this guy summed it up perfectly in his blog :

"Are people being serious? Are people actually bitching and moaning about the Download 2012 lineup? Are people fucking retarded?

I'm sure you've heard all this before so please feel free to change the channel but I'm tired, hungry, and subsequently a grumpy bastard.

Download is one of the biggest music festivals in the UK - I think I might be right in saying it's second only to Glastonbury - which means that bands have to appeal to a large audience or they won't sell tickets. And if they don't sell tickets, the festival can't go ahead. Music is a business, hence the phrase 'music business', and businesses have to make money or they close. Money pays for bands too, by the way. Believe it or not, musicians don't just do it for the love, hence AC/DC's multi-million pound headline set at Download 2010.

Like it or not, having Anaal Nathrakh headlining the opening night won't get 80,000 people dipping into their pockets for £150. And if you have any working brain cells you will be aware that regardless of how mainstream you think they are, most people outside of the metal community don't actually know who Lamb of God or Trivium are.

'I thought Download was supposed to be a rock festival?' quips some six-fingered mong on Facebook. He has a point, as Devildriver, Machine Head, Black Sabbath, Anthrax and Devin Townsend are all pop acts. Soundgarden definitely aren't a rock act either.

Yes, Chase and Status are playing, and they're currently enjoying massive airplay on Radio 1 and other mainstream platforms but fuck me, give them a chance to do their thing before start crying about it. How many people though Pendulum were a shit dance act before seeing them tear up Download every time they play?

Every single festival I've been to has included bands I like, hate, and am completely ambivalent towards. It's time to come to terms with the fact that not every festival lineup can be put together based on what you - yes you - listen to.

However, I for one am boycotting all music festivals until I get the following:

Headliners: Slipknot, Leatherface, The Police
Support: Helsingland Underground, Terror, Evergreen Terrace, Iron Maiden, Dr. Dre, Lagwgon, Gaslight Anthem, Carnifex, Motley Crue, Frank Sinatra, Cradle of Filth, Nirvana, Limp Bizkit and 90's boy band Point Break.

So there."

I think the main difference this year is that they've moved the dance acts onto the main stage, whereas usually that sort of stuff if on the second stage or in the tents, that's why there's such a big fuss about it this year.

Personally though Download owes me nothing and I owe them nothing - if you don't like the acts - don't go!! It's pretty fucking simple really. I don't like them so I'm not going. And anyone who's dumb enough to buy those early bird tickets before any acts are announced has no right to moan - why would you do that if the line up means anything to you??

(20/01/2012, 21:19)willis52 Wrote: I think the main difference this year is that they've moved the dance acts onto the main stage, whereas usually that sort of stuff if on the second stage or in the tents, that's why there's such a big fuss about it this year.

Personally though Download owes me nothing and I owe them nothing - if you don't like the acts - don't go!! It's pretty fucking simple really. I don't like them so I'm not going. And anyone who's dumb enough to buy those early bird tickets before any acts are announced has no right to moan - why would you do that if the line up means anything to you??

Exactly putting the dance acts on the main stage just shouldn`t be done, if it was up to me they wouldn`t have any dance acts, obviously it isn`t up to me though lol.
The issue i have is that it`s going more towards pop with the increased presence of dance acts.
But i have no sympathy for people that buy early bird tickets, i would never buy tickets to anything without knowing some of the acts who are playing first.

it's not going more towards anything, bands like that have always been at download, and a lot of the time they've been on the main stage as well, just for some reason this year people are getting all worked up over it, as if there being one or two acts they don't like at the festival, regardless of what stage or slot they're on will mean the entire festival will suck balls.

it's quite simple, if you don't like a given act on a certain stage at a certain time, go watch someone else, go have a beer, go have something to eat, the alternatives are endless, no one will be forcing you to sit there and watch a act you don't like

(20/01/2012, 21:29)humiliateme Wrote: it's not going more towards anything, bands like that have always been at download, and a lot of the time they've been on the main stage as well, just for some reason this year people are getting all worked up over it, as if there being one or two acts they don't like at the festival, regardless of what stage or slot they're on will mean the entire festival will suck balls.

it's quite simple, if you don't like a given act on a certain stage at a certain time, go watch someone else, go have a beer, go have something to eat, the alternatives are endless, no one will be forcing you to sit there and watch a act you don't like

The problem is, at least for me anyway is that it`s more dance acts than there should be at download at once, it`s still a predominantly rock and metal festival, and i`ve honestly never considered The Prodigy worthy of being at download once never mind many times.