Download Festival 2009 - Friday
Is Limp Bizkit's reunion as vital and important as headliners Faith No More's? In short, no, but to the kids in the pit today it was a triumphant return.
Arriving onsite at Donington Park around 3pm on the first day of Download 2009, just in time to catch the energetic Billy Talent on the main stage. Being punks on a predominantly "metal" stage today is no easy task, with the Killswitch Engage and Korn fans looking restless in the sun, but these Canadians have the chops to rise to the occasion. Singer Ben Kowalewicz's distinctive voice can delight and irritate in equal measures but there's no denying his command of the stage or of the one liner: "I see a lot of flags here, I never knew Korn was a country. Nor piss flaps." By the time the band have ripped into 'Fallen Leaves' and 'Red Flag' they've silenced the few chanting for Killswitch, and reduced them to fist-pumping, drooling little pups. Expect the new album, due later this year, to push them further up the Download bill in future.
By the time Killswitch Engage take to the stage the crowd are looking lobster red and weary, frying their unprotected skin in the blazing hot sun. But my, do they find their mojo once the band emerge. Guitarist and resident joker Adam Dutkiewicz dressed in a fetching cape and luchador mask prowls the stage like a demonic childrens party entertainer. Singer Howard Jones, one of the few black vocalists in heavy rock, possesses a voice to both melt chocolate and strip the paint off the walls. The rabid fans are eager to adhere to every command from the stage and when Killswitch wish for a veritable shower of crowd-surfing bodies they get just that with what seems like a constant stream of excitable, sunburnt teens clambering over the barriers and into the awaiting arms of the genial but increasingly exasperated security guards. If there's a complaint it that it's over far too quickly.
Friday would appear to be 'reunion' day, with the highly anticipated return of Faith No More headlining the main stage later this evening. First there is the little matter of Limp Bizkit to contend with. Having long since assumed that they had all but been forgotten by today's music fans, a mere blip in the annuls of rock history, forever saddled with the now mostly defunct "nu metal" scene and, thanks to frontman Fred Durst's reputation as being somewhat of a joke and his love/hate relationship with guitarist Wes Borland, you can't help but feel this reunion is a pointless and unwanted excerise. Well, judging by the volume of Bizkit t-shirts and red Starter caps in the mosh this assumption couldn't be more wrong. There's a genuine air of excitement before the band emerge and they don't disappoint as they hit us with their most loved and best song 'Break Stuff'. A ferocious and fun number, the crowd sing every line with a passion and volume this reviewer was not expecting. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement when down in the trenches, and Durst seems to have a real affection and affinity with his fans. While Borland - frankly putting Killswitch's Adam D to shame by wearing an outfit that can only be described as a 'voodoo cockatoo' - is an impressive musician and seems at ease back with his old bandmates. Durst clambers into the crowd twice and gets his bare backside exposed on the big screens for his efforts. Spotting two uberfans down the front that have impressed him with their passion and knowledge of the lyrics he gets them onstage and they both live the ultimate fan dream by stomping around the main stage at Download with their hero. Make no mistake, this is a very cool thing to do, and suddenly Fred The Douche is Fred The Awesome for humbly sharing his stage and his moment with these two lucky fans. Is Limp Bizkit's reunion as vital and important as tonight's headliners? In short no, but to the kids in the pit today it was a triumphant return.
Limp Bizkit are dumb fun, but the achingly earnest Korn are a step too far today - two nu metal bands in a row. Although musically more than competent, every song sounds exactly like the previous one and once vocalist Jonathan Davies starts playing the bagpipes, it's time to abandon the 'awesome Faith No More spot' for the sake of sanity. Fighting our way to the Second Stage we catch the first few songs of Motley Crue's headlining set. It's crowded and the stage is barely visable, and the Crue opt to use the big screens to show graphics instead of the stage, at least for the songs witnessed. Starting with 'Kickstart My Heart' is a good way to kick off the set and the crowd push and shove to get closer to the LA quintet. 'Shout At The Devil' gives us an almightly, fist-pumping sing along, but Faith No More beckon and we bound towards the main stage with renewed energy.
Having witnessed what is now surely a legendary performance at Faith No More's comeback gig at Brixton Academy two days earlier I begin to feel nervous that it cannot be matched in a festival setting. There's no doubt that being front row in a relatively intimate venue is highly preferable to standing 18 miles away from a stage in the middle of a field, but any feelings of potential anti-climax are dispelled the moment the band take to the stage one by one in suits, giving the impression of a somewhat demented wedding band. Once again they open with the Peaches and Herb soul classic 'Reunited' to the bemusement of the Bizkit and Korn crowd and to the utter joy of the Faith No More faithful who have come to expect the unexpected, from the band's refusal to conform or be placed in a musical category. Displaying their great sense of humour, it's a perfect way to get the crowd's attention. This attention is held in Mike Patton's tightly clenched fist for the duration of the set, showing once more why he is still one of the greatest frontmen in rock. Screaming like a banshee and thrashing about one moment, then crooning like Dean Martin the next, he grabs the attention of any of the crowd unfamiliar with the band and makes them lifelong fans in the process. It's hard to believe this is only their second performance together in over a decade, so commanding are they. Make no mistake this band is tight - the chemistry between them is obvious to see, laughing and grinning at one another with an almost childlike air. Playing a slightly different set to the Brixton show we get a fast and furious 'Introduce Yourself' and a welcome 'Ashes To Ashes'. By the time they finish with with 'We Care A Lot' the man next to me is almost in tears of joy and gratitude. We know just how he feels. It's only Friday, but we know we've seen the band of the weekend already.
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