by Ian Carroll
The obvious highlight was Steve and I trekking to the Download festival, the ultimate experience in rock/metal. Three days of camping in a field, Jägermeister for breakfast and rocking out with 99,998 other like minded metal heads to the world’s best riff masters. Key bands were Motley Crue, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and countless others and although the hangover lasted two weeks and required Penicillin it was one of the best experiences of my (and definitely Steve’s) life. I could go on and on for days about the adventures of Download. And I will. The fun didn’t end when the bands finished, the night time entertainment was immense. Highlights included sleeping bag wrestling, random tent crashing, drinking with the police, camp sing alongs and just generally engaging in the dumbest activities known to man.
This was all fuelled not by shots of Sambuca, but by sculling straight out of the bottle. Fun times.
Daniel Steffe (Gold Coast, Australia)
“At the Download Festival of 2007 I was stood against the rail in front of the sound stage waiting for Marilyn Manson to perform. As I was waiting and looking over the crowd, I saw stood behind me a long haired very well build man who stereotypically looked like a rock star and the tattoo on his chin was very individual.
I began talking to him as a normal person, very casual conversation the 'hi how are you? Having a good weekend' just basic small talk before Marilyn Manson came on.
When the show started I turned my back on the very rock n roll man and thought nothing of him until about two weeks after the festival and I picked up a music magazine.
Low and behold there on the front cover was the man I’d met at the festival, long hair, very well built and the unique tattoo on his chin. I had no idea what so ever I’d been talking to Dez Fafara the lead singer of Devildriver! Who have now come to be one of my favourite bands and I met the lead singer and passed him off as just some other guy!”
Gary Killelay (Doncaster)
“Back in 2007, Bowling For Soup, on the mainstage, were having the greatest gig ever, performing along side 2 giant sheep and one which had been thrown up in reference to a previous gig.
As a plane passed by the mainstage, the band stopped, point reference at the plane and the Donington tyre which made the festival different from others, when a guy from the back goes crowd surfing in a blow up dingy.
'White water rafting' the band sang and laughed at the stunt and hit straight where they left off.”
Lawrence Taylor (Hull)
“Download is the most established festival around in my opinion it always has an awesome atmosphere and there's always something to do; if you don't like any band there at the time you will always be able to find something to keep you busy.
My best memory of Download is from 2007 when Iron Maiden played with the Iron Maiden tank and Bruce Dickinson falling onstage and not messing up the song that made my festival.
As for Cup Man, nobody seems to know who he is but he's always as Download collecting cups, some people say he does it to make enough money to go to the next festival but whatever reason he does it for he become a legend at the festival.
Everyone who has been Download will know who Cup Man is.”
William Bell (Darwen)
“It was the Sunday of Download 2007. I was standing to the right hand side of the stage near the food vans.
The smell of cooking burgers filled my nostrils. I began to feel a mixture of excitement and panic as Iron Maiden made their way onto the stage. The atmosphere was amazing and as the songs kept coming I felt the energy coming off the crowd powering me up.
The next thing I knew my view was blocked by a tall man with long dreadlocks. I turned to my friend as I was incredibly annoyed.
"Why do people always choose to stand in front of me? Is it just 'cos I’m tall?" I said. "Dude do you not realise who that is?" My mate said.
Then it dawned on me. In my mind I thought that's Brian Fair from Shadows Fall. Then next to him I also saw Jim Lamarca from Chimaira. I went over and said hi and they were some of the nicest guys I've ever met.
Turns out even rock stars have heroes similar to rock fans and they were there rocking out to Iron Maiden with the best of us.”
Mike Barnett (Dunfermline)
“Being packed into the Dimebag Darrell tent to see Mötley Crüe, singing along to Iron Maiden's 'Fear of the Dark' with thousands of others... such moments just can't be described!
I'll never forget the feeling of walking through the gates of the festival for the first time, and it's an occasion I look forward to like no other, every year.” Andy McDonald (Clydebank)
“One of my best memories was waiting for Linkin Park to start in 2007.
This was when Download of course was on the actual track. There was a massive bottle fight between the people in the crowd and the people who were sitting on the hill just off of the track. It was massive. I remember being covered in liquid (and trying not to think what liquid).
As soon as the band started it was amazing the bottle throwing stopped and everyone went crazy for Linkin Park.”
Emma Bucknall (Nottingham)
“Me and my group were pitched up behind the speaker stand at the main stage during Iron Maiden's set on the Sunday in 07. Right in the middle of ‘Fear Of The Dark’, my two good buddies Pauly G and his twin brother Craigyluvspudz were getting a bit pissed off with some geezer in front, He was so out of it and falling backwards all the time.
So the twins decided to play "lightsabers" Basically they got their truncheons out in front of everyone and pissed all over the backs of this geezers legs while he was dancing. They were pissed themselves but no where near as mullered as this fella. Anyway after getting me to hold their drinks, they slashed away making all the sound effects from Star Wars. This poor bloke didn't have a clue what they were doing.
