FEATURE: Download Festival 2010: 30 Years of Donington - Interview with Promoter Andy Copping
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Written by Rob Sleigh
There are just a few weeks to go until Download and it already looks set to be one of the biggest musical events of the summer. This year's festival will mark the 30th Anniversary of rock music at Donington. In the run up to the June event, Stereoboard caught up with the man behind the festival, promoter Andy Copping, to discuss Download 2010 as well as Donington's thirty-year history.
With three legendary acts topping the bill, it is shaping up to become the most successful year in the history of the site. That is no small feat either. Especially as last year's festival was the first to sell out. "We sold-out at Download 2009 for the first time, with seventy-five-thousand people. We've surpassed that figure already and we've still got three weeks to go." As in previous years, Andy has managed to book an impressive line-up of rock artists, including three of the best headliners on 2010's festival calendar. On Sunday 13th, Aerosmith, who are celebrating their own 40th Anniversary this year, will headline the weekend. This performance, which will be their third appearance at Donington since 1990, follows an eventful few months for the band. Towards the end of last year, singer Steven Tyler dramatically left the group, only to return a few months later after reports that Aerosmith were looking for his replacement.
On the Saturday, rap-rockers Rage Against the Machine will make their debut at the festival. This booking came as a welcome announcement for fans who didn't manage to get tickets for the group's free concert in London, which is due to take place the weekend before Download.
The main headliner of Download 2010 is, of course, AC/DC. The Aussie rockers, who first played Donington at the second-ever Monsters of Rock in 1981, will be making their big comeback to the site since their renowned performance of 1991. AC/DC will provide the main event of the 30th Anniversary celebration.
The headliners are only a few of the highlights of this year's festival. Others include Stone Temple Pilots, Them Crooked Vultures and Deftones. However, Andy confirms that there may be a few more little surprises: "We've still got one or two to announce that people will be happy to see on the bill, but it's not as if I'm about to announce Pink Floyd or a reformed Led Zeppelin or anything like that."
As Download 2010 is such an important milestone in the history of Donington, Andy wanted to organise a particularly special weekend. "It's such a big thing that Monsters of Rock was launched in 1980. Here we are thirty years on and the festival has grown to three days, five stages and five days worth of camping." However, it seems to have turned out even better than he imagined. "Interestingly enough, somebody pointed out that we've nearly got a band from every single festival in the past playing at this year's event. That wasn't deliberate on my part, it's just the way that it's happened."
When Andy organised the first Download in 2003, it wasn't his first experience at a Donington rock festival. He actually attended the first-ever Monsters of Rock in 1980 as a fan. "I remember going to that very first Monsters of Rock as if it was yesterday. As a kid looking up at that stage with all these bands and all these people, to think that I'm now the guy who's booking this event, I have to pinch myself." It was this early joy of live music that helped him towards the job he is in now. "Rock music is in my blood. I got involved in this business purely because I was a fan of music. Here I am, booking one of the biggest rock festivals in the world. I'm like a kid in a sweet shop." His experiences as a festival goer have influenced some of the decisions he has made as the promoter. "I book it as though I'm a fan because I think to myself: what would make me put my hand in my pocket to buy a ticket for this festival?"
As Donington was chosen as the location for the first Download Festival, expectations were high. Having been to Monsters of Rock in the past, Andy was fully aware of the huge responsibility he had to set up a worthy replacement for such a prestigious event. "You can't get away from the fact that Donington has always had an association with rock festivals since 1980. I called Download 'the son of Monsters of Rock' because that's effectively what it is." Many people have since questioned the title that was chosen for the new festival. "We didn't want to call it Monsters of Rock or Donington. We wanted to come up with a new name. One of the girls in the office said: 'What about Download?' At the time, 'download' was still a dirty word. There were no iPods in 2003." The new label was the first sign that Download was to carry on the spirit of the previous Donington festival, whilst also recognising new talent. "We looked back and got a feel of what Monsters of Rock did and we've brought it into the modern age to make it current. I think we get the best of both worlds. Have I taken a little bit from yesteryear? Of course."
As Download was intended as a Monsters of Rock for the 21st Century, Andy wanted to recognise the ongoing progression in rock music when booking bands for the festival. "It's very different in the fact that we open up to different genres of rock music. It's why we can have bands like Faith No More, the Prodigy, Slipknot, Aerosmith, Bullet for My Valentine, Motorhead and Deftones. All these bands can sit very, very comfortably next to one another at the Download Festival because they are all part of this 'broad church of rock'." He is pleased with the way that people have responded to the event by enjoying both the old and new acts. "That, to me, is the whole essence and spirit of the Download Festival. Would a Def Leppard fan go and buy a ticket to see Limp Bizkit in concert? The answer is probably 'no', but in a festival environment, they'll go and have a look. Nine times out of ten, they are going to be suitably impressed."
One of the difficulties that Andy has found as promoter is that it is impossible to please everyone. Pendulum and the Prodigy have been among the bookings that have caused some people to complain. So far, however, his choices have failed to disappoint. "People said to me in 2006 that I should never have booked the Prodigy. They were going: 'They're a dance band, not a rock band. They don't deserve to be here.' Guess what? They ended up being one of the [best] bands of the whole festival weekend. Do you know why? Because the Prodigy play like a rock band. They have a rock band mentality. When I booked the Prodigy the second time, nobody moaned." He goes on to explain a recent statement, in which he expressed an interest in booking rapper Dizzee Rascal for Download. "Why would I not book Dizzee Rascal? This guy's got attitude. He's got a bit of a rock sensibility about him. He would see it as an absolute and total challenge. He would come out and blow people away." If Dizzee was to appear, it wouldn't be the first time that a hip-hop act has performed at Download. "There was so much abuse about booking Lethal Bizzle [in 2008]. He came out with people throwing things and hurling abuse at him. He stood his ground and won the crowd over. It was fantastic to watch."
