During a recent episode of his Planet Rock show Andy Copping’s Secrets of Download, Download Festival booker Andy Copping explained AC/DC’s conditions for playing there.
In 2010, AC/DC brought their own stage to play at Download. After talking about how he convinced them by promising to replicate their stage setup, Copping continued:
“Literally about three weeks out of the festival, the production manager rang up and he’s gone, ‘I know you said you were going to replicate it, but the band are really insistent on bringing their own stage. Can you accommodate it?’ I then said, ‘Well, I guess we can but can other bands play on it?’ And he said, ‘No, because we’re going to want to take the stage away and use it for the rest of the tour.’”
The Day AC/DC Played Their Set
They had to change the plan for the Download Festival in 2010, so they decided to have two main stages. When people arrived, they were surprised to see two big stages in the main area because it hadn’t been announced beforehand. Andy recalled the day AC/DC performed:
“On the Friday, of course, AC/DC came out and played on that stage. All the other bands that were playing the Friday on the Main Stage, played on the other stage that we had. It was quite a logistical nightmare to deal with, but I don’t think it affected the overall look of the festival. And now we’ve got a story that we forever talk about – AC/DC bringing their own stage.”
Copping also said he would do it again if AC/DC asked for their own stage. He sees it as a special moment. AC/DC will play two huge shows at Wembley Stadium in July. Download Festival, featuring Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold, will be held at Donington Park from June 14 to June 16, 2024.