2013/ the future of soni?

[jump]

Thhink you're wrong about Green Day. Why would they play a 60k event when they can sell it out twice themselves? No chance they'll risk they're pulling power and booking costs at a failed festival.

IMO, you need bands that other won't a big slot like QOTSA, they won't a head slot anywhere else but Soni should take the plunge and give them it on the friday if it stays 3 days. Take the price down and this may also mean they are booked above their normal placing so if the fest does fail again, their booking fee's for future won't really be an issue but I think it'll struggle.

Edited June 22, 2012 by jump

[AcademicPistol]

Linkin Park will probably be floating around next year as they have album out soon and they haven't done any festivals here this year (but i've heard no one wants to book them apparently?) and if they get IM as well that would probably be thier best selling options right now IF it goes ahead.

[gazza_20]

No they can't, when they played Wembley they didn't sell it out and that was their biggest ever show and they have been away for a bit now. They could attract them as they aren't easy to deal with as they like to make the fest about themselves which Soni would comprise on.

Queens don't like playing the metal fests as they don't like having the metal tag attached to them all the time and I doubt Soni could bring their prices down now that AEG have withdrawn their funding.

[gazza_20]

Linkin Park will probably be floating around next year as they have album out soon and they haven't done any festivals here this year (but i've heard no one wants to book them apparently?) and if they get IM as well that would probably be thier best selling options right now IF it goes ahead.

[jump]

Exactly, without prices down, it won't be a fest continuing to sell and it'll suffer the same if not worst. As Neil said, if even part of iron Maiden haven't signed 100% for Soni next year, Download will nab them and know they can deliver.

With regards to QOTSA, Soni are going to have to broaden away from as much metal as they want as Dowload will get it. It's a shame for Soni that it was Download's 10th do and with who they got to play, probably got a lot fo bands to take lower slots for less money to appear under sabbath etc for eg.

[Gucci Piggy]

The last bit makes no sense to me, if Soni didn't have Download then the line up would of been stronger.

[gary1979666]

I appreciate that overall their 2012 bookings were pretty bad - but I hope they keep on with some of the inspired choices - like Tim Minchin on the main stage; Glassjaw & 100 Reasons doing their debuts. Plus the like of Richard Cheese which really lighten the mood in the early afternoon last year and getting Bad Religion on the main stage was a highlight for me!

[gazza_20]

I think he means they need to book bands which other festivals are trying to book, rather than the ones nobody wants.

[kipper64]

Well FNM and Queens dates are all for over 10k - the venue sizes is more to do with how last minute the bookings were. But I agree, they didn't have the pull, not for a festival anyways, not the combination of those 3 together at least, although do you really think a smaller band like QOTSA headlining would have more of a pull? I really doubt it. Perhaps as one headliner amongst 2 other tried and tested headliners like 2011.

[lharris92]

all the main venues in london are basically closed now though so even if they wanted to use one, they couldn't.

reason? they are all preparing for the olympics and that means no gigs

[kaosmark2]

^ would be the only band that I would take the risk of going to Soni for.

But other than that they need ideally 2 try and tested ticket shifters and maybe a more up and coming headliner a bit like the 3 in 2011 (but not the same ones obviously)

[jump]

Yes this, but also booking bands that people will go and see maybe higher up the bill than most places will give rather than not having them at all and poor sales.

The headliners overall this year were poor, not one of them went onto announce even a 10k venue to perform at.

[gazza_20]

Thing is tho you are saying they shouldn't get Linkin Park but they play venues bigger than 10k regularly. You are thinking because Download didn't get them this year (as they just played last year) and they aren't that suitable for TITP, V & R&L nobody wants to see them.

[biffoire]

Linkin Park were great at Soni but thought it was a con that they were allowed to share the slot with Death by Sunrise.

[gazza_20]

Linkin Park were great at Soni but thought it was a con that they were allowed to share the slot with Death by Sunrise.

[kipper64]

People were asking the soni facebook page today for news, and he gave some form of response:

"Sonisphere Festival

Also no news... we are talking about changing it up, different ideas... But keeping the cards close to our chest at the moment."

Doesn't really tell us anything, but is an indication they're planning/working on it at least!

[eFestivals]

Doesn't really tell us anything, but is an indication they're planning/working on it at least!

I'd say that only says they're thinking about if & how they can make it work and nothing more.

I wouldn't say anything of that means it'll defo come back. And if it does come back it sounds like it might be something very different to what you've come to know as Sonisphere UK.

