I bloody hate rain/this country/outside
So,
I'm sitting here feeling somewhat.......sorry for myself.
Download was, and is, fun. Music, the festival atmosphere, and that sort of thing - pretty freaking awesome.
The chance to see 5 or more bands a day is just sublime. I love music, I really freaking love music. But, of course, the problem with festivals and England, is rain. If it rains, the arena just turns into mud - a sea of it. Friday was cool, the first day, but the opening was delayed while they sorted out the arena - basically, they got a big tanker thing with a vacuum on the end and sucked up the lake that had formed. It meant some bands' didn't play, but that was alright. The grass, if it could be called that, was like quicksand, but the path was alright - when you could see it.
And then, it didn't rain at all on Friday or Saturday, that meant the grass was starting to solidify, which was good because the path, had disappeared..... pretty much under a lot of mud, or had washed away, or something. No problem, I thought, but then, after Metallica last night it was..... very very very bad. It took an hour, and a lot of help to not get stuck in the sea of mud while going up the hill, and make it back to my car. It was dirty, it was probably dangerous, and it really wasn't pleasant.
Just 5 hours earlier it had seemed perfect, when I'd moved from the Zippo Encore stage to the main stage, but yea...... seems 100,000 people walking around fucked things up xD
Why am I feeling sorry for myself? Well, given how tricky it was, and the fact it was meant to rain, and the fact getting stuck in a field wouldn't be much fun - or getting hurt in some way wouldn't either, made me think, that after seeing Sabbath in Birmingham, in an intimate, sweaty, better gig, and not caring too much about Soundgarden, I'd not go today.
Of course, that sucks, a lot. But, I know that at the end of the day, it's probably the right call. Also - I'm freaking exhausted......
The sad thing is, if it was dry, everything would be so damn easy, so simple, and so much more fun. But sitting outside, in the cold, and the wind - omg, the wind - isn't all that much fun.
I'm an indoor person, dammit!
Anyway, onto the main part of the weekend. The music!
Friday I saw Fear Factory, who opened the delayed festival. They were great, not totally outstanding, but then they only had half an arena to perform to. But I do need more FF, other than the random tracks, and the album that a monkey bought me for xmas!
Then I watched NoFX, they weren't bad, though the jokes were a touch risque..... still, you know what to expect from the punk rockers I guess.
I then ditched the main stage, and moved to the second, which - I always thought actually had the proper headliners for the night.
I caught the end of the set by Little Angels, who were ok, if you like 1990s power ballads. They were following Europe - there were similarities.... they were listenable, nothing more.
Opeth came next, they were great, but the problem was the cold and rain, which had begun to make me think about how much I wanted to crawl into bed, and sleep. But Opeth were also sarcastic, describing it as DownPour festival, which seemed fitting. I need to buy some Opeth, though I'm sure I've got some knocking around.
Opeth are playing in London on my Birthday, but I've already got plans - hopefully they come back soon.
Nightwish were the last band I saw on Friday. They were so so awesome! It was... an amazing amazing set. And it was so much better than the electronic bullshit being performed on the main stage. They had real instruments, for starters, and the crowd was huge, highlighting how wrong they'd been to relegate NW to the second stage. Oh, and they weren't shit. Seeing them live has made me really keen to see them again - indoors this time, where I can still feel my feet and fingers.
Thankfully, they are touring in November! Seems like Nov 6 is Birmingham, so I may go to that, tickets on sale on Friday - they are in London the day before though, and since my plan is to be living there by November I'm considering going to Brixton instead....maybe.
Slash was due on next, but I was so cold, numb, and wet that I called it a day.
Wow, I've written a lot, so I'll round up Saturday very quickly.
Fozzy - Chris Jericho (yes, that one)'s band - Maiden-esque, awesome. Great opening act. Check them out!
Halestorm - Damn good rock band, also touring, got to go see them in September.
Ginger and the Wildhearts - not as good as I'd expected from the South Shield's born Ginger. He'd performed with Dregen and Nicke of the Backyard Babies and Hellacopters respectively in a side project, so I had to check him out.
Main stage time, first came Trivium - awesome. Heavy, loud, and pretty damn insane.
Then Steel Panther (I wasn't overly bothered, but didn't feel like moving) they are amusing, for a short while "He sleeps with chicks half his age, I mean last week I saw him with a girl who was 30!" was funny the first time, but then talking about pussy, being sucked off and that sort of thing......yeah, less amusing. I know their market, they know their market, and they aim for it. It's pure sleaze rock. Also, all the girls who agreed to take their shirts off - often repeatedly, I'm sorry, but you should have more respect for yourselves..... I'm not complaining - who doesn't like boobs? - but yeah.....whatever.
Best bit of SP? When Corey Taylor came out to sing backing vocals in death to all but metal.
Tenacious D - again, didn't care, but couldn't be bothered to move, they were amusing, but not really metal. Still, they had a good 'show' - and Tribute got the crowd going. They had some sort of prop on stage which I think was a chicken? But when it came on all I thought was - that looks like a penis (it really did) - I was right, it was meant to, because at the end it bent forward, and shot 'it's load' - which was confetti. Clearly I wasn't going insane/sick!
Biffy Clyro came on next - they weren't as good as the last time I saw them, but they played a couple of new tracks, and the old favourites. Were good enough.
Metallica were the headliners, and I'll write about them later probably as they were just......amazing!
For now, well done if you've made it through! Bye LJ!
