Download 2012: Anyone Going / Already There?

I'll be driving up tomorrow and will be bringing a poncho and a jumper in anticipation of 3 days of persistent rain.

If it weren't for the fact Black Sabbath, Metallica and Shinedown are all playing, (plus the £160 I paid for the ticket) I might've considered giving it a miss. As it is, I will soldier on and slog through the mud, if need be.

Well the weather wasn't as bad as I feared. Friday was cold, windy and damp, with the odd light rain squall passing over. Saturday was just chilly and blustery. Sunday started off overcast and humid, before the sun broke through around midday and it actually felt properly Summery.

Traffic was an absolute nightmare on Friday. Got to within about 5 miles of Donington Park when I hit the tailbacks. I got as far as the slip road off the motorway at about 2:30 and what should have been a 15 minute journey ended up taking 2.5 hours. Finally got to the arena some time after 5:00 in the afternoon and missed a bunch of bands I had wanted to see...including Terrorvision, Europe and Little Angels.

At least I got to see headliners Slash & Myles Kennedy, Opeth and Nightwish. As they were all on the second stage I was able to get pretty close for a good view.

The first two days, the campsite and arena were a quagmire of thick mud, a good 6 inches deep that tried to suck the boots off your feet. In order to get anywhere you had to walk like you were cross-country skiing. Two days of wading around in that stuff left me physically exhausted and wondering whether or not to bother turning up on Sunday. Glad I did as it was the best day of the weekend, both weather-wise and the bands that were on.

Saturday I got to see Trivium, Steel Panther, Gun and Tenacious D. Trivium were awesome as usual. Steel Panther (kind of like Motley Crue turned up to 11) were pretty good but I found their between-song banter funnier than their songs (which are ALL about shagging, jerking off and various other sexual activities)...all barring Death To All But Metal, that is. Most of the crowd loved it, but for me the joke started to wear a bit thin after the second song. The main redeeming feature was the number of girls who flashed their boobs...never seen so many in 1 day!!!

Tenacious D were also excellent...their set was like a stage version of the Pick Of Destiny movie. They brought a full band including an electric guitarist (a demon shredder) who played the role of the Devil.

Had a scary moment at the end of the day when I locked myself out of my car after taking off my coat and boots. Had to walk halfway back towards the arena to the AA station and ask them to "break in" so I could get my keys out of the boot! Fortunately they were able to do so without damaging my car.

Sunday got off to a good start as I got there in time to see Black Label Society on the main stage (renamed the Jim Marshall stage this year in honour of the legendary amp maker, who sadly passed away this year). If you're not familiar with BLS, do a YouTube search...they are truly awesome. Only minor niggle was that Zakk Wylde indulged in a bit too much showboating. His guitar prowess is already legendary...he didn't need to keep reminding us. He does have a surprisingly good voice for someone who looks like the missing link between human and Sasquatch.

Other highlights were Ugly Kid Joe and Shinedown on the second stage, as well as Megadeth and Soundgarden on the main stage. I wold have stuck around for the headliners...the founding fathers of metal Black Sabbath...but I was parked so far away from the area, in an unlit field, I was afraid I'd never find my car in pitch darkness, so I wimped out and left after Soundgarden's set.

Here are some videos I was able to record on my new digital camera. Quality isn't brilliant but they are at least watchable:

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