Beez: Download Vs Sonisphere – Round 2.
OK, there have been plenty have additions to both line-ups but where do we stand now? Beez has his 2 cents. Get your tickets for Sonisphere and get your tickets for Download!
It’s not sitting on the fence (OK, maybe it is, but it’s still true) but both Sonisphere and Download have delivered amazing bills thus far and both look like being top weekends.
On the one hand, Download seems to have a lot more ‘events’ than Sonisphere. ZZ Top and Anvil coming back to conquer Donington for the first time in decades, Slipknot’s first ever UK festival headline show and the returns of Limp Bizkit and, particularly, Faith No More are going to all be monumental occasions for anyone with a penchant for banging their heads.
Add to this sets from Motley Crue, Marilyn Manson (I still think he’s going to come back damn strong) and Devildriver (another big return expected from these boys) amongst loads of other great bands, and Download have arguably put together the best bill since its inception. Sonisphere threatened and Download answered emphatically. Hats off to them.
On the other hand, Sonisphere promised big names aplenty and ho-ly shit, have they delivered them. Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb Of God and Mastodon – all bands that are on fire at present. Seriously, after their immense sets on this year’s Defenders Of The Faith, the thought of those LOG songs from Wrath being stronger next time they visit us is enough to give a man a metal-induced boner.
Add to this that Sonisphere will be the last chance we’re going to get to see NIN for the foreseeable future, that Alice In Chains will be in the house and that my own personal favourite rock and roll band on Earth (Airbourne. I don’t give a Castlemaine XXXX, no one puts on a show like those boys) have been added, and with more massive names being promised, Sonisphere have delivered everything that they said they would. For a festival in its rookie year, it’s impressive. Really bloody impressive
The possibility of Jane’s Addiction playing at Sonisphere (they are playing Oxegen and a US tour with NIN, after all) is enough to make me weep tears of joy too.
Jesus, when you write this all down it really sinks in that the festival season of 2009 is going to own. We’ve not even had a Reading announcement yet, either!
The truth be told, I like my place on the fence and that’s where I’m staying. I’m looking forward to fulfilling the dream that’s existed for most of my adult life when Faith No More hit the stage at Donington, screaming “they come runnin’ just as fast as they can, ‘cause every girl’s crazy ‘bout a Sharp Dressed Man” into someone’s ear canal during ZZ Top and pratting around in a backwards red baseball cap at Download.
Equally, my bottom lip will be quivering when we wave goodbye to Uncle Trent at Knebworth, I’ll be downing the amber nectre like no one’s business for Airbourne and Lamb Of God and Mastodon will both be showcasing their kick-ass new albums at Sonisphere. Oh and there’s Metallica too. Better not forget the best live band around, eh? (Check out our Metallica O2 Arena Review)
The bottom line is that this summer is going to rule and both Sonisphere and Download have done themselves mightily proud. I cannot wait!
‘Til next time,
Beez
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download line up is WEAK (apart from Faith no more).
Sonisphere line up is a lot better. but the price is still too much for a two day festival!
NIETHER ARE DOING DAY TICKETS (yet).
Bloodstock is the place to be! Good line up, cheap tickets!
although if Sonisphere do day tickets i will be there on the sunday.
The thing about Sonisphere is that you wonder how long it can last. For people to fork out £160 for 2 days and only twenty-odd bands, you need a massive headliner. Next year, they’ll need Iron Maiden or AC/DC or they won’t sell out. Year after that, what then? AC/DC may be gone by then, and there isn’t another band big enough for the format. If it’s to survive, they’ll need either a new band to reach the Metallica/Maiden popularity levels (unlikely) or to change the format. It’s bad enough having the big names watered down by two competing festivals, but what about when the no-less good but less well known bands are being divided? Neither festival will be up to much, and they could both end up killing each other off.
I think that either Sonisphere will not last or that the festivals that cater for fans of our type of music will be in for a dark time. Thank heavens Bloodstock’s growing in stature- it may be the big winner if Download and Sonisphere end up harming each other.
omg im going 2 both XD
completely skint to hell bt f**k it
so wat if sonisphere will flop nxt yr the only thing tht matteres atm is this yr,
the only problem with download is tht with the massive star studded lineup there is , there cant be too much money left for many big names =/
I agree with Repka but i doubt that Sonisphere will be annual, probably every two years at the most. If the festival is every two years it will be easier to keep things fresh and give people value for money.
If you look over the past few years there are defenitly download festivals you could have done without.
Maybe moolah is what it all comes down to- Download has to book 100 bands and a venue for five days, Sonisphere 20 bands for four. If you have to pay that many less people, you can afford Metallica, Linkin Park et al. Download can’t afford such big names. I’m not knocking any of the Download headliners (although I personally like none of them- I missed FNM, I don’t like the ‘Knot and hair metal’s not my cup of tea) but in stature, they’re not in the same league. Metallica- biggest selling metal act ever. Linkin Park- I don’t like them, but Hybrid Theory sold more than the Black Album. Huge names both. And where Metallica go, Lamb of God, MFH and The Sword tend to follow. Download’s on the back foot out of the traps.
Having said that, where Metallica go, Megadeth and Slayer avoid, and with both bands releasing records this year and neither being at Bloodstock I expect we may see them at Download, and that’d do me nicely!
If it wasn’t for sonisphere then I bet download would be fielding another cheap shitty bill like last year and just trusting that all the sheep would turn up anyway (I went to graspop in 08 by the way). No offence to the peeps that work at download but it’s just a business : they don’t show up for our bennefit.
Competition = Good
would be cool if sonisphere lasts the course and does become a yearly thing ( thank crap im going both and not having to choose between the two)
it is possible it could turn into another phoenix festival if what repka says will happen hope not
but also to say the download festival is weak is pure stupidity, have even managed to talk my mate into going this year and he never does anything cos he is the tightest git you will ever meet!
The fact that download book around 100 bands is no doubt part of the problem. If you have that many bands at least half of them are fillers. However if like Sonisphere you have 20 or so bands they are all likely to be quality, which so far Sonisphere have been.
its down quality or quantity!
The fact that Machine Head, Metallica and lamb of god are all at sonisphere means they win hands down (horns up) every time. (Only Slayer at Download would nearly even it up.) Can’t wait yeahhhhhh!
im going to both x0!!!!!!!!
tho i do have a problem….WHERE IS THE DEATH AND BLACK METAL IN THEASE GIGS!!!!! DIMMU BORGIR AND CRADLE OF FILTH WOULD KICK ASS!!!!
sonisphere poos on download
its like download havnt even tried!
very poor line up for download so far
sonisphere on the other hand are a new festival with an insane line up already with metallica, the sword, alice in chains and ANTHRAX!
so yeh go to SONISPHERE!
Bloodstock for the win!
Still, who ever gets DOWN gets my hard earned pounds.
Dimmur Bogir would be awesome