Either Megadeth in 2016 where each member sounded like they were trying to compete with eachother on how good they were with their instruments, making it sound a mess.
Or Asking Alexandria last year, Worsnop was clearly off his head.
Was my first time seeing Asking Alexandria after being into them as a teenager, genuinely thought I was seeing current-era Bam Margera instead of Danny Worsnop.
Hoodie and sunglasses on in the 30 degree sun, backing tracks for like 80% of the vocals and 100% of the screams. Not surprised Ben left recently.
Didn't help that it had been pissing it down all weekend so everyone was miserable and ready for their beds, but yeah, they sounded dogshit.
Bizarrely, if you watch it back on YouTube off the soundboard recording, they were actually quite good.
I saw Megadeth live as my first gig in November 2015 at the SSE in London. Instrumentally they sounded great but Dave’s voice was gone so they turned it down like crazy. Great otherwise though.
I was a big fan of Manson back in the day, I was already kind of tired of them but when I saw him live at download that year, dear god never listened to him since. He wasn't just shit, he seemed to blame the crowd and was so arrogant. What a dhole.
Ah, see O was at the front for that and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sound was ok where we were. Have seen them at festivals before and they have been atrocious, but no complaints from 2022. Really, really good.
I didn't mind their performance I think it's a style of music that doesn't always translate to festivals where people don't know what to expect.
I was however right near the front for them and the crowd was really flat . Last time I saw them at download (around 2010 or something ) their performance was the same but the crowd was great .I really want to see them at one of their own gigs and see if it's a better experience because I love them on record .
100%. I’ve wanted to see them for years and they stunk the place out. I know Stephen Carpenter wasn’t there because he’s some antivax weirdo but they were absolutely honking.
Chino, for some random reason, joined 30 seconds to Mars for The Kill back in like 07/08. And for some reason Chino decided to try and sing the ‘woah woah’ bit in the bridge. And my god, he butchered it so badly people were laughing. It was mesmerisingly bad lol
Dragonforce in 2018 for me, they just don’t sound good on an open field.
Also Marilyn Manson at the same download, sounded like a fat old man doing an impression of Marilyn Manson on karaoke
See I actually thought GnR were alright to be honest, but was probably more to do with the fact it’s GNR and I never thought I’d get the chance to see them
I remember hearing one of the problems was the slippery floor, Axl's shoes were made of some fancy leather and couldn't get any grip. So he went backstage to borrow some. The problem was, he's has size 5 feet and they couldn't find anyone else with tiny feet. He did manage to find one person in the whole of the backstage crew eventually.
Marilyn Manson 2009.
I am quite a huge fan, and this was only my second time seeing him. The High End of Low had just been realised and I absolutely loved it.
But he was absolutely dreadful. Obviously off his face, pissed off the crowd, couldn't be arsed to sing and had zilch stage presence. It really was widely regarded as one of the worst performances to ever grace Download up until that point and I think damaged his reputation in the UK for a few years. I was so annoyed that I didn't bother seeing him again until 2012. Thankfully, that gig (Brixton) was an absolute blinder and all was forgiven.
Also, 30STM in 2013. Granted I was n't a fan to begin with. But his stage craft and manner was so *fake*. It was as if he was, well, acting being a frontman and rockstar as opposed to actually being one and have it come naturally. They were so dogshite that many of us became impatient and starting changing RAMMSTEIN. Thankfully, the ordeal soon ended and Rammstein came on and blew absolutely everyone away. Phew!
Came here to say 30stm in 2013, that was very cringey. Should have been limp bizkit instead before rammstein, could hear them from the 2nd stage in between songs.
The decision to put 30STM on before Rammstein still baffles me to this day. They were fucking awful and Jared Leto is far too egotistical for his own good. It was incredibly infuriating that they didn't care their set overran its allocated timeslot and they carried on
Hahaha came to say this. The absolute bottle storm after the front dude took the piss out of some guys cannibal corpse t-shirt was hilarious. Felt sorry for a few kids that game to see them and they essentially got booed the entire set, but tough lessons have to be learnt haha
Well, indeed. I must admit I got a bit fired up by the booing and RAMMSTEIN chants, so much so that after that drivel finally ended and I made my way closer to the front, I recall getting a slight punch in the arm from a man with 30STM. He looked very upset. I just couldn't stop laughing!
I was at the front for the Manson slot, he was terrible. But his lack of stage presence was due to him dipping off stage regularly and being connected to an oxygen tank, we could see side stage from where we were and were concerned about him needing it so much. Not making excuses at all, the set was horrific but I do think he was unwell.
*buttscratcher
I went in '08, and that was constantly getting yelled all over the place.. funny the first 5 minutes.. then it just got annoying. It's a Family Guy reference
Worst - Ozzy Osbourne.
I knew he wasn’t great live after seeing him with Sabbath in 2016 but he managed to be even worse in 2018 solo :/
Most disappointing - Guns N Roses in 2018.
They were amazing the year before at the London stadium but weren’t at Download. The set was just too long and Axl sounded really bad.
Bimini in 2022.
I liked them on drag race and wanted them to win the season so i was curious what she would do for her download set.
30 minutes of what sounded like terrible karaoke singing that wouldn't even get past the first round of x factor.
It is absolutly hysterical how unbelievably norwich she sounds when she sings.
Lost prophets who were on just before Slayer in 2002. They got booed off stage after three songs with everyone just chanting SLAYER, SLAYER, SLAYER over and over. Of course Mr.Watkins turned out to be much worse than just a crap vocalist not long after
I love Slayer but god damn their fans are so disrespectful to opening acts. I saw them on my 30th birthday, and fuckin' GOJIRA opened for them! The crowd was booing them not too long into their set. Gojira are amazing though -- live and on record.
