If you’re having a grumble about the weather at Download today, spare a thought for our good friends Uriah Heep who ran into a major problem on the road in North America today while out supporting Judas Priest.
Kahmel Farahani and Dany Jones
14th June 2019: 11.00pm
Heep’s bus broke down in Edmonton, Canada and they had to get another one to drive to Dawson Creek. However, with no spare rental buses immediately available, the band ended up with country and western artist Gord Bamford’s private bus for two days while the bus company in the USA sorts a peoper replacement.
It took twenty hours to eventually arrive at Dawson Creek, the journey finally finishing at 4.00am.
It’s absolutely true that music can take you places, for example we went out the other night and they put country music on, so we went to the next bar.
It was horror time for Rob Zombie as a fully fringed Rob with fully masked band showed they meant business from the off when they kicked into opener ‘Meet The Creeper’, performing it in front of a full backdrop of flames.
John 5 takes the crowd into a frenzy during ‘Superbeast’ and the moshing starts with a vengeance as a bouncy feeling ‘Living Dead Girl’ hurls one mighty big party into full swing.
There’s a healthy dose of White Zombie songs tonight and Rob goes down in the pit for ‘More Human Than Human’. “We travel all over the world, but you guys win the prize for the muddiest place on earth,” he announced before encouraging the whole crowd to wave at a passing plane. They did – every last one of them.
When Whitesnake headlined here in 1990, they were nearly wiped out by a plane attempting to land at nearby East Midlands Airport while the band were soundchecking. The pilot mistook the stage lights for the runway and it’s unthinkable what would have happened if he hadn’t realised his error in time.
Headliner Def Leppard had to follow Whitesnake today and as elaborated on in our earlier article, that was to be no easy feat. They chose to attempt this arduous task with via the (almost) complete ‘Hysteria’ album, although not quite in it’s original running order.
‘Hysteria’ is the fourth Def Leppard studio album and their best-selling album to date, with over 25million copies sold worldwide, including 12million in the US. The album spawned seven hit singles and charted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart.
Always an honor to gig with the Leps. Top dudes! Thanks for the shot, Phil Collen! #WhiteLep #DefSnake #DownloadFestival pic.twitter.com/nTYo7skPXi
— Joel Hoekstra (@JoelHoekstra13) June 14, 2019
“It’s our fourth time headlining here, which is amazing,” said Joe after the show was ignited by ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ and ‘Armageddon It’. The big screens aired footage of Steve Clark during a rousing set; ‘Hysteria’ is the final album to feature the late guitarist and he’ll forever be a part of Leppard legacy.
At 62-and-a-half minutes, ‘Hysteria’ is one of the longest ever single vinyl records but this audience still wanted more and got it in the shape of power ballad ‘When Love And Hate Collide’ from 1996s ‘Slang’ album.
“Come in Castle Donington, Download 2019, let’s take this thing home!” urged Joe as ‘Love And Affection’ and ‘Photograph’ rounded off a superb night and a fitting celebration of when Leppard first headlined here, ten years ago to the day.
“Until next time, and there will be a next time,” promised Joe as Download Friday ended in style.
We’ll be back tomorrow with much more from Donington Park. Check out our Download 2019 coverage so far right here.
. @DefLeppard just POURED SOME SUGAR all over Donington Park for Friday night at #DL2019! 🤘🎸 That’s a wrap on an EPIC first day – see you tomorrow Downloaders!🔥 pic.twitter.com/cZEdPNA6bh
— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) June 14, 2019
DOWNLOAD 2019 STAGE TIMES
Saturday 15th June
Main Stage
Slipknot – 9.10pm
Die Antwoord – 6.40pm
Trivium – 5pm
Skindred – 3.35pm
Behemoth – 2.20pm
Power Trip – 1.10pm
Royal Republic – 12pm
Alien Weaponry – 11am
Zippo Encore Stage
Halestorm – 7.45pm
Stone Temple Pilots – 6.20pm
Three Days Grace – 5.10pm
Brothers Osborne – 4pm
Epica – 2.55pm
Animals As Leaders – 1.50pm
Elvana – 12.45pm
Bad Wolves – 11.50am
The Inspector Cluzo – 11am
The Avalanche Stage hosted by Kerrang! Radio
Simple Creatures – 8.40pm
The Wonder Years – 7.25pm
nothing,nowhere. – 6.10pm
Trash Boat – 5.05pm
Roam – 4pm
Palisades – 2.55pm
The Beaches – 1.55pm
Hot Milk – 12.55pm
Yours Truly – 11.55am
Parting Gift – 11am
The Dogtooth Stage
Carcass – 7.40pm
Batushka – 6.35pm
Intervals – 5.35pm
The Hu – 4.35pm
Riding The Low – 3.35pm
Lovebites – 2.40pm
Queen Zee – 1.45pm
Underside – 12.50pm
Cloud – 11.55am
Vambo – 11am
Sunday 16th June
Main Stage
Tool – 9.25pm
The Smashing Pumpkins – 7.10pm
Lamb Of God – 5.20pm
Amon Amarth – 3.50pm
Godsmack – 2.30pm
Underoath – 1.10pm
I Prevail – 12pm
Cane Hill – 11am
Zippo Encore Stage
Slayer – 8.45pm
Dream Theater – 7pm
Anthrax – 5.35pm
Beartooth – 4.20pm
State Champs – 3.10pm
Starset – 2.05pm
Badflower – 1pm
Dinosaur Pile-Up – 12pm
Like A Storm – 11am
The Avalanche Stage hosted by Kerrang! Radio
Enter Shikari – 8.20pm
Fever 333 – 7.10pm
Palaye Royale – 6pm
The Amity Affliction – 5pm
Our Last Night – 4pm
Black Peaks – 3pm
Heart Of A Coward – 2pm
Allusinlove – 1pm
Black Futures – 12pm
RedHook – 11am
The Dogtooth Stage
Municipal Waste – 7.50pm
Whitechapel – 6.50pm
coldrain – 5.50pm
Alcest – 4.50pm
Toska – 4pm
Crystal Lake – 3.10pm
Kim Jennett – 2.20pm
Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics – 1.30pm
Blurred Vision – 12.40pm
Wolf Jaw – 11.50am
Lost In Stereo – 11am
Download takes place at Donington Park, which is just off the M1 and right next to East Midlands Airport on Friday 14th to Sunday 16th June 2019.
