Friday overview

Ex Monsters of Rock festival now re-marketed and rebranded as Download. Once again as been the subject of many debates since the line up was announced, many rock fans had a divided opinion with regards to the headliners, it really was a case of you either love them or hate them. No room to sit on the fence. Then there was the announcement that the festival had been moved around so it was no longer on the track. Would this be commercial suicide or a move that might just pay off?

From my point of view as an ageing rocker (but not too aged you understand)… Kiss was a must see, but The Offspring and The Lostprophets didn't really excite me, maybe I'm just not with the 'youth of today' anymore. Sure they might be talented bands but in my day a headliner would be a band that most of the punters would have heard of regardless of age.

After experiencing problems with traffic in previous years, we decided to set of slightly earlier than usual so that we wouldn’t be held up for too long in mile long tailbacks. This was the first surprise of the weekend, there were no queues with regards to traffic, we drove straight in, well apart from being stopped by a security guard to extort fifteen pounds from me for the privilege of wanting to use the car park, crikey, what other options could I have... mmm go home and miss the festival, so fifteen pounds was coughed up, now maybe that excessive charge was the reason that there was no traffic problems or could the rumours of poor ticket sales be true?

Again there were problems with security, for god sake, taking bottles of water from people when the sun was beaming down and toasting the punters... good move, they certainly know how to provide great customer service.(sarcastic comment).

After getting through security, albeit after surrendering my water bottles, and £15 for parking, I was finally in the brand spanking new arena layout. Certainly different. It felt as if it was a quarter of the size of previous Download events, but as the saying goes, size doesn't matter.



A few steps and I could see the legendary main stage, emblazoned with the Kerrang, Radio One and Download logo, maybe that was there so after too many Tuborg sponsored lagers you knew where you were.

The crowd was rather sparse and this gave Download a relaxing atmosphere which again is so different from previous years. Black Tide opened the main stage to a rather empty field, possibly because the camping area was so far from the arena that punters were still making their way there.

For an opening band, it was a great start to the festival with their meaty riff laden tracks and break neck guitar solos. Just a shame more people weren't able to see them, definitely a band that will work its way to a better slot in the future. They also won brownie points with the other half for doing a cover version of Metallica's 'Hit The Lights'. A top notch cover version. It was a short but sweet set, if I remember rightly the set list was something like...

'Shockwave'
'Show Me The Way'
'Hit The Lights'
'Warriors Of Time'
'Light From Above'
'The Prowler'

The day seemed to flow smoothly with rock bands such as Finger Eleven and Seether belting their brand of rock music out to the expanding crowd. It was only later in the day did I realise how catchy Seether were when I found myself singing 'Rise Above This' in my head.

Then just when things seemed to going swimmingly well, the curse of Download raised its ugly head, this year it was Kid Rock who had pulled out of performing. Bad times!!! But Disturbed and Judas Priest had agreed to play longer sets. Good times!!!

Disturbed as always put on a polished performance, being veterans of Download they know all the right buttons to press to please the crowd. Naturally 'Down With The Sickness' had the crowd going mental, you could say it was almost like they were… mmm Disturbed.



During Disturbed there seemed to be a mini Kiss gathering to the left of the main stage, indeed the publicity hungry Download organisers had decided to try and break the world record for the most people gathered with their faces painted like Kiss. Judging by the queues at the face painters the fans were only to happy to help.

Things got a whole lot louder when Lemmy and crew better known as Motorhead (for the younger ones who might not know) arrived on stage. The volume was thunderously loud, the bass notes would hammer through your chest and make it difficult to breath if you were anywhere near the stage.

The Download organisers in their wisdom had decided to use Friday evening to cater for the nostalgic rockers, so they not only booked Motorhead, but had also managed to book Judas Priest and Kiss, ah man, an ageing rockers dream come true!!!



First time in 28 years that Judas Priest had played at Donington, and boy did they make-up for all those lost years. Opening with a brand new track taken from the album 'Nostradamus' entitled 'Prophecy'. These guys know how to put on a show, Rob Halford dressed in glittery hooded robes stalked the stage as he dazzled and entranced the audience with his voice which for a person of his age is incredible. The set list was as follows...

'Prophecy'
'Metal Gods'
'Eat Me Alive'
'Hammer and Anvil'
'Devil's Child'
'Breaking The Law'
'Hell Patrol'
'Death'
'Dissident Aggressor'
'Angel'
'Electric Eye'
'Rock Hard'
'Sinner'
'Painkiller'
'Hell Bent For Leather'
'Another Thing Coming'

So with such a stunning performance, which on any other day would be a top headline act, it was left for Kiss to outshine all of the other bands that had played and demonstrate that they are still worthy of headlining a festival.

"You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best, The Hottest Band In The World" was announced over the P.A system. It's a brave statement to make. But as the curtain dropped and the audience gave out a volcanic cheer, it was clear to see that Kiss had come to deliver the goods.



Lowered down onto the stage in full make up and costume, including platform boots which would land me on a set of crutches, I'm left bewildered by how they jump around and play for nearly two hours in them.

Kiss being the wise old veterans of rock music, knew only too well that the crowd didn’t want to hear any new material, and thankfully Kiss obliged the punters with pure old school Kiss tracks.

Their setlist was (hopefully in my excitement my memory went onto auto pilot)

'Deuce'
'Strutter'
'Got To Choose'
'Hotter Than Hell'
'Nothin' To Lose'
'C'mon And Love Me'
'Parasite'
'She'
'100,000'
'Cold Gin'
'Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll'
'Black Diamond'
'Rock And Roll All Nite'
'Shout It Out Loud'
'Lick It Up'
'I Love It Loud'
'I Was Made For Lovin' You'
'Love Gun'
'Detroit Rock City'

So Kiss win hands down, they certainly raise the benchmark for entertaining fans. Despite the few problems earlier in the day, I went home safe in the knowledge that I felt like a young teenager again and it was once again cool to dust off the Kiss vinyl, I left with a smile on my face and any band that can do that are surely worth seeing, so at the end of day one God certainly did give Rock and Roll to us.

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