Kiss - Live at Castle Donongton - Friday 13th June 2008

Hear is my review of the most awesome gig of the year so far - Friday 13th June at Download Festival at Castle Donington

Full Lineup:
Kiss
Judas Priest
Motorhead
Kid Rock
Disturbed
Seether
Beat Union
Black Tide

All right as is traditional for any british rock or metal fan the annual pilgrimage must be made to the hallowed turf of Castle Donington! We only went to the first of day of the three day lineup due to the terrible lineup of the other three days.

Instead we were treated to one of the best days of rock and metal in Donington History!

the arena has been moved around this year and is actually not sited inside the racetrack anymore which really sucks. all the special atmosphere has gone a bit and the organisation was terrible as usual with the queing to get in being horrendous with no information available at all as to what was going on.

Managed to get in half way through floridian min metallers Black Tide's opening slot of the day after buying our $50 Kiss shirts. They seemed really good and played a cover of Hit the lights and Prowler. Sadly their own material seemed generic despite the excellent delivery

Next Up were snotty Birmingham punk band Beat Union who were utter rubbish with music that sounds thirty years out of date as well as copying the stage antics of other punk bands. the got a slight bottling but not much

Seether got a good reaction from the crowd and were actually fairly enjoyable to watch despite the blatant copying of Nirvana topped off by an irony free cover of In Bloom taking the Kurt Cobain Worship to a new level

It was then announced that Kid Rock had arrived at the festival but was taken ill at the last minute. Whatever we did not care as it was announced that Judas Priest and Disturbed were going to play longer to make up for it

Disturbed's arrival was announced with mad ole Davey Drainman being wheeled out in the straight jacket before perofrming the most rapturously recieved set of the day yet with the whole crowd pumping their fist in the air.

Motorhead are Motororhead and they do what Motorhead do. that is play some awesome rock and roll music extra loud for an hour tooped off with a crowd pleasing Ace of Spades and Overkill

Then it was nearly time for the mighty Priest! now playing for a full ninety minute headline set! with the full stage set!
New opening song Prophecy blew the crowd away with its chunky riff and rob halford wailing away like a banshee. they then proceeded to play a set heavy of some of metal defining songs - Electric EYe, Breaking the Law, hell bent for leather, sinner, painkiller they were all there and beofre we knew it they were taking their final bow on what turned out to be a barmy summers day!

We knew we were in for somethng special when they wheeled out fifty two speaker cabinets so we knew were going to get the full shabang. finally the curtain with the Kiss logo on went up and we knew we were not far away.

"Donington you wanted the best and you got it!, the hottest band in the world! Kiss!"

Cue all hell breaking loose and the crowd as Deuce starts to ring out over the field whn with much explosion and pyrotechnic flames the curtain falls to reveal The Demon, The Star Child, The Space Man and The Catman being lowered down onto the stage from a platform suspened in mid air playing one of rocks greatest songs as if beamed straight in from out space!

'Deuce'
'Strutter'
'Got To Choose'
'Hotter Than Hell'
'Firehouse'
'Nothing To Loose'
'C'Mon And Love Me'
'Parasite'
'She'
'Watchin' You'
'Rock Bottom'
'100,000 years'
'Cold Gin'
'Let Me Go Rock N Roll'
'Black Diamond'
'Rock N Roll All Nite'
'Shout It Out Loud'
'Lick It Up'
'I Love It Loud'
'I Was Made For Loving You'
'Love Gun'
'Detroit Rock City'

were the songs that made up one of the most incendiary shows i have ever seen. flaming guitars, fire breathing, blood spitting, ticker tape cannons

and to top it all off being ten metres away from one Mr Paul Stanley when he came out to see the crowd during Love GUn!

In Short : Kiss Rule
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HEY, HEY!! You give the credit to ME...OR ELSE...i'll..shove my vicious duck at you! (..that sounds..very weird)

Heart of Metal Age : 20 Joined : 13 Mar 2008 Posts : 664

You live in the best place for metalheads.
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sword and shield, bone and steel, rictus grin...deaf forever to the battles din

cetainly do. castle donington is the ground zero of rock music
_________________
HEY, HEY!! You give the credit to ME...OR ELSE...i'll..shove my vicious duck at you! (..that sounds..very weird)

Heart of Metal Age : 20 Joined : 13 Mar 2008 Posts : 664

Was KISS still doing their instant concert recordings at Donnington?
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sword and shield, bone and steel, rictus grin...deaf forever to the battles din