Download Festival 2013 – Day 1
18th June 2013Download Festival â Donington, Fri- Sun, 14th â 16th June
Reviewed By: Matt
My whole agenda to attend this years Download festival was plain and simple, to witness the âMaiden Englandâ set from the mighty Maiden. I was circa 13/14yrs old the time they first staged this tour and was just getting into Maiden, I missed that tour but caught âNo Prayer For The Roadâ tour and âFear Of The Darkâ which Bruce Dickinson had already announced his coming departure and I for one felt you could feel that from the performance
So rather than just buy the three day event I went out on a limb to buy the five day camping tickets and were they worth it?….. of sorts I have to say, to get there early was great but itâs still a massive trek to the site especially with a large tent â for those that are thinking of doing this next year, take minimum essentials, as small a tent as possible and bear in mind, youâll probably buy loads of T-shirts so pack light, and above all â get a decent camping barrow or a camping trolley â the rocky/sludge filled walk to the site can be a killer!
The site itself was well laid out with the Village central, food stalls and merchandise abound with also a funfair thrown in for good measure. A welcome addition is the comedy tents, to chill at nights go enjoy, have a few beers and wait for the festival to start as the tension startsâŚâŚ..
Fri 14th â Day One
We got to the venue at 12:30, just in time to grab a beer and to settle down seated centre stage for Rise To Remain, and although hearing a few bits by them I canât contest that Iâm not au fait with all of their work. That said though the Guys started the festival with a kickstart and opened up with âHeartlessâ, before moving onto âPower Through Fearâ gathering momentum as each song progressed, they ended with âBridges Will Burnâ and I have to say I would have liked to have seen more, definitely one to see on tour. They were followed by The Architects the guys took to the stage and ripped it apart with opener âAlpha Omegaâ and they were perfectly positioned to carry on with the passion and rage that had already been brought to the stage from Rise, the Brighton boys certainly know how to deliver and with precise musicianship the atmosphere was electric. âBlack Bloodâ followed and if you havenât heard anything by these band Iâd suggest you listen to this, dripping with fury and exploding with talent itâs so good to see UK metal so strong.
Next up were Asking Alexandria from York continuing with British metal and although I had my apprehensions following on from Architects could they carry the same weight but Iâm glad to say my hunger was fed and my thirst satisfied âBreathlessâ is a stand out track that cries for devotion from the crowd and had a sea of fists pumping and a tidal wave of mosh pits throughout
From homegrown talent we then went over to the other side of the pond for Papa Roach, and since they grew from rap metal crossover into crotch/dirty rock theyâve watched some of the fan base divide and itâs always been a personal question of how they would merge the two live. They do this with ease, so much so that live they could all sound from the same album just a different mix fused together, Jacoby Shaddixâ vocals arenât strong today and maybe thatâs in comparison to the rage and strength Iâve witnessed from the first three vocalists of today, that said, this is a different kind of performance, itâs a party for a few beers, to go out, get laid and get down and dirty which is what Jacoby does when the inner child comes out and he dives into the glorious example of our British weather â a massive mud pool. By the time heâs back on stage heâs covered in shit and loving every minute, the band mix songs from past and present and itâs a credit how theyâve evolved and managed to pull it off (Motley Crue tried Grunge-esque if you remember), by the time the close with âLast Resortâ the crowd are in a frenzy of bouncing headsâŚ..
From there it was over to the second stage for this reviewers guilty pleasure, Europe are on fine form as ever opening with the first track from the latest album âRiches To Ragsâ and they then deliver a mixed bag around some of the heavier songs across their catalogue and commercial before closing with albatross âThe Final Countdownâ, and aside from the thousands of people surrounding me at this point Iâm stood next to a 6 foot 5â tattooed biker Viking who is chanting along â seems they arenât just my guilty pleasure
Itâs then back to the main stage to watch Korn, and this band were just born for festivalâs, Jonathan Davis even dusting off the bagpipes for todayâs set. Opening up with âBlindâ they then move onto âTwistâ before âFalling Away From Meâ and then to âNarcissistic Cannibalâ â an awesome track from the last album, which really comes into itâs own live. Bassist âHeadâ is back with them and today is a great day to witness that reunion, they end with âGot The Lifeâ and âFreak On A Leashâ leaving a breathless audience.
Back over to the second stage to watch 3 Doors Down and I have to say they are a little tame for my taste but deliver a great set, surpriser being when they perform a cover of Megadethâs âSymphony Of Destructionâ. Live they have more of an edge than when on record and they come across well although they only play a handful of songs, opening with âKryptoniteâ and ending on âWhen Iâm Goneâ
The Headliners of the main stage Slipknot come on stage at 21:00hrs and I have to say one thing â Slipknot, with ease, are the best at what they do, hands down. The Crowd is hungry from the start and â Disasterpieceâ fires up the audience so much the front barrier was broken. By the third song âWait and Bleedâ the crowd are relentless and reveling in the glory of the performance, Corey Taylor fires up the audience like a true professional and this is the first appearance at Download without bassist Paul Gray and itâs an emotional set filled with passion throughout. âDead Memoriesâ is like an explosion, and âSulfurâ reigns high from above onto the waiting crowd. Slipknot if you are in the minority of people that havenât witnessed this spectacle are a true immersion of the senses, youâre life will benefit⌠go see them at the earliest chance
Closing the night back on the second stage are Black Stone Cherry, these southern Rock Boys are here to close the stage in style, opening with âMaybe Somedayâ before moving onto âChangeâ and âBlind Manâ. We also witness new song just to be presented at Download âMe And Mary Janeâ, Vocalist Chris Robertsonâs delivers a strong performance with his voice echoing around the stage. These guys are excellent live and if you like your Rock with blues, balls and attitude this is the band you need in your life. â Things My Father Saidâ is dedicated to a close friends father who passed away and also for Chrisâ Son, months old and when the crowd sing back you can see the tears he fights back. They pick up the pace again for âBlame It On The Boom Boomâ and end with â Lonely Trainâ leaving an audience that are walking back to tents humming melodies from the performance and reflecting how amazing day one wasâŚ..