Monsters of Rock

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Monsters of Rock was an annual (hard rock / heavy metal) music festival held in England, that branched into other locations like The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Soviet Union.

Contents

History [edit]

In 1980, promoter Paul Loasby, along with Maurice Jones, planned a one day festival dedicated specifically for bands within the hard rock and heavy metal genre. Loasby was an established and successful promoter working that year on the Rainbow UK tour and penned the festival as the final show of the tour for the band to headline. Jones knew the owner of the Donington Park race track, Tom Wheatcroft, located next to the village of Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England, and the site was chosen to host the event.[1]

Donington Park was unknown as major location but its location in the East Midlands next to the M1, A42 and A50 allowed for better transportation to the site from around the country. Additionally the site ground level sloped which allowed for a better viewing for the audience throughout the site.

The first Monsters of Rock line-up consisted of a mix of British and international bands and was a success with 35,000 heavy metal fans attending. Although only conceived as a one off event, it was mentioned on the day the idea that the festival will return the following year and the first edition birthed what would become a regular festival for the next 15 years, becoming synonymous as a Mecca for fans of the genre and further establishing the Midlands as the home of heavy metal.[2]

Over the years, the attendance continued to grow, reaching 107,000 in 1988, when two fans died during Guns N' Roses set. Initially the blame was thought to be the size of the crowd and a rush forward during the bands set but officially the cause is laid on the weather, causing muddy and wet conditions on the sloping ground. As a result the festival was cancelled the following year, returning in 1990 with a limitation to the crowd of 75,000.[3]

The festival had been held in parallel in West Germany from 1983 to 1991. In 1988, the festival occurred for the first time in France, Italy, Spain and Netherlands. It was held as a one time shot in 1991 in Soviet Union, Poland, Belgium, Hungary. In 1994, the festival was exported overseas to Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

The festival continued on as the premier hard rock event in Great Britain in the 90's but started to fall upon hard times as heavy metal became less popular, with another cancellation in 1993 due to being unable to find a strong enough headliner. In 1995 the festival found itself in a similar situation until Metallica agreed to play with the condition of the band having control over the event and naming it Escape from the Studio. In 1996 Ozzy Osbourne and KISS co-headlined the festival and although plans to extend the festival into a two-day event in 1997, the promoters once again found themselves in a struggle for headliners and the event was cancelled and discontinued.

Donington Park remained event-less until 2001 when the Rock and Blues Festival and Stereophonics held events at the site. In 2002 the Ozzfest tour returned to the UK using Donington Park as their only British event and the following year Live Nation picked up the reigns as Monsters of Rock's succcessor in the name of Download Festival. An outstanding success from the offset, the festival continues to this day having increased to a three-day event with five stages, though as of 2008 the event has been relegated outside of the track.

In 2006, the Monsters of Rock name was revived and held at Milton Keynes Bowl, England, for a one off event headlined by Deep Purple and with Alice Cooper as a special guest.

To date, the only band that have headlined the festival more than twice, is AC/DC, with three occasions: 1981, 1984, 1991.

Line-ups [edit]

(Note: Line-ups are listed with the headlining band first, followed by the reverse order of appearance by the other bands)

1980 [edit]

16 August 1980

1981 [edit]

22 August 1981

1982 [edit]

21 August 1982

1983 [edit]

20 August 1983

1984 [edit]

Main article: Monsters of Rock Tour 1984

18 August 1984

1984 Monsters Of Rock Banner.jpg

[4]

1985 [edit]

17 August 1985

1986 [edit]

16 August 1986

1987 [edit]

22 August 1987

1988 [edit]

20 August 1988

1990 [edit]

18 August 1990

The entire 1990 festival was simultaneously broadcast live on BBC Radio 1

1991 [edit]

17 August 1991

1992 [edit]

22 August 1992

1994 [edit]

4 June 1994

This was the first year that two stages were used. Readers of Kerrang! magazine were invited to vote on bands to appear at the festival, and Extreme easily won the right to appear second on the bill.

Main stage:

Second Stage:

1995 [edit]

26 August 1995 1995 was not officially billed as 'Monsters Of Rock' but as 'Escape from the Studio' due to Metallica's decision to headline while recording the Load album.

1996 [edit]

17 August 1996. Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss co-headlined with Kiss being the final band on stage.

Main stage:

Kerrang! Stage:

2006 [edit]

3 June 2006 - Milton Keynes Bowl[5]

International Events [edit]

1983 Germany Tour [edit]

Germany: Kaiserslautern, VFR Stadion - 3 September 1983 Nürnberg, Zeppelinfeld - 4 September 1983

1984 North European Tour [edit]

Sweden: Stockholm, Råsunda Stadium - 25 August 1984

Germany: Karlsruhe, Wildparkstadion - 1 September 1984
Germany: Nürnberg, Stadion am Dutzendteich - 2 September 1984

1986 North European Tour [edit]

Sweden Stockholm, Råsunda Stadium - 23 August 1986

Germany: Nuremberg, Zeppelinfeld - 30 August 1986
Germany: Mannheim, Maimarktgegelände Eisstadion - 31 August 1986

1987 North European Tour [edit]

Italy: Reggio Emilia, Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia - 26 August 1987

Germany: Nuremberg, West Germany, Messegelande - 29 August 1987
Germany: Pforzheim, West Germany, FCP Stadion - 30 August 1987