When they finished they were cheering for themselves etc and the guy turned round and started cheering with them and gave them both a big hug! He obviously thought that were cheering for Maiden.
Classic moment!”
Danny Ramsay (Swindon)
“My First real festival experience was Download Festival 2007, and what a year it was.
The one thing that struck me the most about it all was the amount of different and diverse people you could meet there just by saying ‘hello’.
I fell down a pot hole the day I got there and hurt my knee and stumbling back from the first aid tent I needed to sit down and just as it happened at the entrance of the campsite was an inflatable sofa, so I asked these random Scottish people if I could sit down and I introduced myself and they did the same they were Neil, Danny and Bobby and they were really nice to me, we all struck up a conversation about all the bands we wanted to see over a bottle of JD and I ended up spending the whole weekend with them, if it wasn’t for Download I probably wouldn’t have met one of my best friends Neil nor would I have been able to meet up with him at every Download Festival since then!
The best band of that year was Iron Maiden, I went to download not really liking them and I left a die hard fan! The atmosphere that Sunday evening gave me the goosebumps!”
Charlotte 'Coxy' Cox (Portsmouth)
“My Uncle Nik, He used to go to Monsters of Rock back in the 80’s, when it finished. He was gutted. Literally devastated.
Anyway, when it was back as Download, he went ballistic so I am told. Back when it was ‘03 and ‘04, he used to go for the day. Then in ‘05 he went for the weekend. I went on the Saturday in 2005 and met up with my uncle. He, that day gave me the biggest gift ever, my love for Download.
In 2006 we spent all weekend there, together. My Uncle was the one who got me into "this sort of music" back when I was around 7/8. Anyway, in 2006, I had realised I was in love with the festival. The weekend soon passed and we were already planning for 2007 the week after! But my uncle had a huge heroin addiction, and owed money to dealers, now I am not going into details, as I would like to keep that part private. But before 2006 end
ed, he was dead. I was mortified, as expected, and depression sunk in.
And from that day, I vowed I would never miss a Download again. But in 2007, when the announcements were being made, the words MOTLEY CRUE came up. That hurt. As they were my Uncles fave band, and he had never been to see them. But I had vowed that I would see them, for my uncle Nik.
So I took well in excess of 100 photos (All on an old computer, sorry I don’t have them.) and put them on my uncles grave. Now, coming into 2010. I am still going to download. Not just for me. But for the both of us.”
Dan ‘DivaDan’ Brain (Wellingborough)
“It was coming up to Download 2007 (my second year) and to my luck, I’d just developed a chest infection. But that didn’t stop me. Neither did the thought of the dust and dirt getting kicked up and lining my lungs. I still went to Download despite this, and had an awesome time.
Met Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers, even managed to cough up a few words to Corey Taylor in the signing tent with Stone Sour. Managed to get a hug from him too! Score! Don’t know what he would have thought of me as I was as pale as a ghost, coughing and spluttering. Although I was made to take medicine 3 times a day I still managed to have the best time of my life. To top it off, I was only fifteen years old.”
Casey Fudge (Gloucester)
”My first Download Festival was 2007; I’ve been every year since without fail. Since 2007 I’ve been trying to get to Donington as early as possible and leaving as late as possible. I just cannot get enough of Download!”
Graham Simmonds (London)
2008
KISS,
The Offspring,
& Lostprophets
This year was the first time that any of the festivals at Donington had been held outside the track and also the first time that the 2nd stage was in the open and not within the confines of a tent.
The capacity was slightly smaller this year and there were nothing but complaints on the Forums about the mainstage headliners, Kiss, The Offspring and Lostprophets, but all three put on great shows and Kiss made their 3rd appearance and their 2nd headline slot in full make-up at the festival.
The second stage was built on a tarmac car park which did cause some problems for 'moshing', but the size of the stage was much bigger than usual, now being outside. The headliners on the second stage were
Simple Plan, HIM and Cavalera Conspiracy.
Biggest crowd of the weekend, on the 2nd stage, had to go to Pendulum who were making their Donington debut; the amount of people wanting to see the 'Drum & Bass crossover' band was phenomenal and it seemed like most of the festival were at the 2nd stage for their show.
The crowd were treated to a double dose of their painted idols over the weekend. Kiss played on Friday and the crowd was treated to a full 'Kiss show' with flames, fireworks and blood and Saturday Ace Frehley played
a rare UK performance on the second stage with a mix of his own and classic Kiss songs.
Elsewhere there were many other 'classic rock' bands playing over the weekend. Friday on the mainstage saw the return of Judas Priest after a 28 year gap, Motorhead also played the Friday mainstage, Rose Tattoo made their Donington debut and Saxon played as special guests in the tent, 26 years after they had last played, on the Saturday.
The weather all weekend was good except for a ten minute shower on the Saturday morning during the Skindred set, with half the crowd running and taking shelter in the 3rd stage tent, packing it out for GO:Audio.
