 Lamb of God’s Mark Morton onstage at Download ’09. |
The Download Festival in England is not only one of metal’s biggest festivals, it’s also one of the genre’s most famous—and rightfully so. Held at Donington Park, this year’s three-day extravaganza of metal mayhem marks the 30th anniversary of hard-rock festivals held at this world-renowned motorsport racetrack in Leicestershire.
Download 2010 kicks off on Friday, June 11, and Jackson will be there with live updates from the metal marathon, where more than 100 bands will play on five stages. Bands boasting Jackson-wielding axemen at Download include Lamb of God, Job For a Cowboy, The Damned Things, Megadeth and Bullet For My Valentine (who headline the Ronnie James Dio Stage on Friday).
Throughout the weekend Jackson will be everywhere—backstage, onstage, in the crowd and, of course, in the bar—delivering live Download updates and photos on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll also be joined by a Jackson and Download favorite, the one and only Phil Demmel of the mighty Machine Head. And, on the Monday after Download, we’ll be heading down to the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London, where Demmel will present the Jackson-sponsored “Best Shredder Award.” We’ll also be crashing the pre-awards boat ride down the Thames, with Mr. Demmel at our helm. Bands and an open bar on a boat? Should be a blast …
As of Thursday, June 1, the Download Festival lineup is:
MAURICE JONES STAGE (MAIN STAGE)
| Friday, June 11: |
AC/DC, Them Crooked Vultures, Killswitch Engage, 36 Crazyfists, Unearth |
| Saturday, June 12: | Rage Against the Machine, Deftones, Megadeth, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Atreyu, Flyleaf, Hellyeah, Taking Dawn |
| Sunday, June 13: | Aerosmith, Stone Temple Pilots, Motorhead, Billy Idol, Slash, Cinderella, Saxon, Ratt, Dommin |
RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE (SECOND STAGE)
| Friday, June 11: |
Bullet For My Valentine, Coheed and Cambria, A Day to Remember, Anathema, Trigger the Bloodshed |
| Saturday, June 12: | Thirty Seconds to Mars, Him, The Blackout, Volbeat, We Are the Fallen, Cancer Bats, My Passion, Rolo Tomassi, Sonic Syndicate, Rise to Remain |
| Sunday, June 13: | Stone Sour, Airbourne, Steel Panther, Porcupine Tree, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Damned Things, Napalm Death, Switchfoot, August Burns Red, Nonpoint, 3 Inches of Blood, White Wizzard |
PEPSI MAX STAGE (THIRD STAGE)
| Friday, June 11: | Job For a Cowboy, As I Lay Dying, Tyketto, Lawnmower Deth, Sweethead, Year Long Disaster |
| Saturday, June 12: | Michael Monroe, Skin, Y&T, Senser, Enuff Z’Nuff, Halestorm, Rock Sugar, Genitorturers, Reckless Love, Sybreed, Holy Grail, Killing For Company, Godsized |
| Sunday, June 13: | Suicidal Tendencies, Zebrahead, Young Guns, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Whitechapel, Jim Jones Revue, Esoterica, Your Demise, Crime in Stereo, Tab the Band, The Morning After, No Americana, Ben Poole |
RED BULL BEDROOM JAM STAGE (FOURTH STAGE)
| Friday, June 11: | Devil Sold His Soul, Funeral Party, Imicus, Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders, The Humour |
| Saturday, June 12: |
Breed 77, Glamour of the Kill, Kadawatha, The Dead Lay Dying, The Plight, The Urban Voodoo Machine, Revoker |
| Sunday, June 13: | Panic Cell, T-34, Max Raptor, Enemo J, The Virginmarys, Straightlines, Tiger Please |
JAGERMEISTER ACOUSTIC STAGE (FIFTH STAGE)
| Friday, June 11: | Skin, Jettblack, Sondura, Starseed, Danny Vaughn |
| Saturday, June 12: | Reckless Love, Panic Cell, The Humour, The More I See, Dommin, Everything Burns, The Blackout |
| Sunday, June 13: | Enuff Z’Nuff, Nonpoint, Ginger, DJ Clash, The Dirty Feel, Ricky Warwick, Taking Dawn |