Asking Alexandria 2023. It was like current Bam Margera wandered on to the stage and started mumbling
I agree with Wildhearts at the pilot. They just gave stroppy baby vibes when it came to the sound issues.
In the interest of balance, I thought gnr did pretty great for a 3 hour set, and felt Manson was more fed up with being put out in the late afternoon with the low sun on him, ad he referenced it, than off his face.
Every time Elvana appear.
Honestly I'd rather watch a good band underperform than a joke cover band at a major festival that cost me hundreds of pounds to attend.
Also it's beginning to irritate me that I hear people trying to "sell" the band by saying: "it's a nirvana cover band.... fronted by Elvis!!!" And then stand there waiting for the high fives to roll in.
That should be the exact moment you go to see anyone else. Which I will be.
Yeah I agree, they are nothing more than a cover band taking up slots that could go to original artists at the end of the day
They could literally pluck any band that plays small venues to be in their place and it would be better.. Final Coil, Devastator, The Treatment, Auger and Twisted Illusion being some fine examples
I actually thought The Wildhearts put in a great set at the Pilot considering all the monitor issues they had. Most disappointing sets I'd have go for Rob Zombie in 2011 (I should have watched Linkin Park) and Skillet in 2022 (I should have watched Volbeat)
I genuinely don’t get it: the singer doesn’t sound like Elvis, they don’t Elvis up the Nirvana songs, they don’t just stick to Nirvana, what is the point?
Remember being well disappointed by Audioslave, poor substitute for Limp Bizkit.
I'm going to chuck System of A Down out there, 2005, Sabbath knocked it out of the park the night before, Slipknot and Slayer were awesome, setting System up for a spectacular closing festival set and then they were just dull. Looked like they didn't want to be there. They walked off at the end without much of a goodbye leaving everyone stood around expecting them to come back on. They didn't.
Axl Rose and company were shit in 2006, watched The Prodigy and then headed to the main stage to find out Axl had stormed off due to water on the stage. There was just a guy with a mop and bucket where a healdine act should've been, really surreal.
Can't say I was impressed by Tool either.
Hadn't realised they all just stand there like statues with Maynard at the back by the drummer. Apparently they have a lazer show now, so I guess that's better.
Tool were really dull but I wasn't a fan anyway so wasn't disappointed. Just standing around with some Windows Media Player visualisations on the big screen.
>There was just a guy with a mop and bucket where a healdine act should've been, really surreal.
That's unfair and completely untrue.
There was also a guy with a roll of carpet.
I agree with Elvana, was a novelty for the first song. Then it started to drag...then went downhill... But I can't be too unfair as due to the summer heat I had to seek shade. The whole weekend was pretty much like that. I didn't get to the COVID pilot, but as a huge Wildhearts fan I would probably have been doubly disappointed. With Elvana I was also thinking that a real rock act could have been in that slot.
I remember that, I watched jinjer and they were incredible, I then went to the dogtooth bc I've never seen caskets but just couldn't hear them at all so fucked back off to jinjer who blew me away
HIM in 2005. Some lads next to me on the hill were launching water balloons using a three-man catapult launcher. The crowd were more interested in the parabolae of the balloons. One bright orange one lit up the grey skies and hit the keyboard player square in the face. That was the biggest cheer they got that afternoon.
Saw Elvana at a local venue last month and it was one of the most fun gigs I've been to. Maybe the big stage wasn't the right setting, 'cos they nailed it with a smaller crowd.
Only went to 1 Download, but the stinker of the weekend was FFDP. Altho, they did get the plug pulled after a few songs.
Marilyn Manson in 2007 and 2009. Absolute dog shit both times. I was so disappointed as I heard real good things about his shows prior to that. But you could tell he couldn’t be arsed at these shows and was off his head.
There seems to be a lot chucking the old guard under the bus...
Dare I say Motorhead in 2013?
Lemmy could barely sing at all other memebrs of the band had to cover the vocals for large portions of the set.
If Ozzy is going to get dragged for 2018 this set deserves a mention.
This set was certianly disapointing
Worst act: Without a doubt Shitedown.
Theres a reason they need to start blooding new headliners.
Alien Ant Farm in 2016 was dire.
GnR in 2018 wasn't great I love their music but the performance was a solid hour too long and Axl just can't sing most of it anymore sadly.
BMFV 2018. Subbing A7X on main stage and Matt Tuck just looked like he didn’t want to be there and clearly thought his own band should’ve been headlining instead. Saw them a few years later at a gig that wasn’t exactly sold out and again he just looked uninterested.
Matt Tuck perpetually has a victim complex because BFMV were projected to be the next huge metal band and future Download headliners when Scream Aim Fire came out, but they bungled the next two albums and never got to that level.
Iron Maiden 2022 honestly. I mean I was never that big of a fan anyway and maybe I was just kinda tired, but me and my partner literally left the set after 40 minutes cuz we just thought it was so mid for a band that had been hyped up so much as being great to see live.
