Download 2017: The Saturday

[caption id="attachment_3946" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I forgot I took this picture of System of a Down the previous night.[/caption]
Saturday mornings at festivals for me are always a time of moving in slow motion for me. I slept in and took my time getting going. When, I finally got going, I discovered there were no bands playing on the main stage at the time of my entry. However, my ears caught hold of some cool sounds coming out of the Avalanche Stage, so I thought I'd better go and check it out. I discovered what was making those wonderful sounds, it was the band, Greywind.
On all four of my trips to Bloodstock, I came across a band who I never heard of but impressed holy hell out of me. I thought it would be nice to keep up that tradition at Download. Greywind kept that tradition going for me. The band was tight but their best asset is their fiery red haired lead singer, Steph O'Sullivan. Let me just say that this band was awesome and the lead singer has an amazing voice along with a good stage presence. Their debut album "Afterthoughts" was released in the beginning of the year and let me tell you, I'm going to get it.
[caption id="attachment_3947" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Greywind making their mark[/caption]
After Greywind, I did something controversial on the afternoon. Some people might think it was that but I don't. I didn't go see any bands! Instead, I attended an NXT Wrestling event. For those who aren't familiar with it, NXT is the farm team, reserves, second division (put in which term applies best to your sporting interests) of the WWE.  There were two events on each of the three days at Download. The one I went to had six matches on the card including tag team champions, Authors of Pain. I enjoyed it immensely but the best part was before the wrestling started, some chap got down on one knee in front of the crowd and proposed to his girlfriend. I thought it was sweet.
[caption id="attachment_3948" align="aligncenter" width="249"] No Way Jose beat Wolfgang in the opening bout.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3949" align="aligncenter" width="271"] Ember Moon defeated Billie Bey in the first women's match.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3950" align="aligncenter" width="262"] Although you wouldn't have though so in this photo[/caption][caption id="attachment_3951" align="aligncenter" width="273"] Another misleading photo. Lars Sullivan ( I wonder if his parents were Metallica fans,) would defeat Trent Seven.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3952" align="aligncenter" width="281"] Ruby Riot and Aaliyah square off in the second women's match.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3953" align="aligncenter" width="288"] Ruby Riot would eventually get the win.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3954" align="aligncenter" width="306"] Moores and Sabitelli battle Authors of Pain for the Tag Team Title[/caption][caption id="attachment_3955" align="aligncenter" width="305"] Authors of Pain did hold onto their belts.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3956" align="aligncenter" width="324"] Cien Andamadama and Alleister Black meet in the Main Event. Alleister Black would win this one.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3957" align="aligncenter" width="326"] Nice flying move though[/caption]
I had a great time watching the wrestling. After all, now that I'm in 1984, that year began the origins of the rock and wrestling connection. More on that at a later time.
Heading back to the main stage, I was fortunate enough to catch the end of Pierce the Veil, I liked what I heard and lead singer, Vic Fuentes, tried to get two mosh pits going simultaneously. The ended things with their best known song, "Kings of Pain."
[caption id="attachment_3958" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Fuentes out in front[/caption][caption id="attachment_3959" align="aligncenter" width="276"] And here's the rest of the band.[/caption]
After feeding my face, I ventured back to the Avalanche Stage in the hopes of discovering another band. Every Time I Die was on stage and I am convinced that their loud, angry tones scared their record producer into signing them. They made two bands, who I never heard of who impressed me. Actually, Northlane and Motionless in White from the previous day makes it four.
[caption id="attachment_3960" align="aligncenter" width="270"] Every Time I Die frightening children[/caption]
When ETID finished, I went back to the main stage to catch some of A Day to Remember. I happened to stand among some true ADTR fans who sang along to every song they played. I have heard of this band before but have only heard snippets previously. I liked what I heard on this day.
[caption id="attachment_3961" align="aligncenter" width="280"] They are under there somewhere[/caption][caption id="attachment_3962" align="aligncenter" width="262"] And they appear[/caption][caption id="attachment_3963" align="aligncenter" width="262"] Some A Day to Remember fans singing along[/caption][caption id="attachment_3964" align="aligncenter" width="276"] Lead singer Jeremy McKinnon goes out in front.[/caption]
When A Day to Remember left, I immediately beat feet over to the Zippo Stage for the rest of the night. The first band out was the Devin Townsend Project. I had seen Devin at Bloodstock in 2010 and he was good but he was even better this time around. For one, he didn't have any equipment malfunctions so there was no delay in starting the show. He just completely wailed on his guitar the entire time. Two songs that really stood out for me were "Sugar Crush" and "Dead Head," the latter of which could sum up his entire performance. It had a melodic start before going more power metal along with some great guitar soloing and his interaction with the audience was superb. I also like how he can change his voice during a song, from traditional to almost thrash metal to fit the song. Before he left, he said he was amazed at the fact that he was 45 and could still make a living out of playing metal.
[caption id="attachment_3965" align="aligncenter" width="272"] DTP takes the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_3966" align="aligncenter" width="278"] Devin plays a guitar solo[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3968" align="aligncenter" width="271"] Belting out another guitar solo.[/caption]
Devin Townsend paved the way for the final act of the night, Rob Zombie. Before he made his entrance, there were test screens on the stage. This led me to wonder where all this might lead. That was answered when he came out in his silver suit with cowboy hat and fringes. Those screens showed old films and TV shows while his band played. At one time, the screens displayed large red letters, "Get High" when he sang that song. When he saw someone with a blow up doll, he told them they must be desperate. Rob joined in when he threw two blow up aliens into the crowd and instructed the audience to let them crowd surf to the back. He also expressed 'concern' over the fact that alien abductions aren't talked about by politicians. It was an amazing show, attended by many because I was near the front and packed in like a sardine. Had great effects and light show as well. When the show ended, I wasn't the only one who thought Rob should have headlined the main stage instead of Biffy Clyro.
[caption id="attachment_3969" align="aligncenter" width="266"] What would these screens reveal?[/caption][caption id="attachment_3970" align="aligncenter" width="270"] Cool colour display[/caption][caption id="attachment_3971" align="aligncenter" width="279"] And there was fire[/caption][caption id="attachment_3973" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Best shot of Rob I could get.[/caption]