1988 USA & European Tour [edit]

Main article: Monsters of Rock Tour 1988

USA: May 23th - July 30th

Germany: Schweinfurt, Mainwiesen Gelände - 27 August 1988
Germany: Bochum, Ruhrland Stadion - 28 August 1988

The Netherlands: Tilburg, Willem II Stadion - 4 September 1988

Italy: Modena, Festa de l'Unità - 10 September 1988

Spain: Pamplona, Plaza de Toros - 17 September 1988
Spain: Madrid, Casa de Campo - 18 September 1988
Spain: Barcelona, Plaza de Toros - 22 September 1988

France: Paris, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy - 24 & 25 September 1988

1990 European Tour [edit]

Germany: Berlin, Waldbühne - 23 August 1990

Germany: Dortmund, Westfalenhalle - 25 August 1990

The Netherlands: Utrecht, Stadion Galgenwaard - 26 August 1990

Italy: Bologna, Parco nord - 30 August 1990

Germany: Mannheim, Maimarktgegelände Eisstadion - 1 September 1990

France: Paris, Hippodrome de vincennes - 3 September 1990

Note: Face to Face was a French band related to Trust. Faith No More was not on the ticket list but was present to the show.[6]

1991 European Tour [edit]

Hungary: Budapest, Nepstadion - 22 August 1991

Germany: Muenchen, Galopprennbahn Muenchen Riem, 24 August 1991

Belgium:Hasselt, Belgium, Domein Kiewit - 30 August 1991

The Netherlands: Nijmegen, Goffert Stadion - 1 September 1991

Germany: Mainz, Finthen Army Airfield - 7 September 1991

Austria: Graz, Liebenauer Stadion - 11 September 1991

Poland: Chorzów, Śląski Stadion - 13 September 1991

Italy: Modena, Festa dell'Unità - 14 September 1991

Soviet Union: Moscow, Tushino Airfield - 28 September 1991

Metallica's performances of "Harvester of Sorrow" and "Creeping Death" from this show were used as B-sides for the "Sad but True" single in different regional editions. Pantera's "Cowboys from Hell" performance is featured as a playable song in the game Guitar Hero Smash Hits.

1992 South European Tour [edit]

Italy: Reggio Emilia, Aeroporto di Reggio Emilia - 12 September 1992

The bands Danzig and Gun both canceled their appearances at the festival. They are featured on the poster for the event.

Spain: Barcelona, Plaza de Toros - 14 September 1992
Spain: San Sebastian, Velodromo de Anoeta - 17 September 1992
Spain: Madrid, Las Arenas Plaza de Toros - 18 September 1992
Spain: Madrid, Municipal Tent - 19 September 1992

1994 South American Tour [edit]

Brazil: São Paulo, Estádio do Pacaembu - 27 August 1994

Chile: Santiago, Estación Mapocho - 1 September 1994

Argentina: Buenos Aires, River Plate Stadium - 3 & 4 September 1994

1995 South American Tour [edit]

Brazil: São Paulo, Estádio do Pacaembu - September 1995

2nd

3rd

Chile: Santiago, Teatro Caupolican - September 1995

8th

9th

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium - September 1995

9th

10th

1996 Brazil [edit]

Brazil: São Paulo, Estádio do Pacaembu - 24 August 1996

1997 Argentina [edit]

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium - 13th December 1997

1998 South American Tour [edit]

Brazil:São Paulo, Ibirapuera - 26 September 1998

Chile: Santiago, Velódromo Estadio Nacional - 10 September 1998

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Vélez Sársfield Stadium - 12 September 1998

1999 Argentina [edit]

Argentina: Buenos Aires, River Plate Stadium - 14 May 1999

2004 Italy [edit]

Italy: Como, Stadio Sinigaglia - 13 July 2004

2005 South American Tour [edit]

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium - 11 September 2005

Chile: Santiago, Pista Atlética Estadio Nacional - 13 September 2005

2006 Spain [edit]

Spain: Zaragoza, Feria de Zaragoza - 18 June 2006

2007 Spain [edit]

Spain: Zaragoza, Feria de Zaragoza - June 2007

22nd

23rd

2008 Chile & Spain [edit]

Chile: Santiago, Pista Atlética Estadio Nacional - 1st April, 2008

Spain: Zaragoza, Feria de Zaragoza - July 2008

11th

12th (Cancelled due rain)

In popular culture [edit]

Saxon wrote the song 'And the Bands Played On' about their appearance at the 1980 festival.

The 1986 appearance by Bad News was featured in the TV mockumentary 'More Bad News'.

In the 1994 Beavis and Butt-head episode Take A Number, Beavis and Butt-head attempt to get tickets to Creatures of Rock which is a parody of Monsters of Rock.

In 2000, radio host Harlan launched the radio show called "Monsters of Rock" which is produced by Earl Blackheart and is now distributed on the United Stations Network to radio stations across North America.

In the 2005 Half Man Half Biscuit song Mate of the Bloke, the protagonist sings of legal action taken against him by More O'Ferrall for spraying the legend "in church hall if wet" onto a billboard for Monsters of Rock.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.nme.com/news/download-festival/51483
  2. ^ http://www.virtualfestivals.com/index.cfm?section=latest.features&id=2654&page=1
  3. ^ http://www.virtualfestivals.com/index.cfm?section=latest.features&id=2654&page=2
  4. ^ http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/donington-1984.html
  5. ^ http://www.virtualfestivals.com/monsters-of-rock-2006
  6. ^ 1990 France

External links [edit]
Dance & electronic
Metal music
Rock/alternative rock
Others
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