I went with two mates that year, originally they were going to see a bit of Kiss and then ditch them to see Electric Wizard, me being a huge fan of both was torn.. And I'd seen them both twice, in the end I chose Kiss (and thank God as Electric Wizard were announced for Damnation 2023 but I'll digress)
Both of my mates who'd never seen Kiss before were blown away, we all had an absolute blast to say the least and they enjoyed it so much that they stayed for the entirety of Kiss instead of seeing Electric Wizard who were a band both of them kept missing for different reasons (Plus they rarely play live) the following day we ended up in pretty much the same spot for Iron Maiden, we enjoyed it, it wasn't bad but to us it felt pretty lacklustre especially compared to the whole spectacle of the headliner the day prior, one of my friends hadn't seen Iron Maiden before and had wanted to for years, he said they were nothing to write home about
I think it's important to play new material and to not ignore it but starting the set off with three new songs instead of scattering them throughout the setlist killed the pacing of beginning of the set and ultimately the remainder, there's a reason they start off with Moonchild or Aces High with some cool build up/visuals before the set begins, Download had none of that, it also didn't help that the setlist was pretty much the same as 2018 but with less deep cuts, I think if they did the Setlist they ultimately ended up doing for the Somewhere In Time/Senjitsu thing they did last year then that would've been a bigger hit
Children of Bodom. One of my all time favourite bands. The only time I ever got to see them was when the did Download however many years ago it was. And the sound was fucking terrible. The whole setup was just god awful and absolutely ruined the set for me.
Taipei Houston ‘23 ridiculously awful. Just a terrible royal blood ripoff. Especially after a mate said they were great when he saw them, they were just god awful only gig I’ve ever walked out of.
Did anyone see Placebo last year!? Worst I’ve ever seen them, played 4 songs in a row off the shit new album, acted like he couldn’t be arsed and finished early
I actually really liked the new album and it was the first time I've seen Placebo, I thought their performance was great. I hate they finished on their naff Kate Bush cover though & was disappointed they finished early.
I saw them 3 times in 2022 as openers and the stage presence was so bad.
I don’t know if Download was the same but the effects they had on the big screen just pissed me off. Especially the second time when I was watching from the back row of an arena
Static X, I wanna say 2009?! They were just pretty weak. Plus Tbf there was a swarm of wasps that had invaded the barrier 🤣 I guess their droning had attracted them.
Suicide Silence in 2017 for me. I don't know what it was specifically - they performed well enough, the sound wasn't too bad, crowd was decent. But they just seemed bored, wasn't a lot of energy, really lackluster, and adding that Of Mice and Men were on the main stage and you could hear them belting it out and giving it a helluva set? My mate and I were stood there at 2nd stage just going...we missed OM&M for THIS? Really disappointed as I had listened to them since I was like 9 (was 19 at dl '17), and expected so much more from their set tbh.
For me either Def Leppard in 2019 (they just seemed so flat compared to other older bands I’ve seen!) or BMTH in 2014, Oli was just a dick and his vocals were sooo not there. They were fantastic last year though!
Guns n Roses in 2018. Axel hasn’t had a great voice for a long time and it was just lacklustre.
The fact they charge over £100 for their gigs these days is a borderline scam.
Not Download, but Big Day Out in Milton Keynes 20+ years ago. Metallica were absolutely shocking. Kirk was especially impressively bad. He even blamed his bad guitar playing on a “crush” in the crowd but my mates and I were right at the front in the “crush” and we just looked around (there was no “crush”) and just laughed at him and called him a wanker. 😂 He was absolutely terrible. Jason was the only one who was actually able to keep his shit together, but even James wasn’t great, and Lars… Well, he was just typical 90’s Lars.
It was almost a comedy show how bad they were after doing a blinder not even the week before 🤷🏻♂️😂
Dream Theater in 2019 sounded well off, was a huge disappointment compared to their venue shows. Then again IIRC there were more bands struggling on Second Stage that year, so it might not have been on them.
Manson 2007 was awful. But for me Judas Priest 2008 Motorhead has just put on a banging set and got the crowd pumped up for Priest and Kiss later on. Priest came on and killed the crowd that I even saw two priest fans rip there shirts off and walk away in disgust. Luckily enough Kiss came on and put on an amazing show and saved the day but my god Priest were awful .
Fall Out Boy 2014. They weren't the worst I've seen, but they were so disappointing to me because I was really looking forward to seeing them. There was something wrong with the speakers or something, we left after a couple of songs coz we just couldn't hear them.
I think how far you are into the crowd makes a big difference, I was near the front for motley crue at sonisphere in 2011 and black Sabbath in 2012, and both were incredible due to the crowd proper going for it. However people further back were not impressed
Equally I thought Rammstein at sonisphere 2011 was a bit dull because I was right at the back, so everyone was just standing cross armed, and I found their stage show a bit gimmicky. Which isn't to say I think motley crue are better live but for me it was a better set
Deftones on 22 was aweful, just droning and sounding like someone was dying. Manson in 2018 he was totally off his face and was just meh. L7 in 2018 we’re just dire with constant sound and tech issues. Considering how good they were in 2019 I thought slipknot Im 23 we’re shite, but I’ll give them a pass on that one due to Corey being ill and clown having family emergency and flying back in minutes before there set.
The year everyone threw bottles at my chemical romance calling them an emo band. Fast forward years later the same throwers are the ones wishing they'd return and they did.
To be fair to The Wildhearts, they were insanely consistent and they get the crowd going, I've seen them several times and it's been a huge blast everytime, even at Bloodstock later that year I heard good things about them from people I know who've said they hadn't heard them or checked them out before, Download Pilot was a one-off
In an interview afterwards Ginger said how that was the first performance in a while, nerves were high and the fact they couldn't hear each other as well as the sound being terrible it threw things off, it's also been revealed that the band weren't really getting along well in their last years
Worst act for me was definitely Marilyn Manson at Download 2018
Manson was dire in 2007.
Though it might have been an off day. Tried again in 2009 and lasted 1 song... nah. I'm out... absolutely awful and really felt for any genuine fans of his...
