Retired.

[luckysalt]

Think thats it for me for Download now.

The weather has no effect on this, it rained, it does, I came prepped, however it seemed Live Nation, did not.

Friday arena was a complete fucking joke. They should have been sorting it from the day before, pump it out, lay the straw, simple. Totally unprepared.

Village was a disgrace, finally put straw down but only in front of stalls, the lockers as they were sold out never had any by them all weekend. The actual Village entertainment was stripped down to the bare minimum, biggest amount of campers ever and they actually took entertainment away from previous years, cinema STILL never said what was on, never updated the website or even had a sign like in previous years

In the arena, waterpoints were hidden away and not signposted, as with Urinals. led to blokes just pissing anywhere.

Felt like all they wanted was our money rather than us go away with a allround happy festival experience, I stopped going to V for this reason, and Download has become the same sadly. Plus the crowd had much more people who were just thinking about themselves, usually people are safe as fuck, help each other out, happy community, sure these people were still there, but I dunno if the weather had drained it out of people but seemed loads of c**ts this year.

Prices had gotten so high too.

Think if I do a festival next year it'll have to be a small, family festival, even if rock acts at these type are few and far between. May just not bother.

Think the next big fest I'll do, I'll finally take the plunge and go for Glasto perhaps. These corporate festivals have just taken the biscuit.

[luckysalt]

This being said though, by the way, the music was excellent.

[biffoire]

Theres a few people saying that.

Thanks christ it stopped raining as I think every day would have ended up as much as a trauma than friday.

But yeah, the bands and the sound were awesome.

[biffoire]

I'm gonna go to europe and follow some band around and stop in hotels. That sounds like a much more civilised plan. What are Pearl Jam upto these days.

[t8yman]

I agree salty, another great festival ruined by greed. It's why I stopped doing reading, and I haven't returned there either. I'd rather go somewhere and be treat like a customer, than be herded like cattle and put up with pigsty conditions.

The VIP bar was a joke on Friday, was there a national shortage of walking boards?

[Lithium05]

I dunno if the weather had drained it out of people but seemed loads of c**ts this year.

[gjammer]

I'm gonna go to europe and follow some band around and stop in hotels. That sounds like a much more civilised plan. What are Pearl Jam upto these days.

[biffoire]

I didn't have any major complains but did notice a few small things that had changed since previous years. Sheer volume of people, lack of banter and I felt the toilets and bars were really hard to get to compared to previous years. That said, I think the mud contributed greatly.

Friday was a farse (5 miles of gridlock just to get on site) and as someone mentioned previously, the organisers just didn't seem prepared having told everyone else to prepare.

[YorksAnne]

Having only ever managed to convince my mates to go to Download for Faith No More I've always thought I'd like to go back because the atmopshere and overall experience was far better than Leeds (which is only 5 minutes drive from home). You guys are making me reconsider that though!

We retired from Leeds after 2010 for reasons very similar to those stated above. Also the line up hasn't really been all that great recently, there has been more that appeals to me at Download. Not going to a festival last year was kind of weird/wrong.

I'd really like to try a smaller festival where the organisers seem to view festival goers as people out for a great weekend not as pure profit source that can be fleeced, but the line ups just don't seem to have much to my taste. Anyone on here have any ideas? Europe is probably not an option. We went to I'll be Your Mirror a couple of weeks ago, really enjoyed that but not expecting that kind of line up there as a regular thing. And there is still time this year to fit in another festival to make up for missing out last year.

[biffoire]

While the atmos at DL wasn't as good as previous years it was still good in parts. People seemed in a great mood for Biffy, Metallica, Sabbath and SG.

Problem with Leeds is, I just didn't feel safe. Especially Sunday while the place was being torched.

[gjammer]

"I'd really like to try a smaller festival where the organisers seem to view festival goers as people out for a great weekend not as pure profit source that can be fleeced, but the line ups just don't seem to have much to my taste."

The first part of your sentence screams Beautiful Days to me. The atmosphere is fantastic and there is loads laid on incidental to the music. I have been about 6 or 7 times and I only didnt go this year because of the second half of your sentence (ie you won't get Machine Head playing!) so I gave it a rest! Sold out this year though.

[pryce]

ive decided to stop going to festivals in the uk .... dont have fun anymore and like you said greedy

only medium sized fests in europe from now on

downloaders ... i highly reccomend Greenfield in Switzerland next year ... shares a similar line up with only about 25,000 people but amazingly run and in a beautiful location.

[gjammer]

I have never been but have had Bloodstock recommended...they do have Machine Head this year amongst others and are a much smaller (than Download) and independant festival.

[biffoire]

ive decided to stop going to festivals in the uk ....

[YorksAnne]

I have never been but have had Bloodstock recommended...they do have Machine Head this year amongst others and are a much smaller (than Download) and independant festival.

[kaosmark2]

None of us had done Download since 2006, and when going back we felt it was much improved facility wise. OK, other festivals have been better (Reading aside), but I certainly reckon it's a major improvement on back then. I do like Soni more, and if I had equivalent line-ups at both I'd choose Soni, but the main thing is the walk and that it's half the capacity (60 vs 120 if I'm remembering right?). I've certainly not been put off doing it again like I have with Reading (where I won't camp again). I typically do one heavier fest, something like Bestival/Latitude, a smaller fest and a few one-dayers (inc. possibly Reading weekend staying at parents' house). The experience this year was one of the worst I've had since I last camped at Reading, but I think a huge part of that was the mud. If they pull off a lineup as good as this year's again (which I doubt), then I'll be back, if they don't, I won't.