Anyway, it's positive to the extent that they've not given up on it as yet. Fingers crossed for them to be able to pull something together, because while I'm not ducking how hard it might be for them to do it, I want them to do it. The more festivals that are a big success the better.

[AcademicPistol]

IF they come back with a different style their other fests across Europe would have to change as well otherwise it won't make sense.

[luckysalt]

They'll be in talks with bands all year round anyways, so I think it's safe to assume thought, planning and even action into next year will have taken place. However obviously festival season for this year has only really just started so a lot of bands won't be even thinking about next year - not to the point of signing anyways.

Apparently Download's headliner they've already booked is someone who had a member at Download this year, and whose band has been a big part of Download's success (apparently said by Andy C on a radio interview) so seems like it'll be Slipknot, which doesn't really fill me with any sort of excitment, found them incredibly dull at Soni 2011, and I don't think they'll even have much if any new material out by next summer - not to mention they'll be doing a Knotfest show in the UK anyways, so I don't think that's an "unbeatable" headliner really - though not a bad start for Download as they are obviously very popular.

As for the saturation thing, whilst true, I think really even this year both could have been moderately successful if the line ups were more balanced. Download obviously attracted most of the rock punters out there hence why they had 100,000 turn up, sonisphere sold 12,000 tickets, if sonisphere had had a better line up, Download's appealed to some less, it could have balanced out a bit more and both could have went ahead, plus things might even pick up again next year, who knows.

[jump]

IF they come back with a different style their other fests across Europe would have to change as well otherwise it won't make sense.

[kipper64]

You could be right Luckysalt - before I heard about the person being at Download thing in regards to the booked headliner, I figured it'd be Stone Sour doing the festival rounds next summer (and Slipknot doing their own Knotfest gig(s)). Although I dunno if Stone Sour are ready to make the jump up yet? Andy hasn't mentioned them in any of his 'future headliner' predictions, nor are they on the mainstage headliner poll on the DLF. I think they can't be far off headliner to be fair, definitely a sub at this stage and if the album does well, I can see them getting the bump up, but I don't think Andy will have taken that risk just yet.

[luckysalt]

If they're already booked they wouldn't need to be on any poll, in fact if they are already booked they would want them off the poll, in case their numbers are much lower than other bands in the poll, thus already making them seem a weaker headliner.

I think its all down to the Corey Taylor factor, he's the biggest name in modern rock, the media love him, the fans love him, he crosses fanbases. A lot of people expected Avenged Sevenfold to make the jump up, thing is, Stone Sour are much more likely to get daytime radio 1 airplay than A7X, this is what Download will want, an act that will appeal to a different audience than an older established rock act would, I think thats one of the reasons The Prodigy were booked on Friday this year. They aren't just going after a certain crowd anymore, they're trying to appeal to multiple audiences.

[jump]

If they're already booked they wouldn't need to be on any poll, in fact if they are already booked they would want them off the poll, in case their numbers are much lower than other bands in the poll, thus already making them seem a weaker headliner.

I think its all down to the Corey Taylor factor, he's the biggest name in modern rock, the media love him, the fans love him, he crosses fanbases. A lot of people expected Avenged Sevenfold to make the jump up, thing is, Stone Sour are much more likely to get daytime radio 1 airplay than A7X, this is what Download will want, an act that will appeal to a different audience than an older established rock act would, I think thats one of the reasons The Prodigy were booked on Friday this year. They aren't just going after a certain crowd anymore, they're trying to appeal to multiple audiences.

Edited June 26, 2012 by jump

[gazza_20]

I know this was from a few pages back but regarding the headliner already booked for Download, I don't think its Slipknot, but you're on the right track with Corey Taylor.

Stone Sour.

They have 2 new albums coming out one in Oct and one next spring. Corey is so popular now that I think they can pull off a headline set. Meanwhile Slipknot will do Knotfest as an independent show of their own, which I think is for the best, as a lot of people want to see them but not go to a festival for, when is the last time they played UK but wasn't Download or Soni, 2008 wasn't it? will be 5 years next year.

[gazza_20]

I'd say that only says they're thinking about if & how they can make it work and nothing more.

I wouldn't say anything of that means it'll defo come back. And if it does come back it sounds like it might be something very different to what you've come to know as Sonisphere UK.

Anyway, it's positive to the extent that they've not given up on it as yet. Fingers crossed for them to be able to pull something together, because while I'm not ducking how hard it might be for them to do it, I want them to do it. The more festivals that are a big success the better.