On the subject of varying musical tastes, there was a recent announcement in the news, which suggested that rock music is being overtaken by pop music in terms of record sales. However, according to Andy, it seems that this change of interest has had little effect on live events like Download. "Has it affected festivals? No. The popularity of rock festivals has gone up. As long as people are still buying tickets to see bands at rock festivals like Download, then we know that the scene is still really strong, really healthy and really buoyant." Andy goes on to question the way certain acts are pigeon-holed. He suggests that it isn't always so straightforward to differentiate between pop music and rock music. "Some people would put Paramore and Thirty Seconds to Mars in the category of pop, when really, they sit in both camps. They're pop and they're rock." Of course, changes in record sale figures are not the only cause for concern for the country's festivals at the moment. The current state of the economy is having a huge impact on the nation as a whole. However, Andy explains that Download will continue to offer an important service to the fans. "The recession is still biting hard for people right now, but they want to be entertained. This is escapism. This is them being able to forget all their troubles and just go out there and do what they do. Let their hair down, party, listen to bands, meet friends, have a drink and just enjoy themselves in an environment with likeminded people."
Although the first Donington rock festival took place thirty years ago, Download itself is still in its infancy. Looking back over the past seven years, Andy struggles to choose a favourite. "It's so hard to pick one. I probably want to say 2009, as it was the first time we'd sold out, so I felt like we'd really nailed it. But I don't want to say that to the detriment of the other years, because there have been great memories from all of them." He fondly recalls the incident in 2004 when Metallica were forced to play without Lars Ulrich. "I've got memories of that and how we turned it around. They went onstage with Dave Lombardo from Slayer and Joey from Slipknot. The crowd saw something very, very different." Andy admits that there have also been one or two low points during the last seven years. A memorable example was in 2008, when Kid Rock cancelled his set at the last minute. "I was disappointed when Kid Rock decided he didn't want to play. He and I have had conversations since then and he regrets what he did. He wishes that he hadn't had a bad day and decided not to play. That was a low point at the time, but it didn't take anything out of the festival. Everybody still had a good time and that's what it's all about." He explains that these odd few occasions have never disrupted the festival. "Low points are absolutely rubbed out by high points. The lowest point is when it ends."
So, with Download 2010 quickly approaching, we asked Andy if he is looking forward to seeing any bands in particular. As with the festivals, he has difficulty picking a favourite "There's a lot of bands that I'm looking forward to seeing, of all genres and heritage." He admits, however, that there may be one act that stands out among the rest. "I'm really, really looking forward to seeing AC/DC back at Donington in nearly twenty years. Obviously, getting someone like AC/DC was a major achievement for the festival. What a fantastic 30th Anniversary we're going to have."
Now that other rock music events like Reading are becoming tamer each year, it seems that Download is the only proper rock festival left. After seven years, Andy shows no signs of losing interest just yet and who can blame him? With the festival getting more and more popular, there is much to be excited about. "I've got the best job in the world. It's incredible that I'm in this privileged position of booking a globally renowned festival like Download with all this music from yesteryear." But with so many other festivals to compete with, what can this one offer that the others don't? "For the atmosphere and the vibe that you get at Download, there is nowhere in the world better. Probably the closest to it is Glastonbury, in terms of vibe, but I think that we offer something a bit better than festivals like Glastonbury, because we are totally adhering to the fans. I think that we are, without doubt, the best rock festival in the world."
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As Download 2010 is such an important milestone in the history of Donington, Andy wanted to organise a particularly special weekend. "It's such a big thing that Monsters of Rock was launched in 1980. Here we are thirty years on and the festival has grown to three days, five stages and five days worth of camping." However, it seems to have turned out even better than he imagined. "Interestingly enough, somebody pointed out that we've nearly got a band from every single festival in the past playing at this year's event. That wasn't deliberate on my part, it's just the way that it's happened." 
Although the first Donington rock festival took place thirty years ago, Download itself is still in its infancy. Looking back over the past seven years, Andy struggles to choose a favourite. "It's so hard to pick one. I probably want to say 2009, as it was the first time we'd sold out, so I felt like we'd really nailed it. But I don't want to say that to the detriment of the other years, because there have been great memories from all of them." He fondly recalls the incident in 2004 when Metallica were forced to play without Lars Ulrich. "I've got memories of that and how we turned it around. They went onstage with Dave Lombardo from Slayer and Joey from Slipknot. The crowd saw something very, very different." Andy admits that there have also been one or two low points during the last seven years. A memorable example was in 2008, when Kid Rock cancelled his set at the last minute. "I was disappointed when Kid Rock decided he didn't want to play. He and I have had conversations since then and he regrets what he did. He wishes that he hadn't had a bad day and decided not to play. That was a low point at the time, but it didn't take anything out of the festival. Everybody still had a good time and that's what it's all about." He explains that these odd few occasions have never disrupted the festival. "Low points are absolutely rubbed out by high points. The lowest point is when it ends."
