A Brief History Of Download '07...

Download ‘07 was a great success. The weather was good – not much wind, warm and sunny. The line-up this year was varied and pretty strong. There were a few too many time clashes between bands on the main stage and the Dimebag Darrell stage, but that always happens, especially to people who like allsorts of ‘metal’.*

So this is a brief account of how it panned out for me and my best mate:

• Arrived on Friday and drank beer.
• Noticed lack of beautiful women and dietary concerns in general.
• Hinder were awful and clichéd to a point of no return.

Megadeth were awesome (as always) and delivered a well-balanced set of old and new. Mustaine was not clichéd and is a true leader of metal. Glen Drover is a fine replacement for Freidman and really nailed his solos – very Lynchesque and the sound quality was excellent.

Off to the Dimebag Darrell Stage in the huge tent. We reckoned that you can get about 15,000 in and around the tent. The sound system is second to none – in fact as perfect as I have ever heard.

Enter Porcupine Tree. Needless to say the sound was amazing, the set flowed and a good few converts were gained (including my mate). The guitar sound was seminal. They are however the least interesting band imaginable to watch.

Back to the main stage and a sit down at the back, some beers and some forgettable entertainment from Dragonforce and Wolfmother (in my opinion).
Enter Velvet Revolver. The most iconic guitar player alive struts his stuff with his mates from Guns n’ Roses. However the sound is not so good and Scott Weiland is so wrong in that band. His voice is weak, his rants are embarrassing and he marches round the stage with an arrogance that impresses few in reality. Rather like 2 years ago, the audience all know what and who they would rather see on that stage and when the money and time is right, it will hopefully happen. Besides, Megadeth should have been in this spot on the bill.

Back to the tent and the groove-core magic that is Korn. I honestly don’t think I have seen an audience atmosphere quite like this one. On numerous occasions the stage manager wanted to put the plug – it so fucking rocked! I don’t care what some people say or think about Korn, it’s their loss and the sudden cover of the last third of Metallica’s ‘One’ sent the place into hysteria. I had a good position but was happy that I was not at the very front…

You cannot top such an event, so catching the last half hour of My Chemical Romance on the main stage was like having hot milk and going to bed. However, they were bang on form, adored by their masses and very impressive. Their ‘emo tag’ seemed to get lost in what was clearly an epic rock show and Gerard Way is way talented.

Saturday arrives and we drink beer. The sun shines and only one thing will suffice on the main stage – the fantastic Bowling For Soup! I know what you’re all thinking but their talent is not to play progressive metal and shred for their lives. Their talent is to entertain and that’s exactly what they did. And the proof is simple – 80,000 Metal fans in the palm of their hands. They play an infectious brand of ‘cheeky college pop punk rock’ with a grand sense of humour. The onstage banter between vocalist Reddick and guitarist Burney, was some of the funniest I have heard:
“That’s one big fuckin’ tyre over there…” says Reddick (re the Dunlop Bridge)
“Yeah it’s a from Jesus car…” replies Burney,
“That’s one big fuckin car…”
“You think the car’s big, you should see his weener!” – Dave Lee Roth would have smiled.

Next up, the titanic Machine Head. Huge riffs, huge crowd support and really what it’s all about at a ‘metal’ festival. The sound was great and so was the cider I was now drinking. Why Machine Head are not huge I do not know.

Slayer were Slayer. My least favourite of the ‘big four’ but they are iconic and mean business. They are however not heavy enough to my ears, especially after Machine Head’s Imperium!

Mr. Manson then comes to terrorize the children. The sound was good and he glided around the stage in a ‘Salem’s Lot’ fashion. Mobscene to name but one, is a cracking song but really needs the whole stage show to go with it – nevermind, all is well but we have to move off to the tent to see Satellite Party and to get a good position for Motley Crue.

