Spiral_Low

Completely agreed! 👍

Thing is Download don't clash the main headliner with anyone now. I think they would signal they are going to that to be able to get people otherwise put off by the headliners in. Like ok if Machine Head are doing a main headline length set up against FOB then us fans of them turn up. But not paying Download ticket prices plus everything else it costs for an hour set at 8pm when they will probably tour and do a 2 to 3 hour set later in the year.

End of the day it's headliners that sell tickets.

Did you make it? If not it's fan made anyway, Stray From The Path, Static Dress, Creeper and Joey Valence all played this year.

Agreed plus the last time they toured the UK they did so with Disturbed and In Flames supporting so that would have significantly bumped up their ticket sales. I'd also say in the rest of Europe Sabaton and Gojira have overtaken them in size.

Hmmm I mean AX7 aren't strong in my opinion but Rob Zombie would be a excellent Opus headliner and Sabaton an excellent sub (I'm not a huge Sabaton fan or anything but heard a lot of good things about their stage show). Anyway I think this year we really are all clueless and everything should be taken with a pinch of salt. Like I said earlier in the thread I know rumours can get started by people taking journalist guesses as gospel. I spotted an example on Reddit recently with someone saying they are guessing QOTSA because they have a couple people 'in the industry' they ask and that name has come up. Well I bet that they are asking journalists (or members of bands)...I mean if you are into this music you end up in the same pubs etc as journalists anyway (as they are fans too) so yeah of course rumours come from that.

I'm just speculating. Not convinced of anything!

AX7 / Sabaton / Spiritbox Green Day / FOB / Weezer RATM / QOTSA / Gojira With Opus being: Rob Zombie / Babymetal Machine Head / In Flames Enter Shikari / Sleep Token Clash on Fri/Sat, no clash on Sun. That would sell well.

Well we are speculating on the hypothetical that the guy on Reddit is telling the truth (not believing, just speculating). As he said 1/3 of AX7, FOB and QOTSA then if it were FOB then that would mean no AX7, which is one everyone seems certain about.

Well not necessarily a radio 1 type band but maybe a very well known one. RATM and Pearl Jam both fit that bill. Both are expected to be active next year too (presuming RATM pick up where they left off). Also no one seems to be considering perhaps QOTSA name keeps coming up cuz they are actually a sub?

Spotted that person claiming it's cuz of the types of bands, but saying only 1 out of the 3 you guessed which if true would presume means AX7. Just working on idea they are telling the truth (no indication they are though) going what they are saying it would heavily imply Green Day.

True but it's better choice too. Germany has sooooo many festivals plus they can just drive or get the train to multiple others across Europe for cheaper than it takes us in the UK to travel a couple of hours. Like I said I miss Sonisphere and the choice it created. I would love a new mid size festival like half way between Bloodstock and Download where we could have bands like A Perfect Circle, Rob Zombie, Evanescence, Ghost, Placebo etc headline. All the bands that currently do logo slots but not headline at Download. That's what they get in mainland Europe that we don't, which I think is partly why like you say they vote with their wallet. I know we have ArcTanGent and 2000 Trees too but they are deffo on the smaller side, which is great but I think we really need that mid size fest.

If you look at Germany they have bands doing multiple festivals and then there own shows. And their scene is in much better health than ours. So yeah agreed.

So wiki has it has 111000. I know this year it was reported as 'over 130000 people attending' but there was some confusion about whether that meant daily or over the 4 days. My guess is that it was 90000 campers + staff, then 10000 day tickets per day. Anyone know for sure? Yeah it really is. I'm fortunate be close to Bristol so most gigs I go to these days are the academy and below size bands...used to go to a lot more 'big gigs' in other cities over night but not those are few and far between, it's just too expensive.

Ah I see. Dynamic pricing should be banned.

On a side note, I get that gigs are expensive these days but £150 for Cardiff Castle for The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer is just insane. Other venues are way cheaper (though still like £85 which is alot) I don't get why the dramatic increase just cuz of the venue.

I'm out of reactions today but fair play. Yeah that leak turning out to be deffo showed we all need to not take leaks to seriously.

A note of caution - they've moved now but a freelance journo used to live in the area I'm in and they'd hear rumours, but then that rumour would get repeated as gospel by others 'cuz the journo said it so they must know'. I actually spoke to them once about a fest a different from Download and their guess at a headliner was waaaay off who it turned out to be. I have no idea who your source is but if it's based off a journo (as rumours often are) then do take it with a big pinch of salt.

Same. But would need to know that at least Dogtooth would be cashing with main headliners to have an alternative.

I think people have just erased that from their memory for understandable reasons. Back then they actually had alternatives to the headliners....I went crazy during Calavara Conspiracy on the Sunday. Played loads of Sepultura as well as their first album which I enjoyed at the time. Saw Testament over The Offspring too which was intense (though I've seen Testament a bunch since then so I'd do it the other way round now).

Smashing Pumpkins doing their own UK dates so I guess the 'you're next' is about Green Day not the whole tour?

Exactly. It's not just ticket sales with stadiums either, but merch too.

Hmmm I see where you are coming from but if Download were to say put bands like Alice In Chains, Mudhoney and L7 on the same day as them then it could be tempting as that's big fan service, and they try to be fan friendly.

The only stuff I can find about Tim is from 2022 I don't know his current condition. Why don't you think Pearl Jam will? They've been almosts before and Copping vocally wants them.

I didn't say having a band like that headline would damage it, I was just commenting on the idea of it moving away from its metal roots on a more regula/permanent basis.