Download Festival 2010

It’s festival week here at The Rock and Roll Guru! This week I’ll be discussing the upcoming summer festivals – highlighting the highs, lows, and all the in-betweens of each. I’ve selected five festivals and will post daily on each. Enjoy!

Download Festival
http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/home

If you live in the UK, or if you are planning a trip for the summer, the Download Festival is a hard one to beat. Taking place over the course of three days (June 11 – 13, 2010), Download Festival will bring the rock like no other festival can. AC/DC, Aerosmith (with Steven Tyler), Rage Against The Machine, Megadeth, and Stone Temple Pilots are just the highlights of this year’s festival.

History
The Download Festival started off as the Monsters of Rock Festival 30 years ago in 1980. The first year included Judas Priest and The Scorpions on the bill. In 1996, the last Monsters of Rock festival was held and then there was silence for many years. In 2003, the Download Festival was born as a remembrance of the Monsters of Rock and a hybrid of the classic metal from years ago mixed with modern metal for the new arrivals. An amalgam of metal music that’s bound to make everyone happy, Download Festival strives to get the best acts on the bill and give the audience the most bang for their buck.

Lineup
This year’s lineup includes AC/DC as the major headliners. Also performing over the weekend are Rage Against The Machine, Aerosmith, The Deftones, Stone Temple Pilots, Megadeth, Motorhead, Billy Idol, Saxon, and Ratt, just to name a few. When you add in the bands that are performing on the second stage, you have one of the most rocking festivals in existence. Hard and heavy, the Download Festival is metal done right.

Ticketing
Weekend ticketing plus 5 days of camping is 180 pounds, which roughly translates to $270. That’s a little on the high side, but when you look at the lineup, it is definitely worth it. And it includes the price of camping, which is much cheaper than a hotel. As of this posting, no single day tickets were available for Download Festival.

Places to Stay
Thinking of attending? Here are some recommended places to stay and/or visit. The festival itself has camp grounds for those who want to stay right on the site. The campsite opens on Wednesday, June 9th at 10:00AM and is available until Monday, June 14th at 12:00PM.

If camping isn’t quite your style, there are nearby hotels worth checking out. A quick search of the web shows nearby bed and breakfast boutiques located less than 3 miles from the park, some as close as one half mile. There are also plenty of hotels nearby. Best Westin, Marriott, and Days Inn are all minutes away and most of the nearby hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to the park.

Overall
The Download Festival looks like a great concert to attend in 2010. With plenty of heavy hitting headliners and several acts that are worth checking out, Download is going to be an incredible summer festival. I expect to hear good things about this once it has come and gone. If you have the opportunity, check it out and be part of the history.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Dion Roy Live Edition

Tonight I am going to see Dion Roy live for the first time. Regular readers know that I am a big fan of his debut album Gallery. That album made my ten best list for 2009. I am excited to finally get to see his live show. It’s at a club not too far from my house, The Crossroads (www.xxroads.com) and it’s a birthday bash for Dion. It should be a lot of fun with some great live music. If anyone is planning to attend, drop me a line or send me a tweet. Those of you that are interested in learning more about Dion and his fabulous music visit his website at: www.dionroy.com.

And while I was preparing for a fun filled Friday night of birthday celebration and great music, here’s what rocked this week:

Three Days Grace to tour with Chevelle and Adelita’s Way
I had the opportunity to see Adelita’s Way open for Theory of a Deadman and they were awesome. Three Days Grace is supporting their excellent new disc, Life Starts Now. Unfortunately, there aren’t any dates in my area, but if this show is coming to your town, you should definitely check it out.

Download Festival 2010 Lineup
If you live in the UK, or are planning a trip there in June, the Download festival is showing an awesome lineup this year. It makes me wish I had the money to be a world traveler. With AC/DC and Megadeth on the bill and Aerosmith getting together (with Steven Tyler) for this one, it’s going to be an exceptional weekend of rock and roll.

Guns N Roses Rocked NYC With A Surprise Gig
I need more friends in the industry to let me know when things like this are going to happen. I would have given a lot to be at this club show.

Stephen Pearcy Talks About The New Ratt Album
While I am excited about the new album, reading Stephen’s comments make it painfully obvious that they are only together for the money. He sees it as a job and not as an act of love (which it was when they first got together). This worries me. An audio sample to the first single is also included.

Bonnaroo Lineup Announced
Wow! What a lineup this year! I am seriously considering making the trip to Tennessee for this. Even though I am supposed to attend a meeting for my 9-5 job that weekend, I’m still thinking of going. It just looks that good!