Alas the last day of Download had reared its ugly head, bringing along with it people who look almost dead in the eyes and walk as if they were zombies with a serious lack of brain food. Despite the last day blues there was still a healthy crowd for Blitz Kids on the Zippo stage. The rock group played a belting set and had the crowd up on their feet and shaking off their zombie-states as they played a collection of their songs. Stopping momentarily when the lead singer wished his Dad a happy fathers day. Cue the audience all realising that unless you were with your Dad at Download you should probably given them a text or call...whoops. (8/13)
Down the hill to the Pepsi Max Stage where a band was listed in the program as just a picture of a crocodile and the words 'no one knows what will happen' it had secret set written all over it and sadly it was not. It was a band called Crocodil and while being talented at what they do, unfortunately did not offer anything different from a lot of acts already viewed over the weekend. The powerful vocals however made them memorable. (6/10)
'This is the future of metal!' the lead singer of Five Finger Death Punch screamed as he introduced a group of children onto the stage to rock out with them. The nu metal group put on an amazing performance and really made you feel at home when they spoke to you. Biggest hits included Bad Comany and The Bleeding. (9/13)
The way Parkway Drive are on stage you can imagine bumping into them and just hanging out as if you're the best of friends. Maybe it was just the Australian personality but their personas on stage were an absolute breath of fresh air and it was such a shock to see how Winston's voice changed so quickly to match their heavy metal sound. Carrion got a massive reaction from the crowd. (10/13)
It's so clear to see how much Corey Taylor loves Download. He runs out with his other band Stone Sour and you can see in his face that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. As a big Slipknot fan I've never thought of even listening to these guys but what a mistake that was! Stone Sour are an incredible live band and the songs they played were catchy and awesome! Corey rocking a guitar was an outstanding sight to see as well. It really gave me a whole new appreciation of his music and him as an artist. (10/13)
For a band that are primarily known for being rock/indie they're a bit of an odd feature to put on Download's main stage but the New Jersey outfit Gaslight Anthem made it their own and played a great set bringing out all the hits like Unwritten and 45". The banter between lead singer and guitarist was awkward but it passed quickly. (8/13)
I couldn't quite make it through this next band without the pun of 'they're on their way up' yes while Airbourne aren't my cup of tea at all I can honestly say that they put on a brilliant show and are all talented musicians. A crowd consisting of old school metal heads and new metal heads was totally justified and they seemed truly appreciative to be where they were. These guys futures are big! (11/13)
For me this was the one moment I'd been waiting for all weekend, A Day to Remember had finally returned to the UK and they were subbing the Zippo stage which meant chaos was sure to ensue. Sure enough as soon as the music started and the metal/pop punk heroes took to the stage the crowd was electric, singing along with every single word that was thrown their way.
Blowing the previous band completely out of the water they started with the incredible single Violence and oh yes there was violence! The band were clearly loving being there and even introduced a new form of crowd surfing. Jeremy Mckinnon apologized to the security and asked people to crowd surf on crowd surfers. The end result was incredible to see! Reaching into their amazing back catalogue the band played All I Want, 2nd Sucks and Downfall of us All as well as a lot more! These guys next album is going to be huge! (12/13)
Over the years I've heard the stories about Rammstein shows, I'm sure we've all heard them. They get people on stage to have sex, they abuse fire and they make any crowd go crazy. So when the bottle fight of Download 2013 had come to an end and the lights went down I didn't know what quite to expect.
Ich Tu Dir Weh started off their set followed with Wollt Das Bett In Flammen Sehen. After this the lead singer left the stage and came back in a chef's hat, a blood covered apron and a butchers knife that was actually a microphone. He sings to the audience and quite frankly looks terrifying. He then brings out a massive cooking pot and out pops the keyboard player being slowly cooked by the lead singer - who has now somehow found a giant flamethrower.
Any show with pyrotechnics including a flamethrower, sparks from the hand, setting the mics on fire and the lead singer having anal sex with the keyboard player is always going to be a special show...yeah...he was dressed as a gimp.
Their encore started with a ballad...yes a ballad! The keyboard player played a piano and the lead singer had emotion in his voice as he sang Mein Herz Brentt. As their set was so get on with it, it was a shock to hear the singer say 'thank you' or 'let me see your hands' it wasn't like any other band who were constantly talking, they just got on with it.
Finishing with probably their most famous song, Pussy was amazing, to hear 90,000 people sing 'You got a pussy, you got a dick, so what's the problem? Let's do it' was incredible. Obviously there was still time for a little bit of last minute craziness as the singer straddled a giant penis in the front row and covered the lucky crowd in foam. The whole band made their way to the front of the stage got on one knee and put their hands to their chests. 'Thank you, you have been fucking amazing, good night' is the last thing said as they exit the arena and Download is over. (12/13)
I don't think I could have chosen a better year to go to Download for the first time! 2013 had a brilliant lineup and the atmosphere was just incredible. Same time next year, everyone?