Ratt have unfortunately had to pull out due to an injury to vocalist Stephen Pearcy, so at the eleventh hour, recently revived brit-rockers FM have stepped in to fill the slot and curiously decide to neither have a backdrop or once mention who they are, which leaves a big portion of the crowd wondering who they’re watching. 

The band play well and they do have some good, catchy songs and a rocked-up cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Heard it Through the Grapevine’ is a nice touch but ending your set on a cover is always a risky decision and overall, they fail to really get everyone going like they perhaps they should’ve done. 

Setlist: 1.Wildside, 2.That Girl, 3.Don’t stop, 4.Bad Luck, 5.Burning, 6.Heard it Through the Grapevine.

Saxon are up next on the main stage and have perhaps the biggest emotional connection to the festival’s previous Monsters of Rock incarnation of any band this weekend and truly invoke the spirit of Donington’s past with a special show to not only commemorate the 30^th anniversary of festivals at Donington but also the 30^th anniversary of the Wheels of Steel album, which they proceed to play all the way through with a few classics tagged onto the end, including a fitting rendition of ‘And the Bands Played On’, written about the very first festival way back in 1980. 

The band play a storming set to an obviously partisan crowd and while some of the classics are omitted, we do get to see some rarely-played gems such as ‘Stand Up and be counted’ and ‘Street Fighting Gang’ and it’s great to see a British band get such a great reaction at a festival so often dominated by bands from across the Atlantic. 

Setlist: 1.Motorcycle Man, 2.Stand Up and be Counted, 3.747 (Strangers in the Night), 4.Freeway Mad, 5.See the Light Shining, 6.Street Fighting Gang, 7.Suzie Hold On, 8.Machine Gun, 9.Wheels of Steel, 10.And the Bands Played On, 11.Denim and Leather, 12.Princess of the Night

It’s been nearly twenty years since Cinderella last played in the UK and they haven’t played Donington since 1987. As such, there’s a rather large crowd waiting to welcome them back with open arms and the band are greeted like returning heroes. 

A good mix of rockers and ballads follow and the last two decades almost melt away in an instant when the entire crowd sway along together to ‘Don’t Know What You Got (‘til it’s gone)’ and go absolutely crazy to ‘Shake Me’. 

Singer Tom Keifer is the perfect master of ceremonies for such an occasion and works the crowd like an absolute pro and has the crowd begging for more at the end of a set that feels like it’s over just as soon as it began. 

Hopefully Cinderella’s triumphant return to Donington will prompt the band to come back soon for a full tour – just don’t leave it so long next time guys! 

Setlist: 1.Somebody Save Me, 2.Push Push, 3.Night Songs, 4.Coming Home, 5.Shelter me, 6.Don’t Know What You Got (‘til it’s gone), 7.Nobody’s Fool, 8.Gypsy Road, 9.Shake Me

It seems that the upcoming set from guitar legend Slash is one of the most eagerly awaited of the whole weekend as the crowd has swelled to mammoth proportions in anticipation of catching a glimpse of one of the most iconic figures in rock. The top-hatted one does not disappoint and he has surrounded himself with some very competent musicians including the addition of Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy which has proved an absolute master-stroke as not only does Kennedy perform songs from Slash’s recent solo album brilliantly but he also gives the Guns N Roses and Velvet Revolver songs a real kick up the arse and completely does them justice – to the point where many are of the opinion at the end of the set that he would be a fine choice for the vacant Velvet Revolver slot and on this performance, it’s a hard viewpoint to argue with. 

New songs such as ‘Back from Cali’ and ‘By the Sword’ sit well alongside the GNR classics and a surprise cameo appearance from Lemmy for ‘Doctor Alibi’ is definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. Another act that did not get anywhere near long enough this weekend, the euphoria is still being felt long after the final notes of ‘Paradise City’ ring out – their headline dates at the beginning of July are surely not to be missed. 

Setlist: 1.Ghost, 2.Back From Cali, 3.Nightrain, 4.Rocket Queen, 5.Starlight, 6.By The Sword, 7.Sweet Child O’ Mine, 8.Doctor Alibi (with Lemmy), 9.Slither, 10.Paradise City

It wouldn’t be England without such a rapid change in the weather and after a weekend of blazing sunshine it is now lashing down with rain. After trying pretty fruitlessly to take shelter for a while we decide to defy the gods and go watch Motörhead rock out on the main stage. In hindsight this may not have been such a wise decision as what looked at first like a passing shower has now turned into a torrential downpour and before we know it, we are soaked to the skin. 

