Download 2017

[lightning1000]

24 minutes ago, Markjensen said:

My issue is if we have say Biffy headlining what would even be the point of download existing? Slaves and Royal blood are heavier than average and would fit in at download, Biffy wouldn't. Download would need to differentiate itself 

Slaves and royal blood are not heavier than average though???? 

 

[rivalschools.price]

Guys, I'm an old bastard and take my word for it, I had this conversation many times10 years ago, 20 years ago, 25 years ago.

Theres no point saying that there will be no headline bands around in 10 years cos the headliners for 2027 may not have even been formed yet.

When I went in the early 90s, bands like Slipknot, Muse, Biffy, A7X,Linkin Park and all were still unwrapping their first guitars as xmas pressies from their mums.

My very first visit to Donnington in 1988 was supposed to be one of my last cos a miserable old bastard told me to 'enjoy it mate cos metal will be dead in a few years'

In any case, I wouldn't rule out Maiden and Metallica still being around in 10 years so I don't know where this mass retirement is coming from either.

Yes, Sabbath and Aerosmith will be gone but they've only headlined twice each in the last 20odd years.

[Pop Punk Sucks]

What about when Monsters of Rock DID run out of headliners and there wasn't an event there for like 10 years?

[rivalschools.price]

29 minutes ago, Pop Punk Sucks said:

What about when Monsters of Rock DID run out of headliners and there wasn't an event there for like 10 years?

It wasn't as long as 10 years I don't think.

Festivals in those days were a different proposition to what they are now, there were various reasons why the festival stopped but it certainly wasn't cos they ran out of headliners.

I'm not going to list all the bands who were big enough to headline between '97 and '02 but for a start there was the likes of AC/DC who were still in their prime as well as newer bands like Pearl Jam,Limp Bizkit and Korn(who would have been big enough in 2000-2001)

Part of the trouble was bands like Guns n Roses, Def Leppard and Metallica started doing their own outdoor events in places like Milton Keynes bowl which were in direct competition with the festival and in those days,just like now with Sonisphere, The UK isn't big enough for two major metal festivals.

Edited October 30, 2016 by rivalschools.price

[dentalplan]

1 hour ago, rivalschools.price said:

Theres no point saying that there will be no headline bands around in 10 years cos the headliners for 2027 may not have even been formed yet.

Babymetal could headline in 2030 and not be born yet.

[coreyt409]

Please don't even try to convince Download to be moved to mid July.. it might help sell a few more tickets but the lack of drunk/pilled up teenagers absolutely made my weekend after spending year after year avoiding them at Reading.

[Red Day]

Bullet bitten and tickets purchased.  Be a great weekend regardless of who's playing

[DownboundTrain52]

3 hours ago, lightning1000 said:

You can probably remove Metallica, slipknot, system and rammstein from bands that will be active in 10 years time... 

But Maiden still will be if 'Arry has his way.

Somewhere in Time 40th Anniversary Tour, with Nicko on zimmerframe! 

[rawaudioinput]

I'd love to see Download branch out as a festival that booked all the acts R&L now throw by the wayside (Manics, Placebo, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) would be right up my street, but even then I can't see the festival being viable as the very reason R&L don't book those bands any more is because they don't sell festival tickets

Also, how many people in their late 20s - early 50s go to Download? Once those generations retire from festival-going, will there be enough young fans to replace them?

[rivalschools.price]

7 minutes ago, rawaudioinput said:

I'd love to see Download branch out as a festival that booked all the acts R&L now throw by the wayside (Manics, Placebo, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) would be right up my street, but even then I can't see the festival being viable as the very reason R&L don't book those bands any more is because they don't sell festival tickets

Also, how many people in their late 20s - early 50s go to Download? Once those generations retire from festival-going, will there be enough young fans to replace them?

I suppose you could argue that, as Download attracts an older crowd, the festival would be better suited to Pumpkins,Manics, etc.

Andy did say on Twitter once that he would love to book The Pixies but they would cost too much for the lower placing on the bill that he would have to put them.

Wouldnt be surprised to see Placebo in Download this year tho, aren't they doing a 20 year anniversary tour or something at the mo?

[devilman]

I think some of the people contributing here have never been to Download!

June is fine, we've had 2 rainy years in the last 6, it's hardly an annual monsoon season. T in the Park is in July and 2012 made the supposedly muddy Download look like a desert. Leeds in August in 2013 was the same. If you want good weather then you'll have to move country I'm afraid, not the date.

We won't ever run out of headliners but the festivals might downsize. As far as branching out to other genres and diversifying, fuck that. Download's strength is that it caters for a certain demographic. When you split that up and then you run the risk that the existing demographic will only like half of what's on or even less. That makes a festival not very attractive. L/R is becoming less and less attractive to me very year while European festivals are becoming more attractive.

We might not have Maidens and Metallicas in the future but that's because of the way that the industry has gone and how people discover and listen to music nowadays, not because people aren't listening to metal/rock.

[rivalschools.price]

On the subject of diversifying,I don't see having Muse a few years ago or someone like Green Day a huge departure from a lot of the bands who play Download.

I would say that having Green Day or Blink is less of a departure than when The Prodigy and Chase and Status played(which, interestlngly, they haven't done since)

[Apocalyptoc Queen]

22 minutes ago, devilman said:

I think some of the people contributing here have never been to Download!

