I can remember feeling quite ‘panicky’ at times but still buzzing from the experience. It took me an eternity to get away from the stage and back to my mates at the end of the set. These guys were dangerous and I found the whole experience incredibly exciting but scary in equal measure. I don’t remember much detail about Guns N Roses set other than it being precisely what I expected and wanted it to be – dirty kick ass rock n’roll with a filthy raw edge. Nottingham Evening Post – 22nd August 1988 I have a vague recollection of singer Axl Rose reluctantly pausing the set a couple of times to ask people to move back and “don’t fucking kill each other” (little did we know at the time). I also remember the sensation of being lifted up in the air due to the the ‘swell’ of the crowd. I do recall falling to the muddy ground a couple of times and being relieved to look up and see hands reaching down to lift me back up again. I was a skinny lad back then and was able to squeeze my way between people in my quest to get to the front.
It was extremely tight and very uncomfortable at times but being a naive 21 year old I continued trying to get closer to the stage. It wasn’t too long before I realised this was no ordinary mosh pit. I’m pretty sure I left some of my mates and girlfriend behind as I ran towards the stage. When Guns N’ Roses hit the stage there was only one place I was going to be and that was at the front. (still in fairly good condition after all these years) Despite the crappy weather an estimated 107,000 people were in attendance – for a festival with just one stage! My Donington 1988 T-shirt Heavy Metal was probably the most popular I’d ever known it at that time and this line-up would have drawn the huge crowd in (you could still buy tickets on the day). The festival was now in its 9th year and I’d been 3 times but I’d never seen it so packed. The first thing that struck me on arrival though was how much busier it felt that year. Even though they were still relatively new and way down the lineup at Donington GnR had built up a reputation in the UK and I was excited about seeing live.Ī group of us had travelled by coach from Nottingham and, as was customary back then, drunk ourselves to oblivion before even entering the site. However the band I was most looking forward to seeing was Guns N’ Roses after stupidly missing their gig at Nottingham’s Rock City the previous year (write up here). Up and coming German band Helloween opened the show and they were of a similar genre.
Megadeth were already one of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal bands alongside Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer – although the thrash scene was still relatively new at the time. The line up for Donington 1988 year was probably the strongest yet.īoth Kiss (without their makeup) and Iron Maiden could have headlined the show (it was actually Maiden’s first headline slot at Donington)ĭavid Lee Roth was a legend from his Van Halen days and was at the peak of his solo career (his second album Skyscraper and single “Just like paradise” had come out earlier that year) Sadly for two other young ‘metal heads’ who were in the crowd with us that day they will never have that choice…
#David lee roth skyscraper personnel download
I’ve never been back to Donington (or Download as the festival is now known) since that day, for no other reason than I’ve never really fancied it again. It was 32 years ago this week that I went to my fourth and final Monsters of Rock Festival at Castle Donington.
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