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It's Sunday morning, time to worship at the church of Sambora, and thousands have made a bleary eyed trip to the main stage to watch the Bon Jovi legend striking out on his own at the last day of Download.
It's an odd vision seeing him taking the lead without Jon, but heck if anyone can, Sambora can, and he's not on his own anyhow.
The prettiest guitarist on stage today is also a monster - on the fret-ful side. When Orianthi steps up to duel with Sambora it's a beautiful sight, but even better on the ear.
Richie uses the experience to showcase his solo side and tracks - Every Road Leads Home To You and Stranger In This Town get the job done and remind us that Richie's talents extend far beyond those Bon Jovi moments. Although perhaps not unsurprisingly it's a Jovi cut that is chosen to bring things to a climatic end.
'They are telling me I'm going over, so I'm gonna get on with it," Richie says before the opening chords of Wanted Dead or Alive cut free.
Queue audience cheers, hands in the air and one almighty chorus. This church stuff is alright after all...
If Richie caters for the melodic, easy on the ear fraternity, it's down to
Phil H. Anselmo and The Illegals (below) to bring the brutal, uncompromising side, and no-one does it better. Or quite the same.
"Family, friends and associates, tear this mother f****r up - we've only got 40 minutes..." he demands of a commanding crowd, before giving them what they want - relentless awesomeness.
Rex Brown, his one-time cohort in Pantera, joins him on-stage for A New Level of Confidence much to the delight of the assembled, but when Rex departs the monstrous music carries through.
"Does anyone like Skid Row?" Anselmo asks, part way through the set to cheers from some quarters.
"Not me," he says with deadpan put down.
A strong delivery of the
Superjoint Ritual number Waiting for the Turning Point and a cover of
Agnostic Front's United and Strong find their place in a set as ferocious as it is fast.
Dedicating it to Sepultura and Volbeat, Anselmo leads in inviting everyone to "sing along if you know it, if not f*** off!"
That's our Phil, always the straight talker...
When they vacate, a short swagger-walk away on the Main Stage we can pick up with
Steel Panther.
And so a field of thousands all stops to wow at the US parody metal band.
Theirs could just be the longest joke in rock, but really, at a metal festival, should it really be the case that while artists of the pedigree of Anselmo are fighting hard on the second stage, a joke of a band are commanding so many more on the main stage?
The song titles say it all: Gold Diggin' Whore, Asian Hooker and Gloryhole.
Sure, they entertain, but really, at a festival of this calibre, it's perhaps not quite so funny that so many people opt to view this instead of checking out some of the other stages and those bands hungry for the sounds.
In the press area, bands are liggin' and nattering aplenty - but there is more to be had on the outside - including
Jon Gomm on the Jagermeister stage.
An acoustic one-man rumble is a beautiful thing in a club. In an overcast field on a Sunday evening though?
He pulls it off. We arrive at the tail end of a set that has held attentions, of course for his clever playability, but also owing to his affable nature.
"I've never been to download before, let alone played here, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but you're a really nice audience, so thanks a lot!" he says, as his faithful issue demands of Passionflower for the last track.
Ever the pleasing player, he obliges.
It's possibly one of the most delicate sets of the weekend, and a triumph.
By contrast,
Nick Oliveri's headlining set is an altogether different beast - and most definitely not delicate.
Seeing Oliveri step out solo is nothing new. He has been doing these acoustic shows for what seems like forever now.
But on stage at Download, he ups the ante, steps to the mark and does the necessary job with a crowd pleasing set.
Sure, this is a 'play for the fans' affair, but it's also a showcase of sorts, signalling that the one time QOTSA-bassist is very much back on form.
"Thanks for coming to see me play acoustic," he tells the assembled, "Personally I wouldn't go see anyone play acoustic!" he laughs.
Set-wise, it's an all-round pleaser - A cover of Roky Erikson's Bloody Hammer, Mondo Generator's Invisible Like the Sun and Won't Let Go, Queens numbers Gonna leave You, Six Shooter and Autopilot are all aired, alongside The Ramones' Endless Vacation and GG Allin's Scumfuc.
Oliveri and his mic-eating acoustic exploits over, it's another dash to the other side of the site to catch the opening strains of
Aerosmith and then into the Pepsi Max tent for
Dillinger Escape Plan. Sweet as.
Except that doesn't happen.
Stalwarts and headliners
Aerosmith are on fire tonight. The big screens let us follow the band from dressing room to stage, a journey that suitably hypes thousands until Tyler and Perry strike up the band when they arrive on stage.
They don't play, they perform and with an ability to make it seem personal to each and every one of us.