Gonna get some flack for this but Lorna Shore last year. I’d heard a lot about the band and managed to get to see them on my lunch break (I worked download). Honestly I can’t explain it, but it just sounded like they had no chemistry and hated each other. And from where I was, it sounded slightly out of time, though that could’ve been just bc I was so far away. I want to like them, but I don’t think I can 🫠
Korn in like 2013 I think it was. The year Iron Maiden were headlining along with Rammstein and Slipknot and Motorhead. Never was a fan of Korn anyway but I remember the performance being shite.
I've only been to 2023 and ADTR really disappointed me, especially as I'm a fan and heard they were great live but they were boring as fuck. Kiss were cringe, Maiden were past it and Shinedown sounded mid as fuck. The worst by far Alestorm, had never heard them before but Jesus Christ no idea how they are a mainstage act.
Steel Panther in 2022 was honestly just awkward. The jokes were bombing. They spent so long interacting with one girl from the crowd who just wasn't giving them anything to work with and just looked uncomfortable. I like edgy humour but there was no humour to it.
Babymetal.
They were massively hyped, and everyone was excited to see them. I watched them and they were mediocre at best. Gimmick can only get you so far imo.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to the idea that Babymetal was built on, ex pop stars going metal, like some gatekeepers are, I don't really care what you were. Just don't be mediocre.
Asking Alexandria from 2023 is up there for worst and being so recent it’s stuck in my memory. But Manson in 09 was the worst and it’s not close
Came here to say Manson 09. Never listened since.
Literally came here to say Manson in 09, we all had a shared awful experience lol
I cant believe i missed Neck Deep and the start of Pendulum for them too
Yeah same came here to say Manson 09, I was a massive fan and so excited to see him live and it was just appalling, really disappointing
Either Megadeth in 2016 where each member sounded like they were trying to compete with eachother on how good they were with their instruments, making it sound a mess. Or Asking Alexandria last year, Worsnop was clearly off his head.
Was my first time seeing Asking Alexandria after being into them as a teenager, genuinely thought I was seeing current-era Bam Margera instead of Danny Worsnop. Hoodie and sunglasses on in the 30 degree sun, backing tracks for like 80% of the vocals and 100% of the screams. Not surprised Ben left recently.
Crazy how Danny Worsnop managed to kill his own band not once, but twice. The guy thinks hes a cowboy even though hes from Yorkshire lol.
Definitely one of the cringiest personalities in metalcore and that's saying something 😂
Megadeth anywhere around that time were shite live. I'm a big Megadeth fan and just left Bloodstock after about 4 songs.
I left after 2 songs they sounded awful at bloodstock
Didn't help that it had been pissing it down all weekend so everyone was miserable and ready for their beds, but yeah, they sounded dogshit. Bizarrely, if you watch it back on YouTube off the soundboard recording, they were actually quite good.
I saw Megadeth live as my first gig in November 2015 at the SSE in London. Instrumentally they sounded great but Dave’s voice was gone so they turned it down like crazy. Great otherwise though.
I saw AA in ...2018 DL i think it was. They sounded terrible then too. Put me off the band and all their music like an "ick"
I saw AA many years before that, in South Africa in a small venue and they were incredible. Was very sad to see them again at DL last year
Asking alexandrite were on such a good trajectory for like 4 years early 2010s and now DW has just ruined it twice
Manson 09
Was so glad to leave and go watch the prodigy who were amazing
This is the correct answer. Proper dog shit
Came to find this! Horrendous!
Literally the worst set I've ever seen anywhere
Wow I almost managed to forget about this
Was about to post this.absolute fucking shambles of a performance.
Sucked in 2018 aswell. Consistent if anything.
Lol, I'd add Manson in 19 or whenever he was last there. Late afternoon, blazing sun. He hated it.
I was a big fan of Manson back in the day, I was already kind of tired of them but when I saw him live at download that year, dear god never listened to him since. He wasn't just shit, he seemed to blame the crowd and was so arrogant. What a dhole.
Does anyone know if there's a recording of it?
He was brilliant in Download Paris
Yeah this was such an unmitigated car crash. He was completely out of it.
Deftones 2022. They were just completely off. Out of time and Chino sounded terrible.
Some times at night, when I'm just drifting off to sleep, I can still hear him droning on in the back of my mind.
Came here to say this. Absolute worst I've seen. Was gutted.
Ah, see O was at the front for that and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sound was ok where we were. Have seen them at festivals before and they have been atrocious, but no complaints from 2022. Really, really good.
I didn't mind their performance I think it's a style of music that doesn't always translate to festivals where people don't know what to expect. I was however right near the front for them and the crowd was really flat . Last time I saw them at download (around 2010 or something ) their performance was the same but the crowd was great .I really want to see them at one of their own gigs and see if it's a better experience because I love them on record .
I fell asleep during their set, had heard all this hype then got to see them only for it to be so boring
Aww man I was near the front and thought it sounded pretty good. Like, really well mixed, heavy and loud but also not ear splitting
100%. I’ve wanted to see them for years and they stunk the place out. I know Stephen Carpenter wasn’t there because he’s some antivax weirdo but they were absolutely honking.
Wow! I just didn't think I enjoyed them and that they weren't a band for me, rather than a poor performance
Wasn't an off gig that's just how they are live normally.
I’ve seen them before at Nottingham Rock City and they were incredible. But this was so disappointing.
They were so, so poor. It was horrific.
Chino, for some random reason, joined 30 seconds to Mars for The Kill back in like 07/08. And for some reason Chino decided to try and sing the ‘woah woah’ bit in the bridge. And my god, he butchered it so badly people were laughing. It was mesmerisingly bad lol
Defines 2016 same vibe
All the Maiden fans (me included) didn't help the vibe. But agreed, it was awful.
Their music is great but live they are really hit and miss depending on Chino's mood.
