Stag Flip-flopping

[STEVEYBOY]

This will be my first time to Sonispere.

I am wondering how this stage flip flopping works

I assume the two main stages do not have bands palying at the same time

I also assume that the Big Four will appear on the same stage and will not be affected by this?

Sorry if a dumbass question

[ampersand]

yeah that's correct. one band are on the main stage. then there's a 5-10 minute break for you to get to the second stage where another band plays. and so on throughout the day. if you want to see all the big four, you'll be able to.

tents have bands playing throughout the day so you'll have clashes there.

some don't like this set up, but i think it's kinda cool. whether i'd agree if the fest sold out and got busier, i'm not sure...

[she bangs the drums]

It works quite well in some ways but you do get quite a few people leaving before the end of a bands set to start walking to the other stage plus also you can end up with a 30-40 minute wait at a stage if there is nothing you want to see at the other stage but it seems to work ok.

As Ampersand says, its worked quite well with 30-40,000 people attending the festival, I'm not sure if it will be as good if say 60-70,000 people attend and it seems like there are going to be quite a few Download regulars attending Sonisphere this year so I can see them selling lots more tickets than they have done in previous years, they may even go past the limit that they set last year.

[ampersand]

As Ampersand says, its worked quite well with 30-40,000 people attending the festival, I'm not sure if it will be as good if say 60-70,000 people attend and it seems like there are going to be quite a few Download regulars attending Sonisphere this year so I can see them selling lots more tickets than they have done in previous years, they may even go past the limit that they set last year.

[jump]

It's also a clever a way to book less bands and save a few quid.

[kipper64]

That's BS jump...Sonisphere has pretty much the same amount of bands as Download for example. THey hardly do it to save money, and you get to see more big acts as they don't clash, so really you get more for your money

[jump]

That's BS jump...Sonisphere has pretty much the same amount of bands as Download for example. THey hardly do it to save money, and you get to see more big acts as they don't clash, so really you get more for your money

[ScottishMetalHead]

The staggered main stage times are excellent in my opinion. I've been both years so far, you get some people who camp out at one stage all day, but we were able to wander between both stages fairly easily, the main stage gets the most crowded, but i still got a lot closer than i was able to at Reading for Metallica in '08. Plus its not a completely mental dash from one stage to the other, there's enough time between the bands for it. If you decide you want to get a semi decent spot at each stage its worth working out when you think the band is on to its last song or two and start making your way to the other stage before then. Found it took the most time threading between all the people who had decided to camp out at the main stage, still made it all the way to the T Barriers with little bother for both Rammstein and Iron Maiden last year, and that was after watching both the second stage headliners.

And as to the number of bands, they may not have as many main stage bands on, but they have more quality and you ARE able to see all of the bands on both main stages, plenty of other bands on the smaller stages and in the Bohemia tent, these do clash however, but that happens at any fest. Sonisphere is unique in being able to see all main stage bands! Love it!

[bekimo]

....corey's tent was packed enough so i'd dread to think what it would be like if there was 10,000 more folk with the chance to watch an act there....

[biffoire]

While soni and download have a similar amount of bands playing, soni have less bands playing the main and second stage compared to Download. So while there are the same amount of bands, a lot of them seem to be playing the small stages at soni.

Simply put, taking saturday as an example, there were 19 acts across 2 stages at dl and 13 at soni.

This suits some people it doesn't suit others.

[kipper64]

While soni and download have a similar amount of bands playing, soni have less bands playing the main and second stage compared to Download. So while there are the same amount of bands, a lot of them seem to be playing the small stages at soni.

Simply put, taking saturday as an example, there were 19 acts across 2 stages at dl and 13 at soni.

This suits some people it doesn't suit others.

[beards]

Who'll be on later on the Saturday, Biffy or The Mars Volta?

[kipper64]

Biffy. Mars Volta will be on saturn stage as the last band on that stage

so it'll go something like Weezer on Apollo then once they've finished about 5-10 minutes later The Mars Volta will play on Saturn for about an hour and then soon after they are done Biffy will play on apollo.