June is fine, we've had 2 rainy years in the last 6, it's hardly an annual monsoon season. T in the Park is in July and 2012 made the supposedly muddy Download look like a desert. Leeds in August in 2013 was the same. If you want good weather then you'll have to move country I'm afraid, not the date.

We won't ever run out of headliners but the festivals might downsize. As far as branching out to other genres and diversifying, fuck that. Download's strength is that it caters for a certain demographic. When you split that up and then you run the risk that the existing demographic will only like half of what's on or even less. That makes a festival not very attractive. L/R is becoming less and less attractive to me very year while European festivals are becoming more attractive.

We might not have Maidens and Metallicas in the future but that's because of the way that the industry has gone and how people discover and listen to music nowadays, not because people aren't listening to metal/rock.

I agree with you. It seems that it is quite controversial to suggest that the festival retain its character rather than branch out and there are a handful of posters on some other forums who won't accept a different opinion because they've been on that forum for ages and have accumulated 10K likes or something and it actually becomes intimidating when trying to defend your position. 

My position is that if DL starts diversifying, then where does it stop? R&L and V-fest who use to showcase the best in rock and indie now have Beyonce and Rihanna headlining, is a case in point. 

That is fine if that is the sort of music you are into but DL exists because it has traditionally catered for a different crowd. If it becomes more mainstream, what would be the point of it? R&L and Glastonbury could then compete for its rivals and eventually out-source them from the market, and metal fests would then be lower-profile and more underground affairs instead. 

[Apocalyptoc Queen]

Any ideas as to what the word is on who these headliners are likely to be? Not only is the DL forum down but little speculation on other forums and no hints reported by "insiders" in the music press. Although Zegut and DL Paris offers hints that they could be SOAD and Metallica, it does seem that the pool could be quite wide indeed. 

[devilman]

The answer is here, it's just that you don't know which person to believe

[rivalschools.price]

27 minutes ago, Apocalyptoc Queen said:

Any ideas as to what the word is on who these headliners are likely to be? Not only is the DL forum down but little speculation on other forums and no hints reported by "insiders" in the music press. Although Zegut and DL Paris offers hints that they could be SOAD and Metallica, it does seem that the pool could be quite wide indeed. 

The forum has decided that it is any three from Green Day, Blink, Linkin Park,Metallica,A7X,SOAD Or Aerosmith.

Quite a list when you consider that we have been discussing the lack of potential headliners for the future.

[coreyt409]

There's a list as long as my arm for potentials this year and yet people are worried for future headliners.

Acts change, the headliners of 2025 may not have even been formed yet!

[theramm]

18 minutes ago, coreyt409 said:

There's a list as long as my arm for potentials this year and yet people are worried for future headliners.

 

People moaning about new headliners or claiming there's a lack of them are cretins. There's plenty, whether Copping can book them or not though is another matter altogether.

[Pop Punk Sucks]

I think people get the word "diversifying" confused when talking about bands Download should book. 

Booking bands like blink-182, Green Day, The Cure, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins would not be diversifying the festival, it would just be booking bands suitable to play the festival. 

The idea that booking those bands could lead to people like Jay Z, Rihanna etc turning up just shows how morbidly out of touch with alternative music and culture those people are. 

[Muppetmark]

15 hours ago, Muggy12345678 said:

Universities break up in May. A levels and. GCSE are in full flow. 

Putting it a few weeks later means it competes with euro festivals and the isle Wight and Glastonbury. 

 

It it really doesn't need 15/16 year olds running around having their first beer believing there smoking weed when it's basil. It's the reason I'm going to D/L and not reading. Also metal fans tend to be older these days as kerrang doesn't show that much and when I was a young lad pop punk and kerrang where in full force 

Quite a lot of unis have exams and stuff that means download is a no go.  I do feel download would benefit by being even a week later to let gcse/a level/unis finish more exams so there is a larger younger pool without moving to far from eurofests

[LovelessNL]

I'm posting this here because I think the line-ups for France and UK will be similar. 

Download France is spamming their Facebook with 'Flight' / 'Airplane' related stuff, and artists or groups that are either disbanded or dead. Must be a hint, any ideas?

They are announcing something at 1800 (Local time) today. Zegut has mentioned there will also be an announcement regarding Metallica. Could just be another single or something about the album, or it could be shows. And even if it's shows it could still be arena dates next fall, although its pretty early to announce those now.

[Pop Punk Sucks]

Yeah just seen DL France posted gif of a plane. Aerosmith surely?

[LovelessNL]

Its not just the gif now, it goes back about a week. A lot of stuff regarding disbanded 'historic' groups. Surely a hint to the farewell tour of Aerosmith.

[dentalplan]

They also gave a resounding "Non" to someone's suggestion of Aerosmith - though they're understood to be doing Hellfest so they don't necessarily need to do DL France to play Donington. Maybe the planes are just that they're really pleased to have booked Airbourne?

I doubt the Metallica thing will be festival related. Probably dropping a single for Halloween or some shit. If it was a festival, Zegut would've posted it rather than teasing it out if he knew.

[Red Day]

My guess for the DL France reference to a flying plane is same as the DL twitter. Line up landing this week.