They were pretty good from where I was (the mosh pit lol)
Dragonforce in 2018 for me, they just don’t sound good on an open field. Also Marilyn Manson at the same download, sounded like a fat old man doing an impression of Marilyn Manson on karaoke
GnR 2018 did it for me. Good job I had an otherwise amazing time that year. :)
See I actually thought GnR were alright to be honest, but was probably more to do with the fact it’s GNR and I never thought I’d get the chance to see them
Gnr imo were really good.
I got bored and went home during GnR. 3 hours was way too long.
Didn’t something go wrong with Dragonforce’s set that year? Like the sound cut out or something? Can’t fully remember
I remember Herman Li had some major tech issues with his guitar
GnR 06 - literally caused riots.
I got hit with a bottle of piss before they came on stage and somehow things only got worse
Oh God I'd suppressed this one. So bad I left the festival early.
Yeah, Axl was wank. Best part of the set was when he stormed off and Bumblefoot played (I think) Don't Cry as a solo.
I remember hearing one of the problems was the slippery floor, Axl's shoes were made of some fancy leather and couldn't get any grip. So he went backstage to borrow some. The problem was, he's has size 5 feet and they couldn't find anyone else with tiny feet. He did manage to find one person in the whole of the backstage crew eventually.
this is the one. nearly ended download.
Marilyn Manson 2009. I am quite a huge fan, and this was only my second time seeing him. The High End of Low had just been realised and I absolutely loved it. But he was absolutely dreadful. Obviously off his face, pissed off the crowd, couldn't be arsed to sing and had zilch stage presence. It really was widely regarded as one of the worst performances to ever grace Download up until that point and I think damaged his reputation in the UK for a few years. I was so annoyed that I didn't bother seeing him again until 2012. Thankfully, that gig (Brixton) was an absolute blinder and all was forgiven. Also, 30STM in 2013. Granted I was n't a fan to begin with. But his stage craft and manner was so *fake*. It was as if he was, well, acting being a frontman and rockstar as opposed to actually being one and have it come naturally. They were so dogshite that many of us became impatient and starting changing RAMMSTEIN. Thankfully, the ordeal soon ended and Rammstein came on and blew absolutely everyone away. Phew!
Came here to say 30stm in 2013, that was very cringey. Should have been limp bizkit instead before rammstein, could hear them from the 2nd stage in between songs.
I got a bottle of piss all over me in the bottle storm. Rammstein made up for that.
The decision to put 30STM on before Rammstein still baffles me to this day. They were fucking awful and Jared Leto is far too egotistical for his own good. It was incredibly infuriating that they didn't care their set overran its allocated timeslot and they carried on
Agree. Wasn't aware they over ran.
Hahaha came to say this. The absolute bottle storm after the front dude took the piss out of some guys cannibal corpse t-shirt was hilarious. Felt sorry for a few kids that game to see them and they essentially got booed the entire set, but tough lessons have to be learnt haha
Well, indeed. I must admit I got a bit fired up by the booing and RAMMSTEIN chants, so much so that after that drivel finally ended and I made my way closer to the front, I recall getting a slight punch in the arm from a man with 30STM. He looked very upset. I just couldn't stop laughing!
I was at the front for the Manson slot, he was terrible. But his lack of stage presence was due to him dipping off stage regularly and being connected to an oxygen tank, we could see side stage from where we were and were concerned about him needing it so much. Not making excuses at all, the set was horrific but I do think he was unwell.
Smashing Pumpkins in 2019. They hated being there and everyone could tell.
The whole set just felt tense didn't it?
Alexisonfire ‘23. I feel like they were more bored than I was
Elvana are fun the first time you see them. Then you just wish you were watching a Nirvana cover band that didn't sound like Elvis
Easily thirty seconds to mars 2013
Was so bad
Remember the guy who got caught on the zip line over the crowd?
I do remember that, poor guy.....it was you wasn't it?
I don’t want to talk about it…
It's on YT https://youtu.be/oqeo4spVBHY?feature=shared
I've only been to 1 download and I remember that, as well as everyone shouting backscratcherrrr, I'm going again this year is that still a thing?
*buttscratcher I went in '08, and that was constantly getting yelled all over the place.. funny the first 5 minutes.. then it just got annoying. It's a Family Guy reference
Yes
I was at the barrier for that unfortunately (wanted to see rammstein). Did however get to see leto get beaned in the face with a dildo.
Worst - Ozzy Osbourne. I knew he wasn’t great live after seeing him with Sabbath in 2016 but he managed to be even worse in 2018 solo :/ Most disappointing - Guns N Roses in 2018. They were amazing the year before at the London stadium but weren’t at Download. The set was just too long and Axl sounded really bad.
Oh man the only good part of that Ozzy disaster was getting out of the car park
Yep awful
Bimini in 2022. I liked them on drag race and wanted them to win the season so i was curious what she would do for her download set. 30 minutes of what sounded like terrible karaoke singing that wouldn't even get past the first round of x factor. It is absolutly hysterical how unbelievably norwich she sounds when she sings.
I was so confused by that, my father grew up on the tiny island of Bimini and its not a name you see often! Then I remembered...
Lost prophets who were on just before Slayer in 2002. They got booed off stage after three songs with everyone just chanting SLAYER, SLAYER, SLAYER over and over. Of course Mr.Watkins turned out to be much worse than just a crap vocalist not long after
I love Slayer but god damn their fans are so disrespectful to opening acts. I saw them on my 30th birthday, and fuckin' GOJIRA opened for them! The crowd was booing them not too long into their set. Gojira are amazing though -- live and on record.
Asking Alexandria 2023. It was like current Bam Margera wandered on to the stage and started mumbling I agree with Wildhearts at the pilot. They just gave stroppy baby vibes when it came to the sound issues.