Biffy had already finished so I couldn't have watched them if I wanted to. I'm sure the eight people who did see them enjoyed the show. I went back to my campsite fully drained and in need of refreshment.

Download 2017: The Friday

Up early and eager to go on the first full day of metal mania at Download. Teal, my stepson and his friend Joe, were disappointed that the sport of bin jousting hasn't caught on at Download and is exclusive to Bloodstock. However, Friday at Download is a dress up day and the theme was wrestling. Therefore, there were a lot of people dressed up as such. Some dressed up as other things like super heroes. I did like the Supergirl outfit I saw.
[caption id="attachment_3914" align="aligncenter" width="225"] This gentleman was ready for the day's festivities.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3915" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Inside the arena[/caption]
I noticed that it has been a sub-concious tradition on my part at all festivals to go check out the first band on stage. On this day, it was Australian metal core band, Northlane. Now, it is the stereotype belief that all Australian bands are influenced by AC/DC. Obviously, somebody forgot to tell that to Northlane. If anything, they sounded more like Marilyn Manson than AC/DC. They came out on stage with the determination to leave their mark on the day and they did with their hard sound. They did slow things down in the middle of their set with songs "Rotten" and the newly released on video, "Solar" but they came back even harder after that. Even though they were only on stage thirty minutes, Northlane was a great way to start the weekend.
[caption id="attachment_3917" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Northlane begins the festival[/caption][caption id="attachment_3918" align="aligncenter" width="225"] And they kept it going[/caption]
Teal advised me to stick around for the second band and so with no plans to go anywhere else, I did. After their acoustic sounding intro, Motionless in White blasted onto the stage. While Northlane might have sounded like Marilyn, Motionless in White's lead singer, Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli sort of looked like him. He did have a great stage presence. While being bashed about by their hardcore metal sound, they did introduce their new song, "Unnecessary Evil" and ended things with one of their best known songs, "Abigail." When they finished, I was glad that I had listened to my stepson's advice.
[caption id="attachment_3920" align="aligncenter" width="263"] Chris 'Motionless' leading the charge.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3921" align="aligncenter" width="279"] And the band followed.[/caption]
It had always been my intention to catch the next band out on the main stage, Sabaton. I saw these Swedish metalers at Bloodstock two years prior so I was looking forward to more of the same. This time, they wasted no time in getting the tank on stage as I watched it being set up before the band even got on stage. When they did, the tank did it's job in producing a great display of firepower in support. The pyro in the first song, gave way to their classic, "Art of War." As always, Sabaton put on a great stage show and they played great songs like "Sparta" and "Primo Victoria" to commemorate the 73 years plus three days anniversary of D-Day. The audience also found out that the tank was named Walter and so the crowd started chanting the tank's name. All very amusing and I if they had played more than forty minutes, I would have said they were better than what they had been at Bloodstock. With the time cut, they were about the same.
[caption id="attachment_3923" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Wheeling in Walter[/caption][caption id="attachment_3924" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sabaton under a cloud of smoke[/caption][caption id="attachment_3925" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sabaton leads to victory.[/caption]
After watching three bands back to back, I thought I needed some lunch. So after a quick refuel, I headed over to the Zippo stage for the next band I wanted to see. When I got there, I managed to catch the last five to ten minutes of Machine Gun Kelly. Normally, rap metal isn't my thing but these guys were pretty good. On the last song, the lead singer sang directly to a lady in the audience. What I saw of them was okay.
[caption id="attachment_3926" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Machine Gun Kelly finishing up.[/caption]