The 'cup collecting' which had began a few years before, in line with the green issues of the festival reached new heights with people making serious amounts of money and keeping the rubbish down to a minimum on the site; 'Cup Man' was spotted all over the festival again, dressed in ‘Viking like’ attire and collecting cups like there was no tomorrow; whether Cup Man actually watches any bands is unknown.
Some of the site was on a gravel slope so was not the ideal place for the festival, but all would change the following year, new site, still at Donington, outside the track and weather that was close to tropical, Download was to find its new and permanent home.
“We’re back and we are celebrating 35 years. We’ll be playing ‘Kiss Alive’ and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Trends come, fashion come, but we just don’t go away; we’re like herpes I guess?
We don’t live within the boundaries of other bands, they wish they could be Kiss, we don’t wish we could be them.”
Paul Stanley (Kiss – Vocals / Guitar)
“In all seriousness, it’s unfortunate but the record industry is dead, six feet underground and unfortunately the fans have done this. They have decided to download and file share; there’s no record industry around. We are going to wait until everyone settles down and becomes civilised and as soon as the record industry ‘pops up its head’ we will record some new material.
But honestly we have the time of our lives. We get to wear more make-up and higher heels than your mommy does, we get to go up on stage and blow up shit, we don’t have to explain what our lyrics mean and we have the best time in the world.
If I was given an Aladdin’s lamp and was told ‘rub this and you can become a member of any band’, guess which band I want to be in, right here baby,
THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD; KISS.”
Gene Simmons (Kiss – Vocals / Bass)
“What was really cool that day was that the venue has so much history to it. To be perfectly honest we had a tough schedule and we were in and out that day and I didn’t really the chance to see many other bands; we played our show and then took off.
Judas Priest and Kiss headlined the day before and whenever they put bills together like that it makes me chuckle. I grew up listening to Kiss and ‘Kiss Alive’ was my very first record, so to be on the same bill, in the same headlining slots it’s almost so ridiculous that it’s hilarious; it was like ‘wow, we shouldn’t be here!’
We did watch some of Incubus, who we had played some shows with them in Australia, when we had played Soundwave, so we had got to know them a bit.
There was quite a bit of press, we did it all in the backstage area in our little portable dressing room.
It sounded like a cool thing to do; we’d played the Reading Festival, but with Download we decided to play and mix it up a bit. It was definitely a bit of a change, but it was really cool.
People had told us that the crowd would be a different crowd, more of a metal crowd and that it may not be the same reception for us, but that was not the case. I thought it was a great show.”
Dexter Holland (The Offspring – Vocals / Guitar)
“Download 2008 was incredible and out metal maniac fans went mental, as did the rest of the 50 thousand strong crowd!”
Rob Halford (Judas Priest – Vocals)
“When we first started to tour the States we toured with a lot of bands, REO Speedwagon, Foghat, you name them, some were appropriate to have Priest on the bill, but some weren’t.
Back in those days we were lucky to get one spotlight and that didn’t always work, so we had to jockey about on stage to be seen. But when we played with Kiss they were already a well established band and they were pretty good to us. They weren’t stingy with the lights and it was the first time that we were able to get any production going in the States. It was great to play with Kiss.
So it was very poignant to do the Download show with them, as we go back a long way. I’ve got a lot of time for Kiss; I think they are a professional band, but a show business band. They’ve got great songs, they’re great showmen and people want entertaining and they do it well.
We had already done a lot of shows with Motorhead and they’re great.
It was very symbolic to come back, 29 years on and it shows the sustaining power of Priest and I think that the one thing, a compliment that has been paid to us many times throughout the years and it is something that we are proud of and that is that Priests music is fairly timeless. It’s something very satisfying to know, that s
omething we did 29 years ago still carries through today.”
Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest – Guitar)
“I had wanted to see Children Of Bodom, but I was doing press so I missed them, but it’s work and it’s unglamorous.”
Jonathan Davis (Jonathan Davis - Vocals)
“The first thing that hit me was that it was freezing fucking cold. We went onstage and I think someone told me it was either 3 or 4 degrees so it was really cold. I think I went on in a sweatshirt where I had cut the sleeves off. It was raining, I think that it stopped when we went onstage, but the crowd had been there forever and it did put a dampener on things; no matter how much you twist and turn it’s not as happening as it would have been on a nice sunny day and dry.
But still it’s a good festival and we had a great time. I watched the end of Judas Priest and saw the end of Kiss; I didn’t see anything else as I flew in that same afternoon and then flew out that evening for another show.”
Mikkey Dee (Motörhead – Drums)
“This year was cool we had a good show, every year is good. I didn’t like the new layout and I got lost. But Donington is always a cool place to play.
We never get to watch many bands, because we turn up, do interviews, and rehearse for 30 minutes and then play. Lots of friends and family turned up, so we had to see them and then go to an airport and fly to another country.”
Jason “Jay” James (Bullet For My Valentine – Bass)
“I just love Donington. There’s not a lot to say apart from I love being a part of it. It’s a prestigious festival; it’s Download now, but it used to be Monsters of Rock, it’s a kind of ‘holy’ field for rock and metal, it’s notoriously famous.