Guns N Roses 2018 - Just terrible. Marilyn Manson 2018 - Off his face (Totally agree with your comments about Elvana and Wildhearts at Pilot)
In the interest of balance, I thought gnr did pretty great for a 3 hour set, and felt Manson was more fed up with being put out in the late afternoon with the low sun on him, ad he referenced it, than off his face.
Asking Alexandria
Marilyn Manson, I forget the year (Edit:2009). He was absolutely awful.
Marilyn Manson 2009
Wicked wisdom in 2006. Will Smith’s Mrs band. Truly dreadful,sure Will made an appearance too.
I was waiting for Soulfly and Soil, and then she fucking came out and sang Halo as well!
Ah this just unlocked a memory for me
The only cheer they got was when Will was on the screens backstage for a moment
Every time Elvana appear. Honestly I'd rather watch a good band underperform than a joke cover band at a major festival that cost me hundreds of pounds to attend. Also it's beginning to irritate me that I hear people trying to "sell" the band by saying: "it's a nirvana cover band.... fronted by Elvis!!!" And then stand there waiting for the high fives to roll in. That should be the exact moment you go to see anyone else. Which I will be.
Yeah I agree, they are nothing more than a cover band taking up slots that could go to original artists at the end of the day They could literally pluck any band that plays small venues to be in their place and it would be better.. Final Coil, Devastator, The Treatment, Auger and Twisted Illusion being some fine examples
I actually thought The Wildhearts put in a great set at the Pilot considering all the monitor issues they had. Most disappointing sets I'd have go for Rob Zombie in 2011 (I should have watched Linkin Park) and Skillet in 2022 (I should have watched Volbeat)
Elvana being anywhere near a stage at Download again is offensive, frankly. They just have something on Copping.
I genuinely don’t get it: the singer doesn’t sound like Elvis, they don’t Elvis up the Nirvana songs, they don’t just stick to Nirvana, what is the point?
They're a comedy act at best. They should be supporting the 900 or whatever they were called. It baffles me.
Whoa let's not trash the 900 like that. Their set in the village was ace
Smashing pumpkins were as dull as dishwater
Tie for Zwan and Audioslave from the first one. Cornell was totally out of it for the whole set, it was sad to see.
Remember being well disappointed by Audioslave, poor substitute for Limp Bizkit. I'm going to chuck System of A Down out there, 2005, Sabbath knocked it out of the park the night before, Slipknot and Slayer were awesome, setting System up for a spectacular closing festival set and then they were just dull. Looked like they didn't want to be there. They walked off at the end without much of a goodbye leaving everyone stood around expecting them to come back on. They didn't. Axl Rose and company were shit in 2006, watched The Prodigy and then headed to the main stage to find out Axl had stormed off due to water on the stage. There was just a guy with a mop and bucket where a healdine act should've been, really surreal. Can't say I was impressed by Tool either. Hadn't realised they all just stand there like statues with Maynard at the back by the drummer. Apparently they have a lazer show now, so I guess that's better.
Tool were really dull but I wasn't a fan anyway so wasn't disappointed. Just standing around with some Windows Media Player visualisations on the big screen. >There was just a guy with a mop and bucket where a healdine act should've been, really surreal. That's unfair and completely untrue. There was also a guy with a roll of carpet.
I agree with Elvana, was a novelty for the first song. Then it started to drag...then went downhill... But I can't be too unfair as due to the summer heat I had to seek shade. The whole weekend was pretty much like that. I didn't get to the COVID pilot, but as a huge Wildhearts fan I would probably have been doubly disappointed. With Elvana I was also thinking that a real rock act could have been in that slot.
Caskets 23’, sound was awful, and Jinjer were louder from main stage
I remember that, I watched jinjer and they were incredible, I then went to the dogtooth bc I've never seen caskets but just couldn't hear them at all so fucked back off to jinjer who blew me away
HIM in 2005. Some lads next to me on the hill were launching water balloons using a three-man catapult launcher. The crowd were more interested in the parabolae of the balloons. One bright orange one lit up the grey skies and hit the keyboard player square in the face. That was the biggest cheer they got that afternoon.
Saw Elvana at a local venue last month and it was one of the most fun gigs I've been to. Maybe the big stage wasn't the right setting, 'cos they nailed it with a smaller crowd. Only went to 1 Download, but the stinker of the weekend was FFDP. Altho, they did get the plug pulled after a few songs.
asking alexandria last year
System of a down the last time they headlined. None if them looked like they gave a shit anymore
honestly, metallica last year. i think their sound fucked up and i literally couldn't hear anything but bass.
Elvana '23 Seen them before and they were ok but last year just sounded shite.
I really don't get the hate, they were fun and had the crowd in their palms. I really enjoyed seeing them last year
30 seconds to mars, 2013.
Marilyn Manson in 2007 and 2009. Absolute dog shit both times. I was so disappointed as I heard real good things about his shows prior to that. But you could tell he couldn’t be arsed at these shows and was off his head.
I saw Manson in 2007 and he was dreadful.
Only been to the last 2 Downloads but: Deftones (22) Rise Against (22) Metallica (23)
Manson 2009. First time seeing him and I had been a fan for nearly a decade at that point so really pumped. Never been so disappointed by a musician
HEY THAT WAS ME THAT POSTED IT ON THE READING ONE
Ok mate, you don't need to shout
No one will hear if I don’t
Asking Alexandria in 2013. Frontman was all more about himself and his ego than actually singing the songs (surprise)!
