alright, so i'm making a HUGE bump on this one, but it's about time that i updated my concert experiences a little bit
not too long after i first started this topic i decided that "screw it, i wanna see my favorite bands wail i still can, but i live in the middle of nowhere, and there is no way i'll ever get to see any of them if i'll just work my ass off around here" so i decided to pay attention to some of the bigger festivals and quickly caught my eye on Download festival at legendary Donington in England.
soon after, they announced the headliners for Download festival 2013, Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein.
shortly after this more bands were announced, Motörhead, Queens Of The Stone Age, Volbeat and many more.
it was destiny, i had to attend this, no matter what!
time flew by, and i eventually arrived Donington. it was a long trip, and at first i didn't believe this was happening.
i entered the gates, got my wrist band, walked down toward the biggest stage i have ever seen in my entire life and watched the first band play.
Rise To Remain: lead vocalist in the band was Austin Dickinson, if you're a fan of Iron Maiden, then guess who his father is.
they were good, i even purchased the only album they have made on a CD when i got home. the band broke up a few months later though...
anyway, i still couldn't believe that i really was attending this. i had dreamt about going to a concert with so many of the bands playing there for many years, and i was thinking for a long time that i was dreaming, i would probably wake up any minute now and go back to my regular life and work.
it wasn't until i stood by the barricade at the Zippo Encore stage that i suddenly realized that this was real.
in my younger days i played a lot of Guitar Hero, and Dragonforce was suddenly walking up on the stage.
as i realized that this was reality, and that i was just about to see the legends who had the most difficult song ever on GH3 perform live right in front of me, i could feel a cold chill going through the spines of my entire back, all the way from my shoulders to my ass crack.
i remember my exact thoughts at the moment "HOLY DIVER! i'm about to see Dragonforce, and right after they are done, Europe will enter the stage, followed by Volbeat, then i will be watching Bullet For My Vallentine and Slipknot on the main stage shortly after... this is happening, THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING FOR REAL!!!"
and damn, all i can say is all the bands delivered.
during Slipknot, the audience went so fucking berserk (excuse my language, but i really couldn't hold back on this one) they managed to break the barricade... TWICE!!!
Corey Taylor literally had to stop the show, TWICE, and tell the audience to back off so the security could fix the barricade, then he told us (the audience) to calm down before anyone got hurt.
the day after it continued, UFO opened the main stage, i discovered Heaven's Basement, i got to see Hardcore Superstar for my second time, then i got Alice In Chains, Motörhead, Queens Of The Stone Age, and finally the one band i had wanted to see perform for so many years... IRON MAIDEN!
for the show they had decorated the entire stage based on the Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album, and they only played the classics from the '80s and the early '90s.
after the show i told myself, i can finally die happy.
the Sunday made it all even more perfect than it already was, HEALLYEAH was playing, Coal Chamber, Five Finger Death Punch, Parkway Drive, Stone Sour, Airborne, A Day To Remember (that band really made it a day to remember as well) and finally ending the entire festival with a huge bang was Rammstein.
so exactly how good was the experience? well, this was back in 2013. this year i went back for my fourth year in a row.
i could probably write a book about all the experiences i have had at Donington for four years in a row now.
The Offspring playing the entire Smash album in one set followed by an encore based on their greatest hits.
Linkin Park playing Hybrid Theory at it's full set.
Twisted Sister proving why they are the best live band that has ever been on the planet.
Mötley Crüe's last festival performance in Europe (that is if they don't suddenly decide that they need money again).
Judas Prieast, Kiss, Slash, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, Halestorm, Atreyu, Babymetal, Sixx:a.m. and many others...
oh, and this year, i got to see Iron Maiden and Rammstein again
this festival has become my second home, and i am already aiming for my fifth year in 2017, i don't even care who's headlining, I'm going, no matter what! \m/

oh, i should also add that i have seen a few other bands in my country as well, though i had to travel all the way to the capital to see them
this includes Alice Cooper, AC/DC and Eluveitie \m/