It’s been six years since the very first Download Festival. During that time we’ve had two day festivals, we’ve had three day festivals, we’ve had two stages, we’ve had three stages, we’ve had two outdoor stages, we’ve had skate ramps, we’ve had free Snickers, more free Muller Rice than any one man should ever consume and HIM performing 67% of the time.
This year everything is a little bit different • the entire site layout has changed, the date of the festival has changed for the first time since 2003 and most people have decided that the line-up is the weakest ever seen at Donington Park with serious questions as to why Lost Prophets have a headline slot.
It’s a Wednesday morning and the sun is out. Things are looking up as standard car parking is actually right next to the campsite entrance (comparatively) for once and walking distances are not quite so torturous as in previous years. The campsite, beyond that, hasn’t changed much. With a selection of rides, overpriced food (most expensive cheeseburger on-site £7.50), overpriced booze and camping fields in the usual places not much has changed. As people prepare for the festival two days of binge drinking, cheering at planes and partying commences.
Friday morning arrives and the first band are due on stage at 1pm with the gates opening an hour before that. At this point people have only seen the printed map to get a vague idea how far the arena is. For those who have never had the joy of walking the entire length of Donington Park before • this journey is going to be a bit of a surprise. With a crowd the walk (much of which is uphill) takes around forty minutes from the campsite to the arena and twenty minutes at a high-speed jog. For those unfortunately in the day ticket entrance the queues are even longer • with waits of over an hour still at 1pm with many fans missing the first few bands.
Whether or not you enter the arena from the campsite or the day ticket entrance the first thing you see is a tarmac surface that resembles a car park. For those at the day ticket entrance they are greeted with some toilets and a Muller Rice bus whilst the second stage greets those arriving from the camp site.
This year the second stage is outdoors and, arguably, has more space for people to watch than the main stage. The only real difference between the two is that the Tuborg stage is lacking big-screen TVs mounted on the stage and a second row of speaker stacks for the crowd. A lot of people seem to be standing around it wondering why the main stage bands are not apparently playing until they realise to walk across the site.
A short trek across the site takes you from the second stage to the main stage and finally the third stage which is the same size it has been for the last couple of years. For those with VIP packages the guest area is located behind the third stage and this year features a cocktail bar, wigwam-style tenting and not quite as many posers desperately hoping to see a band as in the past.
Having missed Black Tide my day at the main stage starts by witnessing Black Union (8/13) whose upbeat Brummie sounds attempt to wake the entire site up, but fail. Seether (10/13) manage to put on a better show • and at times actually strike of resembling Nirvana. In the past Seether have often come across as just another rock band most famous for the vocalist dating Amy Lee, but they seem to be finding their feet more.
As Kid Rock is due to take stage a member of festival staff has the unfortunate task of informing the crowd that he won’t be playing today as he became mysteriously ill just before his set, having already arrived on site. Rumours soon surface that it could be due to rock and roll excess, but the true details are not revealed and the only information given is that Disturbed and Judas Priest will be getting extended sets.
Disturbed (10/13) prove that they have managed to build up some live ability over the last few years since their previously poor showing at outdoor shows in the UK and classics such as “Down With The Sickness” keep the crowd entertained.
By the time Judas Priest come on the crowd have settled in for a night of rock and roll • with most expectations being that today is by far the strongest headline act. Judas Priest’s (12/13) set is nothing short of phenomenal with axe work that the god of rock himself would be envious of. The only somewhat scary thing is Rob Halford’s choice of silver, shiny quiz-show host outfit. That and his accent never ceases to amaze.
The main headliner of, arguably, the entire festival then walk out and Kiss (13/13) perform an absolutely blasting set filled with almost as many pyrotechnics as Rammstein’s secret dungeon. Whilst Kiss may not be the most musically interesting band in the world their performance skill is almost unrivalled. I swear I saw Paul Stanley mouthing “My Bitches” to the crowd at one point after a song though... interesting.
