Frankly Mr Shankly

Yep, you can take my money for this lineup, as long as Rancid don't clash with Metallica or Parkway Drive!

Depends how flexible both sides are willing to be. There's no reason why Foo's couldn't do stadiums in London & Edinburgh for example and still headline Download on the same run. But if it was a full UK stadium run then I can't see it.

I agree, from a pr perspective that isn't a good move for the band or the festival. I do think whoever 'steps in' for Maiden may have a hard time though, unless it's Metallica, Slipknot etc.

Anybody got any presale links for the Streets?

Of course he loves Reading, he has history with it. Just like Maiden etc. do with Download. But that doesn't translate to him disliking Download & never wanting to play it. They can't do Reading every year. QOTSA subbed R&L in 2010 & headlined it in 2014. What are you talking about.

I edited my comment to show I had replied to you before you edited your comment to make it more reasonable. Initially you ignored everything I said bar one comment that you chose to back up your argument. I actually got the dates mixed up there, I was thinking 2017 was the year they played Download Paris, but that was 2018.

Ok, lets just ignore the facts & logic & go with that ridiculous answer. Edit: I quoted this & replied before you edited your post.

I was at the festival, I'm aware of what it was, but to anyone playing it was no different to playing a festival with a two stage setup - pretty standard. Also, even if other bands had been playing on the that stage, TCV would likely have still been on the tradional mainstage if they alternated the bands. (Also just as a side point but it was actually the ACDC stage that was to the side & it was the same size). If Dave held a grudge about that why would he continue to cover ACDC songs & lend his broken leg chair to Axl... TCV getting a mild reaction was to be expected, they were a new band playing high up because of who the members were. Anyway break down the years when Foos realistically could have played since 2010... 2011: IOW & MK Bowl shows 2012: toured Europe in Aug, played R&L 2013: didn't tour Europe 2014: sporadic tour dates late in the year 2015: Glastonbury (Cancelled) 2016: didn't tour 2017: Glastonbury (to make up for 15) 2018: Played stadium shows 2019: toured Europe in later summer, played R&L So realistically that leaves 2011 & 2018 as the main two options. As far as I can see from the dates it seems the only thing holding them back from headlining is Download's policy of their headliners not having any other shows booked & them having other viable options that a lot of Download headliners don't. But that's just my opinion of course, it could be that Dave holds a 10 year grudge about one of his favourite bands playing on a different stage. Edit: forgot to add, they also pulled out in 08 because they wanted to book their own shows alongside headlining & the festival wouldn't allow it. So they chose to do their own thing.

No it wasn't inconspicuous, but like I said it's not uncommon at a lot of festivals in Europe (& the US) to have two mainstages, which essentially that was. I don't see how that translates to him being annoyed at the festival, I doubt he even remembers it. This supposed awful experience also didn't stop Josh coming back with QOTSA...

I doubt that factors too much into it, Dave doesn't strike me as the type to hold onto an insignificant thing like that. A lot of festivals in Europe use the two alternating mainstage set up anyway, he was probably none the wiser about what was happening. I genuinely think that Foo Fighters haven't been booked before because they're realistically the most commercial headliner Download could get & they have numerous other options like stadium shows and other festivals (Glasto, R&L, IOW, Radio 1 etc.) that a lot of other headliners couldn't do. I'm fairly confident they will headline at some point in the future. They very nearly did in 08 & most likely would have done in 17 if not for having to reschedule Glastonbury.

Not really because your original point was that the organisers were desperate because of the other two headliners. My point was that one of those headliners the lead booker had spent months convincing to reunite to play hence they clearly thought they were worth it & the other was a well established MOR band playing on site for the first time in over two decades. There wasn't anything more to it than that.

Like I said they self confirmed incorrectly, swiftly deleted it & were officially confirmed after Download took place: http://www.thrashhits.com/2009/06/faith-no-more-re-confirm-reading-and-leeds-festival-2009-appearances-via-tshirt/ Sure they're not the biggest headliner they've ever had, but they didn't seem wholy out of place to me in a previous pool that included: Offspring, Lostprophets, Feeder, Audioslave etc. Andy went out of his way to make the FNM reunion happen (look it up), so to suggest the organisers panic booked Slipknot because of the other two headliners was just incorrect.

No they 'accidentally' stated they were playing R&L, they weren't announced officially until Download was over. The only other UK date they did on that tour was a show in Edinburgh close to R&L which was also confirmed after Download. Whatever way you try to justify it, at the time of their reunion Download was the first major show announced & played & they got a lot of credit for that. I agree about your point on Def Leppard not being fresh. But by that point the festival had already fallen into the trap of having Metallica, Maiden, Kiss, Sabbath, GnR, so Def Leppard sat comfortably in that company & as a first time booking for the festival & returning to Donington after 20+ years it was a big deal. (Not to me, I think they're shite, but it doesn't cloud by judgment on why the festival booked them). I can almost see why Download fell into that trap as well, it was the only festival trying to book the majority of those MOR type bands at the time & they drew huge numbers. Where as at the time R&L was a big competitor & was more successful in booking the type of acts Download should (& to a big degree were) aiming for; Green Day, RATM, Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters etc. I think Download also made mistakes earlier on in not pushing acts that could & probably should have headlined at the time: Korn, Manson, Slipknot prior to 09 etc.

FNM played one date at Brixton academy on the Wednesday of Download, hardly a tour. They were announced for R&L after Download had already taken place. Download was their first big headline show since returning. You not giving a fuck about Def Leppard doesn't change the fact that in 09 they were a good & fresh booking for the festival.

I'd disagree with that, you had Faith No More coming back from a 10 year hiatus & Def Leppard playing at Donington for the first time in 23 years supported by Whitesnake who hadn't played there for 19 years. It's easy to look back on that set of headliners and say 'meh' because of how things have been booked since, but at the time it was a solid trio. If anything probably spurred them on to bump Slipknot in 09 it was the year prior where they lost all 3 almost confirmed headliners in quick succession & had to go groveling to Kiss with their cheque book open to secure 1 decent sized headliner.