Download 2004: Metallica - Donington 6th June 2004


I was never a Metallica fan. I was put off by all that early, thrashy stuff and never bothered to listen any further. I didn’t think I was missing anything that I couldn’t get from the stuff I already liked. Then, some years back, my daughter started listening to rock music that she had discovered herself, rather than things I had played her. Metallica became a big part of her musical diet and could be heard frequently and loudly, issuing forth from her bedroom, sandwiched between Iron Maiden and Aerosmith. Still, I was not convinced to venture much further than admitting ‘Enter Sandman wasn’t a bad track’.
And then, the funniest thing happened, I came across a recording from a radio show, somewhere, of an acoustic version of The Four Horsemen, and whaddyaknow? I’m suddenly a convert; the veil had been lifted from mine eyes - I’d seen the light and realised that there was some bloody good material in their back catalogue; Master of Puppets, Vertigo and Load. Hell, I even liked some of the Kill ‘em All and Ride the Lightning stuff. Of course, being a sensitive individual (most of the time, well, quite a lot of the time), there were still elements of their history which still made me want to remove all my body hair with gaffer tape, but generally speaking, I was prepared to at least listen to something once, before making up my mind.
And then, the funniest thing happened, I came across a recording from a radio show, somewhere, of an acoustic version of The Four Horsemen, and whaddyaknow? I’m suddenly a convert; the veil had been lifted from mine eyes - I’d seen the light and realised that there was some bloody good material in their back catalogue; Master of Puppets, Vertigo and Load. Hell, I even liked some of the Kill ‘em All and Ride the Lightning stuff. Of course, being a sensitive individual (most of the time, well, quite a lot of the time), there were still elements of their history which still made me want to remove all my body hair with gaffer tape, but generally speaking, I was prepared to at least listen to something once, before making up my mind.



About the photos...

Ah, they're mostly shite... we were so far away and everyone in front of me:
- was at least a foot taller than me (blocks out sunlight)
- had the annoying habit of being bald (bounces the flash back)
- put their hand up every time I pressed the shutter release (Duh!).