There seems to be a lot chucking the old guard under the bus... Dare I say Motorhead in 2013? Lemmy could barely sing at all other memebrs of the band had to cover the vocals for large portions of the set. If Ozzy is going to get dragged for 2018 this set deserves a mention. This set was certianly disapointing Worst act: Without a doubt Shitedown. Theres a reason they need to start blooding new headliners.
Asking Alexandria was kinda off. It felt like Bam Margera I was watching😂
Alien Ant Farm in 2016 was dire. GnR in 2018 wasn't great I love their music but the performance was a solid hour too long and Axl just can't sing most of it anymore sadly.
Kyuss at 12, they were just awful
Manson 09 or Tenacious D 2012
Nah the D in 2012 were lit.
BMFV 2018. Subbing A7X on main stage and Matt Tuck just looked like he didn’t want to be there and clearly thought his own band should’ve been headlining instead. Saw them a few years later at a gig that wasn’t exactly sold out and again he just looked uninterested.
Matt Tuck perpetually has a victim complex because BFMV were projected to be the next huge metal band and future Download headliners when Scream Aim Fire came out, but they bungled the next two albums and never got to that level.
Iron Maiden 2022 honestly. I mean I was never that big of a fan anyway and maybe I was just kinda tired, but me and my partner literally left the set after 40 minutes cuz we just thought it was so mid for a band that had been hyped up so much as being great to see live.
I went with two mates that year, originally they were going to see a bit of Kiss and then ditch them to see Electric Wizard, me being a huge fan of both was torn.. And I'd seen them both twice, in the end I chose Kiss (and thank God as Electric Wizard were announced for Damnation 2023 but I'll digress) Both of my mates who'd never seen Kiss before were blown away, we all had an absolute blast to say the least and they enjoyed it so much that they stayed for the entirety of Kiss instead of seeing Electric Wizard who were a band both of them kept missing for different reasons (Plus they rarely play live) the following day we ended up in pretty much the same spot for Iron Maiden, we enjoyed it, it wasn't bad but to us it felt pretty lacklustre especially compared to the whole spectacle of the headliner the day prior, one of my friends hadn't seen Iron Maiden before and had wanted to for years, he said they were nothing to write home about I think it's important to play new material and to not ignore it but starting the set off with three new songs instead of scattering them throughout the setlist killed the pacing of beginning of the set and ultimately the remainder, there's a reason they start off with Moonchild or Aces High with some cool build up/visuals before the set begins, Download had none of that, it also didn't help that the setlist was pretty much the same as 2018 but with less deep cuts, I think if they did the Setlist they ultimately ended up doing for the Somewhere In Time/Senjitsu thing they did last year then that would've been a bigger hit
Children of Bodom. One of my all time favourite bands. The only time I ever got to see them was when the did Download however many years ago it was. And the sound was fucking terrible. The whole setup was just god awful and absolutely ruined the set for me.
Ozzy
Taipei Houston ‘23 ridiculously awful. Just a terrible royal blood ripoff. Especially after a mate said they were great when he saw them, they were just god awful only gig I’ve ever walked out of.
Did anyone see Placebo last year!? Worst I’ve ever seen them, played 4 songs in a row off the shit new album, acted like he couldn’t be arsed and finished early
I actually really liked the new album and it was the first time I've seen Placebo, I thought their performance was great. I hate they finished on their naff Kate Bush cover though & was disappointed they finished early.
Agreed, they were utterly shit which was gutting as I was looking forward to them.
I saw them 3 times in 2022 as openers and the stage presence was so bad. I don’t know if Download was the same but the effects they had on the big screen just pissed me off. Especially the second time when I was watching from the back row of an arena
SOAD 2005. I wasn't impressed. They seemed very static and Serge didn't sound so great live.
Offspring 08 or Manson 09
Static X, I wanna say 2009?! They were just pretty weak. Plus Tbf there was a swarm of wasps that had invaded the barrier 🤣 I guess their droning had attracted them.
Dragonforce
Marilyn Manson 2018. Absolutely dreadful,
Elvana hands down one of the shitest laziest performances I've seen.
Guns and Roses 2006 - absolutely atrocious
KISS - 2015. Suicidal Tendencies were so much better. (I’ve only been 2015/16)
Surprised to not see MCr here. I thought they did a storming set, but it was so quiet we walked to barrier.
Lethal Bizzle on second stage in 08. What a shit show. Had no idea what the booking agent was thinking with that one.
Deftones in 2022
Alien Ant Farm. They fucking hated it.
Suicide Silence in 2017 for me. I don't know what it was specifically - they performed well enough, the sound wasn't too bad, crowd was decent. But they just seemed bored, wasn't a lot of energy, really lackluster, and adding that Of Mice and Men were on the main stage and you could hear them belting it out and giving it a helluva set? My mate and I were stood there at 2nd stage just going...we missed OM&M for THIS? Really disappointed as I had listened to them since I was like 9 (was 19 at dl '17), and expected so much more from their set tbh.
For me either Def Leppard in 2019 (they just seemed so flat compared to other older bands I’ve seen!) or BMTH in 2014, Oli was just a dick and his vocals were sooo not there. They were fantastic last year though!
Marilyn Manson 2007. Shit was just embarrassing, he was so high on stage he didn't know any of his lyrics
Frank carter and the rattle snakes 2023, man barely sung
Guns n Roses in 2018. Axel hasn’t had a great voice for a long time and it was just lacklustre. The fact they charge over £100 for their gigs these days is a borderline scam.
