Download Festival are delighted to announce that Iron Maiden’s performance at this year’s festival will be shown around the world LIVE. 2007 is Iron Maiden’s record breaking fourth headline appearance at Donington Park. Having first topped the bill in 1988, playing to over 100.000 fans, and then again in 1992 and 2003, their 30 year career has seen them sell in excess of 70 million albums, and become one of the most important rock bands of all time.
Download Festival and Iron Maiden have teamed up for a live and exclusive streaming of Iron Maiden’s fourth Donington Park headline appearance on Sunday 10 June. Available FREE at www.dowloadfestival.co.uk, and with direct links to www.ironmaiden.com, their performance will be shown in full, and will attract a global audience to the festival. This innovative move is the first time Live Nation have streamed from Download, and we expect other acts to follow this shortly.
Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood comments ” As we are only playing a few shows this summer this is a great way for our fans in territories we are not playing to have a means of seeing this show featuring songs from both “The Number of the Beast” and “A Matter of Life and Death”, along with many others . We know it’s not anything like as good as being there but we feel our fans will appreciate our doing this for them. Maiden have always had strong ties with Donington so it is very appropriate to do it from there”
Festival director Stuart Galbraith said: “Iron Maiden streaming their set live on the Download Festival website gives more proof that Download is without doubt the most interactive festival in the UK. It will be great for those who aren’t able to make the festival for whatever reason to see Maiden’s set completely free of charge.”
Mike Kaufman, the head of television development for the festival also added… ‘Download Festival has always been about making TV coverage for the fans, this year it’s fantastic to be able to team up with Iron Maiden and make Download a global TV event.’
Bruce Dickinson this year will be presenting his BBC 6Music Radio show from backstage on Saturday 9 June between 9pm and midnight. Grabbing whoever he can lay his hands on for interviews, Bruce will be roaming around the site with his back-pack transmitter and microphone to report back with all the sights, sounds (and, yes, smells) of the festival. This show is going to be repeated on Download Radio, (powered by BBC 6Music), later on the Saturday evening and on Sunday.
After its massive success in 2006, Download Radio returns, powered by 6Music. Chris Barnard and Vickie Scullard, competition winners from the Bruce Dickinson Rock Show, will be presenting their own shows alongside 6music’s very own Bruce Dickinson, Liz Kershaw, and Philippa TJ with more to be confirmed. With 24/7 coverage, Download Radio will be transmitting on 87.7FM, and will hit the airwaves at midday on Wednesday 6 June to Monday 11 June. Text ‘ROCK’ to 64046 to request any rock anthem you like, or even send pictures that will go up on the 6music website.
From the entertainment and shenanigans of the 24 hour hub of entertainment at The Village, to My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, Wolfmother and many more making the main stage a rock temple, Channel 4 TV are going to be on site capturing everything that the UK’s biggest alternative festival has to offer. The highlights from the festival are going to be crammed into two Download Festival specials that will be aired on Channel 4 on Saturday 16, and Sunday 17 June.