Motörhead do try their best to liven things up and it’s a pretty good set from the living legends with some interesting song choices (no ‘Damage Case’ or ‘No Class’ but an inclusion of ‘Going to Brazil’) and an appearance from Slash returning the favour from earlier for ‘Just ‘cause you got the Power’ goes down a treat as of course does the one-two punch of ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Overkill’ at the end but what should have been a triumphant set is marred somewhat by the weather. 

Setlist: 1.Iron Fist, 2.Stay Clean, 3.Be My Baby, 4.Rock Out, 5.Metropolis, 6.Over the Top, 7.The Thousand Names of God, 8.Cradle to the Grave, 9.In the Name of Tragedy, 10.Just ‘cause you got the Power (with Slash), 11.Going to Brazil, 12.Killed By Death, 13.Ace of Spades, 14.Overkill

With the rain still pouring (though not as hard) we head towards the back to hopefully less muddy ground and check out returning grunge legends Stone Temple Pilots from afar. The band open with ‘Vasoline’ and the crowd go suitably crazy and the band proceed to tear through a set of classics and new songs with a seemingly renewed sense of purpose which suggests that this reunion may not simply be a one-time thing. ‘Plush’ is a great festival song and of course ‘Sex Type Thing’ sends everybody down the front a new shade of apeshit and as the set progresses, the new songs sound great and fit nicely with the hits and it’s very much a case of ‘back to business’ for the Pilots which, after listening to Scott Weiland’s between-song banter, seems to be the case in more ways than one. 

Either he’s playing the Bowie-esque extravagant rock-star character that he loves so much very well or he’s slipped back into ‘old habits’. Giving him the benefit of the doubt I’d say it’s hard to tell from where we’re standing and at the end of the set there’s a real sense of hope that this time the band can hold themselves together and hopefully produce some more great albums to rival those of their 90’s heyday. 

Setlist: 1.Vasoline, 2.Wicked Garden, 3.Crackerman, 4.Between the Lines, 5.Hickery Dichotomy, 6.Big Empty, 7.Plush, 8.Interstate Love Song, 9.Huckleberry Crumble, 10.Tumble in the Rough, 11.Lounge Fly, 12.Sex Type Thing, 13.Dead and Bloated, 14.Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart

There aren’t many bands that we would’ve braved this weather for but Aerosmith are one of them. Given the rumours that have been flying around regarding the band’s future and the near split that occurred just a few months ago, who knows when (or if) we will see the American legends again and whether or not this show will be a triumphant statement of intent or descend into some sort of shambolic train-wreck. Thankfully there is no wreck and the train certainly keeps-a-rollin’ all night long (;-)) as the band kick off proceedings as only they can with ‘Love in an Elevator’, sending the audience into a state of euphoria and continue the momentum by subsequently running through some of the best rock and roll songs ever written. 

The swaggering rock of ‘Back in the Saddle’, ‘Mama Kin’ and ‘Eat the Rich’ all hit the mark with an already ecstatic crowd and the epic ‘Living on the Edge’ raises the bar even further but unfortunately ends up being an all too early crescendo because although the band expectedly slow things down with a ballad or two, they fail to really pick back up where they left off. Songs like ‘What It Takes’, ‘Cryin’ and of course ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ all provide some truly memorable lighters-in-the-air festival moments but the band’s decision to intersperse these songs mostly with covers and extended blues jams gives the set an altogether disjointed feel.

The whole experience picks back up somewhat during an encore of ‘Dream On’ (which instantly becomes the most epic moment of the whole festival), ‘Walk This Way’ and ‘Toys in the Attic’ which all get the crowd moving again though the weather has caused a fair few people to leave early which is a shame considering the rarity of what’s currently occurring on stage. All in all this was a good Aerosmith set which could’ve easily been made a little better by a wiser ordering of the songs but ultimately the crap weather was always going to work against them a bit.

So once again it’s goodbye to the famous race track for another year and as usual it seems like it’s all over just a little too quickly and all we can do now is look forward to a great Download 2011 and I’m sure it won’t disappoint. The festival organisers do need to monitor the cost of things though and with rising ticket prices and food prices being hiked up to an all-time high as well, one wonders whether or not cheaper alternatives across the channel (which are becoming more and more accessible due to conveniently priced travel costs) will end up possibly drawing some of Download’s customer base away. Only time will tell at this point but I’m sure the line-up will still be solid enough to draw us back again as it has been ever since the festival began. 

Same time next year then, Donington?

Review and Photos by: Adam Grindrod