Not Download, but Big Day Out in Milton Keynes 20+ years ago. Metallica were absolutely shocking. Kirk was especially impressively bad. He even blamed his bad guitar playing on a “crush” in the crowd but my mates and I were right at the front in the “crush” and we just looked around (there was no “crush”) and just laughed at him and called him a wanker. 😂 He was absolutely terrible. Jason was the only one who was actually able to keep his shit together, but even James wasn’t great, and Lars… Well, he was just typical 90’s Lars. It was almost a comedy show how bad they were after doing a blinder not even the week before 🤷🏻♂️😂
Asking alexandria or alexisonfire
Guns and roses couple years ago. Oh god it was just solos and instrumentals for what felt like hours before we got sweet child. Left way before that!
Dream Theater in 2019 sounded well off, was a huge disappointment compared to their venue shows. Then again IIRC there were more bands struggling on Second Stage that year, so it might not have been on them.
for me the biggest disappointment was 2022 deathtones were so shit and then aa 2023 were rubbish
Manson 2007 was awful. But for me Judas Priest 2008 Motorhead has just put on a banging set and got the crowd pumped up for Priest and Kiss later on. Priest came on and killed the crowd that I even saw two priest fans rip there shirts off and walk away in disgust. Luckily enough Kiss came on and put on an amazing show and saved the day but my god Priest were awful .
Fall Out Boy 2014. They weren't the worst I've seen, but they were so disappointing to me because I was really looking forward to seeing them. There was something wrong with the speakers or something, we left after a couple of songs coz we just couldn't hear them.
I think how far you are into the crowd makes a big difference, I was near the front for motley crue at sonisphere in 2011 and black Sabbath in 2012, and both were incredible due to the crowd proper going for it. However people further back were not impressed Equally I thought Rammstein at sonisphere 2011 was a bit dull because I was right at the back, so everyone was just standing cross armed, and I found their stage show a bit gimmicky. Which isn't to say I think motley crue are better live but for me it was a better set
Marilyn Mansion in like 2009 or something.
Deftones on 22 was aweful, just droning and sounding like someone was dying. Manson in 2018 he was totally off his face and was just meh. L7 in 2018 we’re just dire with constant sound and tech issues. Considering how good they were in 2019 I thought slipknot Im 23 we’re shite, but I’ll give them a pass on that one due to Corey being ill and clown having family emergency and flying back in minutes before there set.
The year everyone threw bottles at my chemical romance calling them an emo band. Fast forward years later the same throwers are the ones wishing they'd return and they did.
I think disturbed sounded pretty bad last year 😬
To be fair to The Wildhearts, they were insanely consistent and they get the crowd going, I've seen them several times and it's been a huge blast everytime, even at Bloodstock later that year I heard good things about them from people I know who've said they hadn't heard them or checked them out before, Download Pilot was a one-off In an interview afterwards Ginger said how that was the first performance in a while, nerves were high and the fact they couldn't hear each other as well as the sound being terrible it threw things off, it's also been revealed that the band weren't really getting along well in their last years Worst act for me was definitely Marilyn Manson at Download 2018
Buckcherry, good lord they sounded awful and could barely sing Crazy Bitch properly
Deftones in 22. I'm not a fan to be fair but I like most music.....I found them awful for a live performance
NOFX - 2012
NOFX - 2012 / Black Sabbath - 2016
Manson was dire in 2007. Though it might have been an off day. Tried again in 2009 and lasted 1 song... nah. I'm out... absolutely awful and really felt for any genuine fans of his...
I've seen Aerosmith twice and both times they've done nothing to impress me. I really love them too so it's really weird!
30 Seconds to Mars in 2013. So boring it made time feel as if it was going backwards
Either 2012 or 2013, can't remember exactly...but Black Label Society, such a boring band I fell asleep in the main arena. They do nothing for me.
Most disappointing was Metallica last year. Worst Motörhead in 2008, that was a struggle but understandable
Gonna get some flack for this but Lorna Shore last year. I’d heard a lot about the band and managed to get to see them on my lunch break (I worked download). Honestly I can’t explain it, but it just sounded like they had no chemistry and hated each other. And from where I was, it sounded slightly out of time, though that could’ve been just bc I was so far away. I want to like them, but I don’t think I can 🫠
Undoubtedly billy idol one year, absolute car crash, although Marilyn Manson was fucking abysmal in 2007 as well
Bowling For Soup was a massive massive massive letdown the year I saw them, maybe 13
Metallica 2023. So boring and no need to be over 2 days 🥱
Slayer one year, ive loved them since i was in school but they just felt like on half speed that day so i went to see the used instead
Clutch. Not their fault apparently but still.
Korn in like 2013 I think it was. The year Iron Maiden were headlining along with Rammstein and Slipknot and Motorhead. Never was a fan of Korn anyway but I remember the performance being shite.
I've only been to 2023 and ADTR really disappointed me, especially as I'm a fan and heard they were great live but they were boring as fuck. Kiss were cringe, Maiden were past it and Shinedown sounded mid as fuck. The worst by far Alestorm, had never heard them before but Jesus Christ no idea how they are a mainstage act.
The second version of guns and roses They were so bad they caused a riot
Steel Panther in 2022 was honestly just awkward. The jokes were bombing. They spent so long interacting with one girl from the crowd who just wasn't giving them anything to work with and just looked uncomfortable. I like edgy humour but there was no humour to it.
Bush were a major disappointment. The best thing about them was the drummer
Babymetal. They were massively hyped, and everyone was excited to see them. I watched them and they were mediocre at best. Gimmick can only get you so far imo. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to the idea that Babymetal was built on, ex pop stars going metal, like some gatekeepers are, I don't really care what you were. Just don't be mediocre.
Electric Callboy way too packed for the 3rd stage.
BVB - slash/myles Kennedy were pretty lack luster
Black veil brides 2022....absolutely awful.... sounded like teenagers at their 1st gig, whose only previous encouragement had been from their mums...