|
Bod’s Festival Diaries - 2001 - 2004
Current mood:  talkative
Category: Music
LEEDS FESTIVAL 2001
3 DAY EVENT
HEADLINERS – EMINEM / TRAVIS / MANIC STREET PREACHERS –
My very first festival was a very enjoyable one and all went quite well…apart from…
Getting half way to the metrolink in the morning of travelling to the festival before Scott reminded me to make sure I had brought my Leeds Festival ticket with me…back home we went.
Finally get to the train station and see our train is at the platform, but the doors are closed.
"The driver mustn't even be on yet Scott, relax whilst I have one last cigarette before the journey."
As I spark my lighter, the train pulls away, 40 minute wait til the next one. Still, damn fine cigarette that was!
The festival was amazing. I had never been to one before and didn't know what to expect, but had a top time.
Some other memorable highlights included…
A nice chap climbing in my tent at 3am to steal my wallet. Luckily I'm a very light sleeper, even when pissed and jumped up to smack him with my big torch…ooh pardon! He dashed way tho before I could get him, shouting something over his shoulder about having the wrong tent. Still, I stayed on watch til about 5am, just in case he came creeping back, twat.
What can only be described as The Lost Boys family reunion dancing in front of us during Eminem (Marilyn Manson had been on just before).
Waking up to see Scott lying next to me (we shared a tent) puking all over his pillow (which was a pair of his jeans) at half 3 in the morning. I woke him to explain what he had just done and was greeted with his response of "oh dear" before he fell back to sleep.
Think this was where I met Joker for the very first time??
A full scale riot kicking off on the last night, with fires, riot police, horses the lot, literally a stones throw from our tents…yet Ben and Paul slept through the lot.
Watching System of a Down at about 12pm in a very small crowd, just before the Toxicity album came out and they exploded. 2 years later I went back to Leeds and they were second headliners on the bill below only Metallica.
Other bands I saw perform – Fear Factory / FLC / Marilyn Manson / Rancid / Mad Caddies / Eels / Snuff / QOTSA
PS – RUN DMC & DROPKICK MURPHYS ALSO PLAYED THIS FESTIVAL! WHERE THE FUCK WAS I!!??
DONINGTON DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2003
2 DAY EVENT
HEADLINERS – IRON MAIDEN / LIMP BIZKIT –
My first ever Donington! And had already heard so much about the place I was really looking forward to it. It was only a two day event the first (and second) year, but by golly it was fun all the same.
After walking for what seemed liked hours from whatever train station we got off at to somewhere where we could buy beer (very prepared we were) we decided to all chip in for a cab the rest of the way, and arrived at Download gates to be greeted by a queue that made us cry. It didn't seem to move at all for about 2 hours, but we all eventually made it in.
And as always a top time was had by all.
Some memorable highlights included…
Me and Kev being in the same train carriage as Huggy Bear?
Waking up at about 1am, to find my lovely camping friends have cello taped me to the chair I had been resting my eyes in.
Dave rolling the biggest joints I have ever seen in my life. Far too big for a 5ft nothing like me and needless to say I was gone. Seriously tho, they were like candles.
Having everyone in camp look for my mobile in the pitch black for about 2 hours, before giving up, going to bed, and finding it safely hidden in my bag where I had left it hours before.
Scott spotting a BIG guy in a Banzi t-shirt and not being able to resist doing 'shaky hand man' to him. God knows how he kept him talking, but he kept his shaky hand antics going for about 40 seconds before the guy clocked on. Luckily he saw the funny side of it, as I said, he was BIG!
It pissed it down on Sunday evening, but not before I had wasted 1 and a half hours IN A SODDING QUE FOR THE FECKIN CASH MACHINE! Whilst there I had Scott and Joker for company, whilst
Evan-pissing-escence played on the main stage, failing to mention to us that Metallica were playing on the second stage in a surprise gig. Suppose it wouldn't have been a surprise if they had tho.
Other bands I saw perform – Marilyn Manson / Deftones / Ministry / Darkness / and NOFX who headlined the second stage. Indecently – Limp Bizkit never played and Audioslave were brought in at the last mo to headline the Main Stage. A few bands pulled out / got switched about meaning a lot of last minute additions were made, like the adding of Keith Flint's solo effort FLINT. Never heard of em since mind…
LEEDS FESTIVAL 2003
3 DAY EVENT
HEADLINERS – METALLICA / LINKIN PARK / BLUR –
My second Leeds but in a different location than the last one I was at. Oh good, maybe no riots this time. No. Apparently it's something of a tradition at Leeds. Ah well, it was too far away from us to bother us this year, so instead we made a big fire of our own to keep our camp warm.