To those talking about smaller fests, or a European fest, do it. I live frugally through the year so that I can spend most of my income on live music and hence do fuckloads, but if you're only going to do one, try Europe. I did Rock Werchter a few years back and it was one of the best experiences I've had, despite only having 2 stages and being light on other entertainment. I want to try and get out and try more but sadly most of my mates are reluctant to leave the country for a fest (despite it usually working out cheaper). I've felt for the past few years that crowds at British festivals have been in decline (and while it was pretty good at DL this year, still wasn't amazing), but the excitement all the way back at Werchter was special. Such an amazing atmosphere, everything was cheaper, even when it rained it was so warm you didn't care. Reading around here it doesn't seem like Werchter is particularly special in that, so just go where the lineup suits.

[devilman]

Strange negativity. It was a festival held during a freak summer storm where lots of people in the UK were washed out of their homes. It held up quite well for the most part. We came in 11am Friday morning and sailed in. No queues to speak of. This was from the A50 through Castle Donington. Wellies were the answer to any other problems. It was busier than I've seen it before but at no point did I ever feel not safe or as if something might kick off. I found the bars successfully 20 times and if you go by the 1 for one rule I suppose I found the urinals the same amount of times! I _did_ find seated people a pain in the arse. I mean, sitting down and then expecting a big crowd to avoid you is foolish at best and downright dangerous at worst. No I'm not talking about those up the hill but those in in teh golden circle or just behind the safety barrier between the 1st and 2nd sections. Never did the village, couldn't be arsed with the mud when we had plenty beer at the tent. I met lots of great people and for me the Sabbath set was the ultimate gig. I may retire as I don't think anything else will ever come close!

I suspect that if the sun had shone all weekend then there would be very few complaints. I have been to a festivals that coped a lot worse than this Download with less rain. Glasto would be far worse in those conditions.

[lharris92]

for those talking about bloodstock: the music on a whole is a lot heavier than download, but the atmosphere is amazing - worked there last year and had a blast. plus because of the bands on you tend not to get as many pricks around

if you're looking for some in europe though, rock am ring/rock im park looks good, although its a big one so if you're looking at smaller fests then it might not be for you.

[pryce]

the set up at pukkelpop was brilliant when i went before the disaster struck and it was cancelled ... Rock en Siene was ok .... invaded by us brits though and camping was full of dicks

off to Optimus Alive in Lisbon this year .. 100 pound ticket for The Cure, Stone Roses and Radiohead headlining

Greenfield has been by far the best though ... last years headliners were System and Foos joint then Disturbed and Volbeat the following two days

take a trip up the Jungfrau mountain as well... well worth it the highest point in europe you can get via train

Edited June 11, 2012 by pryce

[jammy2211]

Really put off DL this year I think. Think it's more me now then the fest, music tastes changing, what i wanna do a festival, what vibe i want etc. Hard to explain but everything just felt annoying now, the worst is how setup it is to exploit as much money from the festival as possible. The arena spacing is just so you have to pay their prices for food + drink, every year new 'features' are in place to exploit more money... lockers, text messages, phone charging. Water points weren't flagged at all. It's a festival fuelled by greed, which unfortunately is how most the UK scene is, but LiveNation really feel like they ram it down your throat.

Got tired of the METALZZZZ too, you have to get ****ing pissed every night and yell and act like a dick vibe too. It doesn't have the "I could burn in my sleep" feeling of Reading but it still just didn't work for me. When I was 16 at Reading I was one of those guys (Albeit still less of a dick) but just tired of it now. Feels worse with the METALS types going round... again just part of the vibe I can't be arsed with.

Was happy to come this year but next year is a lot less definite. Needs a good lineup for me and some more mates going. If Download doesn't happen for me then gonna have to figure out a European festival I guess.

[eFestivals]

For those saying "Download has become like Reading" and the like, what do you expect from festivals run by (ultimately) the same company?

Which then leads me to mention that Europe has a lot of festivals that are run by the same company.

There's festivals run for love, and there's festivals run for money. It's highly unlikely that you'll find festivals with audiences over 25,000 that are just run for the love.

[mrtourette]

Compared to some chaotic scenes I've seen at other festivals I always thought Reading was well organised regarding preparation and traffic flow, but yeah all major festivals areaside from Glasto are there to primarily make money and while some cover it up better than others ultimately it will show in the decisions they make in circumstances like last weekend.

[gjammer]

For those saying "Download has become like Reading" and the like, what do you expect from festivals run by (ultimately) the same company?

Which then leads me to mention that Europe has a lot of festivals that are run by the same company.

There's festivals run for love, and there's festivals run for money. It's highly unlikely that you'll find festivals with audiences over 25,000 that are just run for the love.

Edited June 12, 2012 by gjammer

[thejimbola]

I hate to buck the trend, but I had an awesome time! Only partly ruined by my feet being destroyed by the mud and not being able to walk for the last 3 days (partially my fault for not wearing thick enough socks I think, but THANK GOD FOR THE SHUTTLE BUS!) and the Reading style destruction of empty tents around mine until 5am on the last night. You can't ban idiots though, unfortunately!

All this has done has further convinced me that next year I will give RIP camping a go. I am ready to admit that my body needs more rest, so posh camping it is from now on! The festival in general was brilliant, although I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't find an ale tent or Guinness bar! Did they move or just get removed?

[t8yman]

I hate to buck the trend, but I had an awesome time! Only partly ruined by my feet being destroyed by the mud and not being able to walk for the last 3 days (partially my fault for not wearing thick enough socks I think, but THANK GOD FOR THE SHUTTLE BUS!) and the Reading style destruction of empty tents around mine until 5am on the last night. You can't ban idiots though, unfortunately!

All this has done has further convinced me that next year I will give RIP camping a go. I am ready to admit that my body needs more rest, so posh camping it is from now on! The festival in general was brilliant, although I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't find an ale tent or Guinness bar! Did they move or just get removed?