I'm sitting here feeling somewhat.......sorry for myself.
Download was, and is, fun. Music, the festival atmosphere, and that sort of thing - pretty freaking awesome.
The chance to see 5 or more bands a day is just sublime. I love music, I really freaking love music. But, of course, the problem with festivals and England, is rain. If it rains, the arena just turns into mud - a sea of it. Friday was cool, the first day, but the opening was delayed while they sorted out the arena - basically, they got a big tanker thing with a vacuum on the end and sucked up the lake that had formed. It meant some bands' didn't play, but that was alright. The grass, if it could be called that, was like quicksand, but the path was alright - when you could see it.
And then, it didn't rain at all on Friday or Saturday, that meant the grass was starting to solidify, which was good because the path, had disappeared..... pretty much under a lot of mud, or had washed away, or something. No problem, I thought, but then, after Metallica last night it was..... very very very bad. It took an hour, and a lot of help to not get stuck in the sea of mud while going up the hill, and make it back to my car. It was dirty, it was probably dangerous, and it really wasn't pleasant.
Just 5 hours earlier it had seemed perfect, when I'd moved from the Zippo Encore stage to the main stage, but yea...... seems 100,000 people walking around fucked things up xD
Why am I feeling sorry for myself? Well, given how tricky it was, and the fact it was meant to rain, and the fact getting stuck in a field wouldn't be much fun - or getting hurt in some way wouldn't either, made me think, that after seeing Sabbath in Birmingham, in an intimate, sweaty, better gig, and not caring too much about Soundgarden, I'd not go today.
Of course, that sucks, a lot. But, I know that at the end of the day, it's probably the right call. Also - I'm freaking exhausted......
The sad thing is, if it was dry, everything would be so damn easy, so simple, and so much more fun. But sitting outside, in the cold, and the wind - omg, the wind - isn't all that much fun.
I'm an indoor person, dammit!
Anyway, onto the main part of the weekend. The music!
Friday I saw Fear Factory, who opened the delayed festival. They were great, not totally outstanding, but then they only had half an arena to perform to. But I do need more FF, other than the random tracks, and the album that a monkey bought me for xmas!
Then I watched NoFX, they weren't bad, though the jokes were a touch risque..... still, you know what to expect from the punk rockers I guess.
I then ditched the main stage, and moved to the second, which - I always thought actually had the proper headliners for the night.
I caught the end of the set by Little Angels, who were ok, if you like 1990s power ballads. They were following Europe - there were similarities.... they were listenable, nothing more.
Opeth came next, they were great, but the problem was the cold and rain, which had begun to make me think about how much I wanted to crawl into bed, and sleep. But Opeth were also sarcastic, describing it as DownPour festival, which seemed fitting. I need to buy some Opeth, though I'm sure I've got some knocking around.
Opeth are playing in London on my Birthday, but I've already got plans - hopefully they come back soon.
Nightwish were the last band I saw on Friday. They were so so awesome! It was... an amazing amazing set. And it was so much better than the electronic bullshit being performed on the main stage. They had real instruments, for starters, and the crowd was huge, highlighting how wrong they'd been to relegate NW to the second stage. Oh, and they weren't shit. Seeing them live has made me really keen to see them again - indoors this time, where I can still feel my feet and fingers.
Thankfully, they are touring in November! Seems like Nov 6 is Birmingham, so I may go to that, tickets on sale on Friday - they are in London the day before though, and since my plan is to be living there by November I'm considering going to Brixton instead....maybe.
Slash was due on next, but I was so cold, numb, and wet that I called it a day.
Wow, I've written a lot, so I'll round up Saturday very quickly.
Fozzy - Chris Jericho (yes, that one)'s band - Maiden-esque, awesome. Great opening act. Check them out!
Halestorm - Damn good rock band, also touring, got to go see them in September.
Ginger and the Wildhearts - not as good as I'd expected from the South Shield's born Ginger. He'd performed with Dregen and Nicke of the Backyard Babies and Hellacopters respectively in a side project, so I had to check him out.
Main stage time, first came Trivium - awesome. Heavy, loud, and pretty damn insane.
Then Steel Panther (I wasn't overly bothered, but didn't feel like moving) they are amusing, for a short while "He sleeps with chicks half his age, I mean last week I saw him with a girl who was 30!" was funny the first time, but then talking about pussy, being sucked off and that sort of thing......yeah, less amusing. I know their market, they know their market, and they aim for it. It's pure sleaze rock. Also, all the girls who agreed to take their shirts off - often repeatedly, I'm sorry, but you should have more respect for yourselves..... I'm not complaining - who doesn't like boobs? - but yeah.....whatever.
Best bit of SP? When Corey Taylor came out to sing backing vocals in death to all but metal.
Tenacious D - again, didn't care, but couldn't be bothered to move, they were amusing, but not really metal. Still, they had a good 'show' - and Tribute got the crowd going. They had some sort of prop on stage which I think was a chicken? But when it came on all I thought was - that looks like a penis (it really did) - I was right, it was meant to, because at the end it bent forward, and shot 'it's load' - which was confetti. Clearly I wasn't going insane/sick!
Biffy Clyro came on next - they weren't as good as the last time I saw them, but they played a couple of new tracks, and the old favourites. Were good enough.
Metallica were the headliners, and I'll write about them later probably as they were just......amazing!
For now, well done if you've made it through! Bye LJ!