remember playing Donington the once and we were sandwhiched between Mushroomhead and another band of that ilk.
I suppose it was when ‘Nu Metal’ was at the forefront and we didn’t really see ourselves as a ‘Nu Metal’ band. I remember coming out and playing softest, most melodic, quiet tune to the horror of about 15000 kids who obviously didn’t know who we were. After about half a minute of bottles coming over, I think everyone calmed down and realised we were trying something different. I seem to remember after that the gig went really well and for years afterwards people were coming up to us and saying they saw us there.
Probably the first time I ever went there was to play it and I always remember the Guns ‘N’ Roses video, that was my image of Donington.”
Joe Birch (Hell is For Heroes – Drums)
“I remember we were supposed to be playing Donington a couple years ago and it clashed with another European festival that we were going to do, so we had to pull out. So, they had to find a worthy replacement for 2pm on the second stage and it ended up being Metallica. They took our slot and left people somewhat dissapointed, I bet, that we weren’t around”
Will McGonagle (Hell Is For Heroes – Guitar)
“As a kid being a huge metal fan it was a quite a big deal to play Donington as I’d followed it for years. All I really remember about the gig was ducking bottles, that was it….. ‘DUCK’”
Tom O'Donoghue (Hell Is For Heroes – Guitar)
“My memory of Donington was when Ozzy had to pull out at the last minute ‘cos he wasn’t feeling too good, but it was probably because ot was cold and raining and he didn’t feel like getting out of bed.