It was boiling hot all weekend, but luckily Bobby B* had come prepared with water pistols for all. And so ensued 3 days of water fighting mayhem. This was also the first year I travelled in the Boardman mobile to a festival with my partner in crime Scotty, ensuing that Gaz was enraged the whole journey. I will never forget Pops rant of "You're both fine when you're on your own, but as soon as the other one is there, you become a real bad influence on each other." I remember feeling like I had been told off by a teacher, until Scott told him to "Shut up Gary" and called him a cheapskate.
(*For anyone who doesn't know – Gary, Bobby B, Gaz, Pop, Boardman etc are all the same person.)
Some other memorable highlights included…
Drawing a Sgt Bobby tattoo on Gaz's back and everyone else convincing him that I had drawn a cock. Why didn't I?
Finding Scott asleep outside his tent (a regular occurrence) with a bullet hole in the middle of his fore head (not a real one).
A guest appearance on the Friday from Mike Murphy and clan to watch System and Metallica with us.
Me getting absolutely leathered during Linkin Park (what else was there to do) and jumping all over everyone like a loon. Some of these people I had known for a few hours. I'm hilarious.
In my drunken state I'm sure Gaz and Ben stole a kiss from me, slut.
Me and Bobby smoking wayyy to much substances and being literally hypnotised by Blur's giant screen display which consisted of clouds and shapes and stuff. Swore I would never smoke it again. Later that night at camp, we discussed said events over a nice smoke.
Other bands I saw perform – System of a Down / Sum 41 / The Streets / Less Than Jake / Mad Caddies / Junior Senior – oh yeah!
DONINGTON DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2004
2 DAY EVENT
HEADLINERS – LINKIN PARK / METALLICA –
The festival I remember least about. I have quite a good memory, as you can probably tell by what you have read so far, but this whole festival is just one big blur. Any help filling in the blanks would be greatly appreciated, but here is literally (that's about the fifth time I've used that word) all that I can remember…
Queuing to get in for hours, luckily Kev was there to amuse us by putting on as many items of clothes from Gaz's bag as he could whilst Gaz went back to the van, out of the goodness of his own heart, to get us some cold beers for the queue. Hahaha. Sorry Bobby.
4 cold men, 1 warm blanket whilst Nick made bacon butties for us…what happens at Donington, stays at Donington.
2nd guest appearance of the Murphy clan!
Damage Plan were scheduled to appear on the second stage, however Slayer were running late so gave them their time slot. Dime and Vinnie spoke to the crowd expressing how sorry they were for never getting to say goodbye to the United Kingdom when Pantera split. They then launched into a cover of Walk. I think every single person at the festival was in the field at the time and everyone was bouncing. It looked superb. Sadly Dimebag was killed later that same year q:0(
Soulfly also did a cover of Roots Bloody Roots which was amazing.
I awoke one morning to find a small monkey named Snuffs in my tent, seriously.
Slayer ended up playing the second stage and were to come on after Life of Agony. </SPAN>Poor LOA. Thousands of angry Slayer fans had now stormed to the second stage's tent and chanted Slayer, Slayer throughout LOA's set. Then, a girl got up on stage to dive, fell flat on her arse, or neck? And had the show stopped. This angered the crowd even more and led to LOA announcing that they were going to leave their set there, as the crowd obviously wanted Slayer on so bad. However…
It was then up to one guy to come on and announce that Slayer were definitely going to play, but that they had been held up for a little while longer. I will never forget his panicked screams of "throwing things at me won't get them on any quicker" before the inevitable barrage of bottles landed on stage. Good times.
Metallica were delayed due to Lars being ill and instead had different band's drummers appear on stage with them. As they were taking so long to appear I decided to have a few more beers to keep me entertained. I awoke to find myself asleep on the floor, in the rain, with Metallica on stage, before emptying my stomach of all alcohol, food etc consumed in the last 3 days, in front of a pregnant Nick. I apologise once again.
This display was topped only by Gaz standing in the main stage field, having a piss in front of the entire crowd as they were leaving 'Tallica, leaving his cock hanging out of his fly whilst spinning round. Class.
The legendary "Play Gay Bar" that is heard at EVERY concert you ever go to with Pop was born at Donny 04 whilst Electric Six were playing. They eventually played Gay Bar, to huge cheers, and in the silence that followed the song as the band prepared their next number, one bellowing voice filled the tent…"Play Gay Bar." There is always one, it's always Boardman.
Other bands I saw perform – Korn / Iggy Pop / The Hives / Slipknot / Pennywise / The Wildboyz (Steve O and Chris Pontius).
I have tried my best to remember all events, times, bands etc correctly, but no doubt things maybe didn't go exactly as I have recalled them. Please feel free to add any corrections OR indeed any of your own tales from the above festivals.
Hope you enjoyed.
Part 2 coming soon.
Silentbod q:0p
 |
Currently
listening
:
Gay Bar
By
Electric Six
Release date: 03 June, 2003
|
8:48 PM
-
7 Comments - 6 Kudos
- Add Comment
|
geeky
hopeful