Once MGK left the stage, I managed to manoeuvre my way to the front in anticipation for a band I had been waiting over thirty years to see, Suicidal Tendencies. When they propelled themselves onto the stage, they were manic from start to finish. Lead singer Mike Muir was a complete psycho. He would rev himself up by doing this little dance and than dart madly across the stage. Opening with "You Can't Bring Me Down," they went straight into their own version of "God Save the Queen," "I Shot the Devil." For those familiar with that song, it actually begins with Mike bellowing out, "I shot Reagan!" These days, it might be cool if he changed Reagan to Trump. But the audience sang along to it anyway. We were also treated to "War Inside My Head" and "Subliminal" to name a few. During the set, Mike spoke to the crowd about doing things for yourself instead of blaming others and he jumped off stage and high fived people in the front. One of them was me. One surprise they unleashed was when they announced that Slayer's Dave Lombardo was on the drums, that got lots of cheers.  The other thing I can say about ST is Dean Pleasants is very underrated as a lead guitarist, the man can lay down some jams! I would like to say that it was the perfect forty five minutes. Unfortunately for me, there was a major disappointment. The band played neither of my two favourite tracks, "Institutionalized" and "I Saw Your Mommy." While they were absolutely brilliant, I can't say they were perfect.
[caption id="attachment_3927" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Welcome Suicidal Tendencies[/caption][caption id="attachment_3928" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Mike Muir and Co[/caption][caption id="attachment_3930" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Pleasants wailing away[/caption]
On my way back to the campsite, I stopped again at the main stage because Five Finger Death Punch were playing. Their good aggressive metal enticed me to stay and have a listen. What I didn't know was that they had been previously banned from Download, I don't know the details. There was one part, where lead singer, Ivan Moody stated guitarist Jason Hook could play any song. Left to his devices, Hook began to play the Ozzy classic, "Crazy Train." When told to stop, he began playing "Smoke on the Water." After that, Moody told the crowd they were 'bad company' before going into a cover of the classic tune. I have to say, even their acoustic number was pretty good. I have since been told that Moody has left the tour and checked into rehab. Tommy Vext will take over the singing duties for the rest of the European tour.
[caption id="attachment_3931" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Five Finger Death Punch[/caption]
Back to the Zippo Stage, this time to get ready for the headliner. But before they came out, I did catch a good chunk of Good Charlotte. I only know the one hit, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," which they closed with. However, I thought they're overall performance was good.
[caption id="attachment_3932" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Good Charlotte on stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_3933" align="aligncenter" width="225"] See, I must have liked them, I took a second picture[/caption][caption id="attachment_3934" align="aligncenter" width="225"] And a third[/caption]
Friday's headliner at the Zippo Stage was Sum 41, a band I have always liked but never admitted it to anyone over the age of 40. Although fifteen years ago, my eldest son thought his dad was cool because he liked them. Let's just say right away that they were brilliant from start to finish. In the early minutes of the set, they got three people out of the audience to view the show from back stage. No, I wasn't picked. They did play a good combination of material and a crazy mosh pit opened up near me. One lady went especially crazy but after the show, she said she had waited fifteen years to see this band, so one can't really blame her. In the middle of the set, they played some covers. They began playing Maiden's classic, "The Trooper" and were astounded when the crowd sang the lyrics back to them. They also played a little of Metallica's "Master of Puppets." Lead singer Deryck Whibley played the opening chords to the first two songs he learned to play on the guitar, "Smoke on the Water" and White Stripes's "Seven Nation Army." Sum 41 ended the covers portion with one of Queen's famous "We Will Rock You," played very similar to the way it's done on the "Live Killers" album. At one point, the band left the stage to see a skeleton inflate behind the drums. When fully inflated, it was making the '41' hand gesture. Deryck also told about the time he spent in hospital and what got him through it was a picture of himself playing a gig in the UK. I thought that was touching. The brilliant night ended with their two best known songs, "In Too Deep" and of course, "Fat Lip." That ended things very well.
[caption id="attachment_3935" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sum 41 under the lights[/caption][caption id="attachment_3936" align="aligncenter" width="225"] This young lady was really into them[/caption][caption id="attachment_3937" align="aligncenter" width="225"] A good shot of the band[/caption][caption id="attachment_3939" align="aligncenter" width="225"] They disappear under the lights[/caption][caption id="attachment_3940" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Only for the skeleton to emerge[/caption][caption id="attachment_3941" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sum 41 finish in a flurry[/caption]

After Sum 41, I did venture past the main stage to watch a little of System of a Down. I stayed long enough for hear "Chop Suey" but didn't stay too long, not my thing. For me, Sum 41 was the best end to a thrilling first day.

Hopefully, Rock and Roll Children will have its own link again soon. It is still available on Amazon.