It was heaven and hummus at Donington Park, beneath azure skies constantly sliced by Easyjets on landing alert. As the sun beat down it was difficult not to be seduced by glorious strangeness: by the sight of Hell’s Angels sharing a bottle of Chardonnay; Marilyn Manson cavorting in the unbecoming daylight; and, with a twist of managerial genius, Metallica storming in on the back of myriad rumour and performing a blistering set on the smaller Scuzz stage.
Archive - Download 2003: The First Year Reviewed
The first Download Festival happened in 2003. Iron Maiden and Audioslave headlined. But Metallica stole the headlines. Classic Rock explains why...
You can trust Louder