Satellite Party were surprisingly good and very entertaining. The whole Perry Farrell feel to things was there (which I never really got) but the introduction of the great Nuno Bettencourt changes the whole dynamic. Jane’s Addiction meets Extreme is pretty much what you get. The songs were immediate and the whole band was bang on. Nuno played some solos to make us 80’s boys grin like Cheshire Cats – it was a real highlight to see such a great talent like Nuno back where he belongs.

So next up Motley Crue. Expectation’s are skyhigh as the greatest live band of all time are about to play the best tent of all time, through the best PA of all time. It’s hot and the atmosphere is memorable. On they come, Dr. Feelgood pounds and the crowd surges like it did for Guns n’ Roses in ’88 when the kids died. This is a shame because I’m right in the middle at the front. I can’t put my feet on the ground, a crowd surfer knocks my glasses off, sudden blurred vision ensues, girls are all bit scared and I have no choice but to get out to the side. My conclusion is that I am too old to go down the front and especially not at Motley Crue. I also conclude that Motley Crue are still the best live band in the world and probably ever will be. I watch the rest from a distance and the sound and set is just heavenly. Watching the varied audience and especially the 1000’s of young Rock and emo fans enjoying themselves so much, was truly heart warming. “Crue! Crue! Crue! Crue!” Etc.

I then catch the last half hour of Linkin Park on the main stage, which was disappointing, especially after just seeing the masters at work. Even Chester said that he was “Missing Motley Crue for you guys…” Anyway, the sound wasn’t great but the crowd seemed happy enough.

Sunday comes and we drink beer. Bit cooler but very pleasant all the same.
We first catch Papa Roach on the main stage. Rather like Bowling For Soup, they are not to everyone’s taste but are consummate professionals at getting the audience’s attention. As with their performance 2 years ago, I am amazed at how many people (and whatever t-shirt they parade) know the words to Papa Roach songs. They are obviously very popular and they sound really good. The drum sound is the best of the weekend, however the singer insists that everything is “from the heart” a few too many times – that aside they win hands down.

We then take a back seat to ‘enjoy’ the charms of Mastodon and Lamb Of God. I have never quite ‘found’ these two bands but they do their job well. The former has the most excellent ‘metal sounding’ name of the weekend, whilst the latter have the best t-shirt on sale. We get to see a Randy Rhoads drum kit and they all look like they arrived in their trucks and are best buds with Zakk Wylde – respect.

At last, Killswitch Engage! Alas, no Adam AGAIN (still the back injury I presume). This a shame as he is the ‘General’ if you like and the band is never as tight without him – I’ve seen them three times with and three times without him, so I know. He also has the necessary sense of humour for a festival and to pull off pinch harmonics in style – Joel did cover that department well, but he never smiles after said pinch harmonics, which I think helps to establish the joy of this skill. The crowd love Killswitch and their already huge armory of ‘hits’ works a treat. A definite highlight.

Next up is the unenviable task of being a young gothic/emo girl with a faceless band – cue Evanescene. Amy Lee looks nervous but sings her lungs out (and notes that she is the ‘first person to sing harmonies of the day’ – to a mixed response). She has to win over all but the front 20,000 devotees – and to her credit she does. This was real ‘Girl Power’ – one girl verses 80,000 metal heads. She plays her grand piano (surely a first at Donington) and sings like a tortured angel – the whole spectacle is very enjoyable, the band sound super heavy and full respect to her!

Off to the tent for the kings of Prog – Dream Theater. The sound was of course – historic!
They played a couple of excellent new songs and some oldies including ‘Pull Me Under’, which always please the masses. The tent was packed and DT will have won over a good few new followers. One guy actually asked me “Who the hell are this band?” I told him and he told his friends. They all nodded (with that ‘Oh so this is Dream Theater…’ sort of nod), smiled and stood amazed. Petrucci, Rudess, Myung and Portnoy (of course) were on fire and James Le Cheese was a bit off key at the end but nothing to worry about. The most I have enjoyed DT live for over 10 years!

This was when we left Donington 07, as we both grew out of Iron Maiden when we were 12 and wanted to go home. I’m sure they were excellent and sent their unbelievably loyal following to Maiden heaven.

Roll on next year…