As thin as a supermodel and with agility intact, 66 year old (no, that's not a typo) Steven is astounding - rock n roll is certainly keeping Tyler young.
There are no odiously long between-song speeches to be had either - who needs them when the music can do the talking so much better: From Toys in the Attic to I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, Aerosmith bring the wow-factor to Donington Park once more, via a terrific race through Come Together - and everyone did.
Twenty years ago, we stood at the same fesitval and watched Aerosmith at work, and this time they were better.
'Walk This Way,' you say, Steven. We're with you.
[gallery link="file" ids="1965,1964,1962,1961,1960,1959,1958,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957"]
"Family, friends and associates, tear this mother f****r up - we've only got 40 minutes..." he demands of a commanding crowd, before giving them what they want - relentless awesomeness.
Rex Brown, his one-time cohort in Pantera, joins him on-stage for A New Level of Confidence much to the delight of the assembled, but when Rex departs the monstrous music carries through.
"Does anyone like Skid Row?" Anselmo asks, part way through the set to cheers from some quarters.
"Not me," he says with deadpan put down.
A strong delivery of the Superjoint Ritual number Waiting for the Turning Point and a cover of Agnostic Front's United and Strong find their place in a set as ferocious as it is fast.
Dedicating it to Sepultura and Volbeat, Anselmo leads in inviting everyone to "sing along if you know it, if not f*** off!"
That's our Phil, always the straight talker...
When they vacate, a short swagger-walk away on the Main Stage we can pick up with Steel Panther.
And so a field of thousands all stops to wow at the US parody metal band.
Theirs could just be the longest joke in rock, but really, at a metal festival, should it really be the case that while artists of the pedigree of Anselmo are fighting hard on the second stage, a joke of a band are commanding so many more on the main stage?
The song titles say it all: Gold Diggin' Whore, Asian Hooker and Gloryhole.
Sure, they entertain, but really, at a festival of this calibre, it's perhaps not quite so funny that so many people opt to view this instead of checking out some of the other stages and those bands hungry for the sounds.
In the press area, bands are liggin' and nattering aplenty - but there is more to be had on the outside - including Jon Gomm on the Jagermeister stage.
An acoustic one-man rumble is a beautiful thing in a club. In an overcast field on a Sunday evening though?
He pulls it off. We arrive at the tail end of a set that has held attentions, of course for his clever playability, but also owing to his affable nature.
"I've never been to download before, let alone played here, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but you're a really nice audience, so thanks a lot!" he says, as his faithful issue demands of Passionflower for the last track.
Ever the pleasing player, he obliges.
It's possibly one of the most delicate sets of the weekend, and a triumph.
By contrast, Nick Oliveri's headlining set is an altogether different beast - and most definitely not delicate.
Seeing Oliveri step out solo is nothing new. He has been doing these acoustic shows for what seems like forever now.
But on stage at Download, he ups the ante, steps to the mark and does the necessary job with a crowd pleasing set.
Sure, this is a 'play for the fans' affair, but it's also a showcase of sorts, signalling that the one time QOTSA-bassist is very much back on form.
"Thanks for coming to see me play acoustic," he tells the assembled, "Personally I wouldn't go see anyone play acoustic!" he laughs.
Set-wise, it's an all-round pleaser - A cover of Roky Erikson's Bloody Hammer, Mondo Generator's Invisible Like the Sun and Won't Let Go, Queens numbers Gonna leave You, Six Shooter and Autopilot are all aired, alongside The Ramones' Endless Vacation and GG Allin's Scumfuc.
Oliveri and his mic-eating acoustic exploits over, it's another dash to the other side of the site to catch the opening strains of Aerosmith and then into the Pepsi Max tent for Dillinger Escape Plan. Sweet as.
Except that doesn't happen.
Stalwarts and headliners Aerosmith are on fire tonight. The big screens let us follow the band from dressing room to stage, a journey that suitably hypes thousands until Tyler and Perry strike up the band when they arrive on stage.
They don't play, they perform and with an ability to make it seem personal to each and every one of us.
As thin as a supermodel and with agility intact, 66 year old (no, that's not a typo) Steven is astounding - rock n roll is certainly keeping Tyler young.
There are no odiously long between-song speeches to be had either - who needs them when the music can do the talking so much better: From Toys in the Attic to I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, Aerosmith bring the wow-factor to Donington Park once more, via a terrific race through Come Together - and everyone did.
Twenty years ago, we stood at the same fesitval and watched Aerosmith at work, and this time they were better.
'Walk This Way,' you say, Steven. We're with you.
[gallery link="file" ids="1965,1964,1962,1961,1960,1959,1958,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957"]