Friday’s bands come to an end and the long, oh so long, walk to the campsite begins. It’s certainly one way to keep riots down as by the time most people walk back they’re far too exhausted to stand up • let alone cause any problems for security.
Saturday is Offspring’s headlining day and they are proceeded by some average performances by 36 Crazyfists (8/13), Job For a Cowboy (9/13) and Madina Lake (9/13) before Biffy Clyro (11/13) actually wake the crowd up with the first powerful performance of the day. Bullet For My Valentine (10/13) are quickly becoming Wales’ answer to Trivium • shouty metal lacking in the amount of talent that they are somehow proclaimed to have • attracting a giant crowd. There is no doubt that Bullet have improved in leaps and bounds since their last Download performance and the crowd they draw is staggering. They’re finally getting their act together and sound like one tight unit.
Incubus (9/13) fail to impress a lot of the crowd with a relatively small crowd and no music from their seminal S.C.I.E.N.C.E album. This leads to Offspring (11/13) taking to the stage to tear through over twenty songs from Smash to their forthcoming release.
Sunday’s line-up has been declared as weak by most people with ears and eyes. As the day starts many people decide to remain in the camp site or only see a couple of bands earlier in the day. Whilst some phenomenal performances by Children of Bodom and Cavalera Conspiracy are present on the second stage most people are eager to keep away in case they accidentally get subjected to the Lost Prophets and maybe even Lethal Bizzle.
Black Stone Cherry (7/13) offer their mix of southern-USA rock followed by Apocalyptica (10/13) who have grown a long way since their performance at Download 2003 • sandwiched between two other bands perched on the edge of the main stage with nobody paying any attention. This year the band draw a gigantic crowd and bring along Lacuna Coil’s Christina Scabbia to add in some vocals.
By far the most impressive set of the weekend goes to Within Temptation (13/13) whose performance is nothing short of stunning. This is another band who have taken themselves, had a look at their faults and come back a hundred times better. Their live shows are raw, powerful and moving. There is no doubt that Within Temptation put on a better show and drew a larger crowd than the later headliners, Lost Prophets.
In Flames (10/13) provide their usual fast, shredding death metal riffs to a somewhat unenthusiastic crowd followed by Coheed and Cambria (8/10) who attract even less people and seem to bore the majority of Downloaders. Jimmy Eat World (10/13) take to the stage for their sub-headline slot and pour through their mix of old and new songs • their biggest problem being the fact that they are better suited to a warm day or an indoor tent.
Finally, Lost Prophets (9/13) finish off Download 2008 with the smallest headline, main-stage crowd ever known to mankind. That may be somewhat an exaggeration but the crowd is tiny, nobody seems to really care and Jonathan Davis (12/13) manages to attract even more people • spilling out the side of the third stage • whilst he simply sits on a chair and rocks out.
As everyone wearily descends on the campsite few riots occur, far fewer explosions than previous years and firemen and police are crawling across the entire site. No naughtiness this year.
It certainly wasn’t the best Download ever. There were no free Snickers • meaning the poor had to live solely off Muller Rice. And, for the record, a Muller Rice fight leaves you with some very ominous stains that you wouldn’t want your mother to see.
Food aside, the layout this year was atrocious. The main stage, which usually has the sound desk dwarfed by the crowd, found the crowd being dwarfed by the sound desk. Then there is the walk. It’s a long walk. It’s a long walk for a marathon • let alone a festival. Many people talk about their friends not coming this year due to the line-up or being unavailable due to the new date • but a fair few turn up even if the festival seems a long way away from a sell-out. The weather probably hasn’t helped either with rain, thick black clouds and freezing cold temperatures existing for the entire weekend.
Not the best Download ever... but let’s hope that in 2009 there are no dirt-tracks in the middle of Donington Park and that the organisers can finally convince either AC/DC or Rammstein to play.