Pearl Jam 2013

[Black_Crow]

I just don't see the benefit in Download purposefully leaking them, I mean VF took it down quickly too so I doubt there was even any amount of ticket sales. And aye, Andy has lied in the past, but it wasn't just him who dismissed those "clues" and why would he give very specific clues like that just to retract them. I think it was just someone making something up - and wishful thinking and speculation carried it away, originally the "award" one wasn't even in it, then somehow that got tacked on as one of his supposed clues. And if Andy was giving away clues to slipknot away back in June, why were they last announced? Surely they'd have been first out of the bag, and his original plan was to announce all 3 together, then that changed for whatever reason, could have been PJ's last minute dropout?

With Vodafone leaking PEarl Jam in a rather official way, and Thrash Hits claiming to have multiple sources (all of which had Rammstein and Maiden as the other two headliners) and saying they'd heard the same from everywhere about all 3 and the third was meant to be a band that had never done DL before. The whole thing just screamed that PJ were likely near booked them had a last minute change of heart - and no I'm not saying that means they'll do Sonisphere, if anything it could mean they just decided to scrap coming to Europe next year completely, or could do somewhere else...or their own dates...or anything

[kipper64]

I don't think it necessarily took a week to book them though. Up until a few weeks before the announcement we were told all 3 would be announced together when he had all 3 booked. He then said he had all 3 booked, but then there was almost a month of silence and almost a month of tickets off sale - do you know wonder what went on during that time and why tickets were off sale so long with little to know new info despite the bands apparently being "booked"? Stone Sour are doing Download, so they'd have been there anyways, if Slipknot were already considering playing at one point, I'm sure it wouldn't take that long to re-negotiate again considering they like the festival a lot. I imagine he initially would have preferred someone like PEarl jam to give the line up more variety (As these 3 have already generated some of those complaints) and obviously the fact that all 3 have nothing new since last doing festivals and all 3 having recently played their main competitors festival, Pearl Jam would have been the bigger coup.

What would vodafone stand to gain, unless they were mislead, in which case would misleading one of their sponsors be wise or good business? If it wasn't hyped by vodafone like you say, and made no impact, what exactly was the point in it? All it did was create a lot of disappointment, if there had been no leaks and it was slipknot, the reaction in general would have been better.

[Black_Crow]

I see your point.

If Pearl Jam did pull out, what did Download have to gain by frantically negotiating for Slipknot to play instead, why not bide their time and get someone else, as he has done in the past. If Slipknot are only stepping in for Download, why are they rumoured to be headlining quite a few other festivals as well, as PJ wouldn't have pulled out of them as well.

Andy has also said in the past that he announces as soon as a band is booked straight away, but gone on to say things like he will only announce when he has an adequate number of bands to announce. He lies.

[kipper64]

He saw them as the next best option maybe? As I said they were 3rd in the headliner polls and guaranteed to sell. It also could have left them ruled out completely if he wasn't fast as Stone Sour may have booked gigs on the friday of DL, or Perhaps Soni Poland may have been scheduled to clash and take Slipknot away from him. I don;t think theres many other bands he could have booked that would have been more popular who possibly already could have been ruled out anyways.

Also he was obviously trying to get the ball rolling as quick as possible this year, probably to try and bury sonisphere, so the less time waiting, the better.

Edited October 5, 2012 by kipper64

[gazza_20]

I don't think it necessarily took a week to book them though. Up until a few weeks before the announcement we were told all 3 would be announced together when he had all 3 booked. He then said he had all 3 booked, but then there was almost a month of silence and almost a month of tickets off sale - do you know wonder what went on during that time and why tickets were off sale so long with little to know new info despite the bands apparently being "booked"? Stone Sour are doing Download, so they'd have been there anyways, if Slipknot were already considering playing at one point, I'm sure it wouldn't take that long to re-negotiate again considering they like the festival a lot. I imagine he initially would have preferred someone like PEarl jam to give the line up more variety (As these 3 have already generated some of those complaints) and obviously the fact that all 3 have nothing new since last doing festivals and all 3 having recently played their main competitors festival, Pearl Jam would have been the bigger coup.

What would vodafone stand to gain, unless they were mislead, in which case would misleading one of their sponsors be wise or good business? If it wasn't hyped by vodafone like you say, and made no impact, what exactly was the point in it? All it did was create a lot of disappointment, if there had been no leaks and it was slipknot, the reaction in general would have been better.

[luckysalt]

I don't think it necessarily took a week to book them though. Up until a few weeks before the announcement we were told all 3 would be announced together when he had all 3 booked. He then said he had all 3 booked, but then there was almost a month of silence and almost a month of tickets off sale - do you know wonder what went on during that time and why tickets were off sale so long with little to know new info despite the bands apparently being "booked"? Stone Sour are doing Download, so they'd have been there anyways, if Slipknot were already considering playing at one point, I'm sure it wouldn't take that long to re-negotiate again considering they like the festival a lot. I imagine he initially would have preferred someone like PEarl jam to give the line up more variety (As these 3 have already generated some of those complaints) and obviously the fact that all 3 have nothing new since last doing festivals and all 3 having recently played their main competitors festival, Pearl Jam would have been the bigger coup.

What would vodafone stand to gain, unless they were mislead, in which case would misleading one of their sponsors be wise or good business? If it wasn't hyped by vodafone like you say, and made no impact, what exactly was the point in it? All it did was create a lot of disappointment, if there had been no leaks and it was slipknot, the reaction in general would have been better.

[gazza_20]

Regarding this, I asked Andy why haven't you announced all headliners together like you said you would and he responded oh lets just cancel the festival then shall we!

I thought it was a bit of a stupid reply and way over the top and he hasn't answered any tweets Ive asked him since when usually he would, kinda makes me think now there was more to it, I just had no idea and was a simple question.

We all know the guy lies through his teeth anyway, it was clear last year Van Halen were booked and pulled out and then he rushed and snapped up Prodigy, so he could have done the same thing again, if he didn't snap up Slipknot, they would go elsewhere, you have to realise he has a limited pot to select headliners from. Could Download have got away we booked Biffy like Soni did, the amount of people moaning last year that they were subbing Metallica was unbelievable and that was at the festival not on forums

[luckysalt]

I think they were a Download band, and could still be, I mean they've played enough over the years but they aren't a main stage subbing Metallica band.

A second stage headliner I think they'd do well. Same with all the Bullet love, they were booked too high supporting Linkin Park IMO, but Andy loves them and I bet they're cheap, he wants to groom them to headliner, but they wouldn't sell out his festival and if he thinks they would he's a fool.

[kipper64]

I think it just depends really, when they headlined Sonisphere - whilst there was a lot of negative opinions and the crowd they pulled didn't match Metallica/Slipknots - they went down well in the end, even as a headliner. As I said, bit of a smaller crowd, though not so much by the end of their set and I think the singalongs to Mountains and Machines were the loudest of the weekend. I think that really worked in part by the day though, as the billing around Biffy suited them (Weezer, Sum41, YMAS, ATL, Mars Volta, Bad Religion etc..)

Though it'd all depend on timing and the likes, sonisphere got away with it in the end because the other 2 headliners were very strong for the usual soni punters, and being a smaller capacity festival they don't need to draw in nearly as many people to sell out. I do think Biffy could headline Download in the future though, but it'd really need to be played right, I think them doing this year as a sub and the crowd not really getting into it might have tarnished their chances at headlining Download in the future, which is a shame.