[beards]

Sweeeet, don't think I'll bother with biffy then seeing them the week before at Milton Keynes anyway, I'll just pretend The Mars Volta are headlining.

[jump]

The staggered main stage times are excellent in my opinion. I've been both years so far, you get some people who camp out at one stage all day, but we were able to wander between both stages fairly easily, the main stage gets the most crowded, but i still got a lot closer than i was able to at Reading for Metallica in '08. Plus its not a completely mental dash from one stage to the other, there's enough time between the bands for it. If you decide you want to get a semi decent spot at each stage its worth working out when you think the band is on to its last song or two and start making your way to the other stage before then. Found it took the most time threading between all the people who had decided to camp out at the main stage, still made it all the way to the T Barriers with little bother for both Rammstein and Iron Maiden last year, and that was after watching both the second stage headliners.

And as to the number of bands, they may not have as many main stage bands on, but they have more quality and you ARE able to see all of the bands on both main stages, plenty of other bands on the smaller stages and in the Bohemia tent, these do clash however, but that happens at any fest. Sonisphere is unique in being able to see all main stage bands! Love it!

[kipper64]

Yeah, I hate those festivals which don't allow people to watch bands on the mainstage.

[bekimo]

You know what he means though, at Download you couldn't watch MOtley Crue and Faith no MOre could you? Or The prodigy and Slipknot, because they clashed. At Sonisphere you can, hence my more for your money slot

[jump]

You know what he means though, at Download you couldn't watch MOtley Crue and Faith no MOre could you? Or The prodigy and Slipknot, because they clashed. At Sonisphere you can, hence my more for your money slot

[kipper64]

You could watch all of Crue and the last few songs of FNM though!!

[jump]

Indeed. Still you had to miss most of one, you couldn't watch all of both like you could at Sonisphere

Because those acts are as expensive to book as 2nd stage headliners 8-)...As I said you don't miss any 1st/2nd mainstage bands, Bohemia obviously has clashes but the point of bohemia is to offer alternatives in the form of smaller acts rather than having big mainstage bands clashing. Basically gives you an alternative if you need it, but it's not going to be anyone massive so not a huge loss if you have to choose.

[kipper64]

Gallows and Sick of it All tour over here fairly frequently...both toured last year after the festival and both will probably tour this year. And even if they are 'fairly big' in a sense of tent stage bands, they are NOWHERE near as big as the likes of Motley Crue, are they? So no point in even arguing that...I've pretty much refuted your point, it's not cheaper to book the bands, Sonisphere and Download have near enough the same number of 'Big' bands...it's just at Sonisphere you get to see all the big bands.

[jump]

Gallows and Sick of it All tour over here fairly frequently...both toured last year after the festival and both will probably tour this year. And even if they are 'fairly big' in a sense of tent stage bands, they are NOWHERE near as big as the likes of Motley Crue, are they? So no point in even arguing that...I've pretty much refuted your point, it's not cheaper to book the bands, Sonisphere and Download have near enough the same number of 'Big' bands...it's just at Sonisphere you get to see all the big bands.

[kipper64]

Gallows (when they want to do a proper tour) play similar size venues to Motley Crue but Crue have a bigger name (Gallows played Forum, Crue played Apollo), and with Sick Of It All I think of those types of American bands in general. Big D & The Kids Table (one of my fave bands) for example were only able to tour the UK last time as they had fest money to pay for flights etc and are the type of band to get booked at festivals smaller stages so the chances to see them are limited despite not being as big as bands like Crue.

You're still missing the point, if you don't like the band on the main stage then you have less options for an alternative band to see and if it's mid day then certainly not a name band as they book less bands.

[Chavmeisterdeluxe]

Hammersmith Apollo is also nearly double the size of the Forum.

[lharris92]

tbh i think its brilliant as there is less clashes to think about, and you wont miss as many bands due to it!

wish that other fests would take this into practice, even for a day or something..