Photo: WENN.com
"We've come all this way to party with you," snarls a fired up Josh Homme. Let's not muck about, shall we? Queens of the Stone Age were only ever going to completely dominate Download 2013, but the lasting impact of their short, sharp dropkick to the heart of Donington will be seen for years to come - cementing them as the best rock band of their time.
What makes their victory even sweeter is that they're very much the outsiders of the day. Their genre-crossing stoner rock seems almost entirely at odds with the vicious metal and spandex rock that makes up much of today's bill. Early on, curiosity alone drives a fair few people to see Nekrogoblikon. Yeah, that's a band name. They sound exactly how you'd imagine. Make of that what you will.
Grunge icons Alice In Chains draw an impressive crowd to the main stage to sway in the sunshine through their canonistic catalogue, before Lit take to the Zippo Encore Stage for an energetic but wasted set. Their hearts are certainly in it, but people are only here to hear 'My Worst Enemy', and it doesn't come soon enough.
Motorhead are the perfect band for Download. No one epitomises rock and roll hedonism more than Lemmy, and firing off every barrel from 'I Know How To Die' to 'Killed By Death' and 'Ace Of Spades', he and his three amigoes prove that they're more than worthy of their demi-god status.
The sun is shinging, the Jaeger is flowing, spirits are high. You can't blame anyone for wanting to see Jimmy Eat World and their summer-friendly pop-rock superhits - except Queens of the bloody Stone Age are on and to miss this would be a crime punishable by death. See you in Strasbourg.
'Feel Good Hit Of The Summer' was designed for this setting, while 'You Think In Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire' is a call to arms that screams: "We've arrived."
Effortlessly blazing through 'First It Giveth' and an anthemic outing of 'No One Knows', Josh Homme and co spit in the face of the challenge that faces them and treat Download like child's play. 'My God Is The Sun' and new cuts from Like Clockwork are the sound of a band running on conviction alone, while the closing of 'Go With The Flow' and 'A Song For The Dead' sets Leicestershire alight with the fire of the Californian desert sun. Hyperbole will not suffice for what Donington just saw. The only flaw was that it ended too soon. Their arena tour is going to be off the scale and Wembley will not be enough. Make damn sure you get down there.
Metal legends Iron Maiden brought Saturday to a close
An unnervingly pleasant surprise comes courtesy of Norwegian nutters Kvelertak, who capture the imagination of everyone in the packed-out Pepsi Max Stage with their nerve-shredding but refreshignly cliché-free of epic but eclectic rock, where metal meets stoner rock and a deviously disguised blast of pop. See them if you can.
Iron Maiden do what Maiden do best with stately 17 song set of classic tales of war, wizardry and all that, while The Hives tear through the tent with the most (and only) danceable set of the weekend, but Queens of the Stone Age already seized the day and laid their claim to the throne. That they can compete among Maiden and co. is impressive, that they wiped the floor with them is outstanding but well-deserved. Put a tenner on QOTSA headlining Download next time around. It's going to be quite a party.
Check back at Gigwise shortly for photos of Download day two
