Andy Copping
The man from promoters Live Nation talks about the Download Pilot event and looks ahead.
It sounds like the Download Pilot at Donington Park last month was a massive success.
I’m struggling for words to describe it. Driving in on Friday morning took me back to the first time
[at Monsters Of Rock at the same site] in 1980. It all flooded back. It’s hard to explain the overwhelming feeling of community.
Was there also an undercurrent of feeling a bit like a guinea pig?
Well, obviously, people had to be [covid] tested to come on site – including me, but the process was fast and easy, and the fans were more than happy to go along with it all.
Were there any cases of people testing positive and being turned away?
We haven’t had the full results of the stats back, but so far as I’m aware everybody got in okay.
And everybody stuck to the regulations, and all ten thousand who came stayed on site for the whole weekend?
That was the beauty of it, everyone followed the letter of the law. For a ‘normal’ Download some fans will camp for five or six days, so everyone knew what they were signing up for. Talking to the fans, it was obvious that they would do whatever they had to do to be a part of the event. Oh my god, I lost count of the times I was told by somebody that their mental health had been suffering, and this [event] was exactly what they needed.
It was no masks, and moshing was allowed? Yeah. Everybody was right on top of each other and it felt completely normal. Many of the bands went out into the crowd, almost everyone did. People were crowd surfing, singing along and feeling the [interpersonal] connection.
This morning’s email from Live Nation says the Pilot “proved a hundred per cent that events will be able to go ahead from this point onward”.
That was fast, and it sounds categorical? By July 19 [when lockdown restrictions in England are due to be lifted] the government will have all of the data to make that decision, but it does sound very hopeful. We [Live Nation] had also done the test event in Sefton Park [attended by 5,000 mask-free pop fans in Liverpool in May], but I was happy to see the rock and metal community enjoy some mainstream media coverage. Our style of music is always at the bottom of the pile, and when we are mentioned it’s usually negative. But this time Download was part of the headlines everywhere and the coverage was universally positive.
Did Live Nation suggest a pilot event to the government, or did they come to you?
After the Sefton Park event they [the government] came to my colleague Melvin [Benn] at Festival
Republic with the idea of a camping event. Melvin asked if we could get a Download bill together in three weeks. I was sceptical, but a team of five people booked forty bands in just six days. Enter Shikari were the first band I approached, and when they agreed within an hour I knew that it could work.
Was there a huge team of boffins from the Scientific Events Research Programme monitoring what went on? Melvin Benn and his team worked closely with the statutory bodies, but we hardly knew they were there. Most of [the process] was done online. Like everyone on site I received an email each morning asking how I was feeling or whether I had any symptoms. It was extremely quick and easy.
Did the SERP team say it was harder to stage a gathering of big, sweaty, moshing rock fans than the one up in Liverpool?
No. The Liverpool event had gone without incident, and I knew that there would not be any issues with our fans. It was probably easier. At Download, everyone helps each other. If somebody goes down in the mosh pit, they get picked up. We’re there for one thing – the music. The fans felt honoured to be a big part of something that could help to get live music and the leisure industry up and running again.
What do you think about the way the government has responded to the challenges of the pandemic?
My opinion tends to change, but mostly I do get it. Sometimes it has felt as though they moved too slowly, but this was unknown territory for whoever was in control. Could anyone else have done better?
Did the government contribute to the cost of staging the pilot?
No. But it’s important to state that the bands did not get paid. Some expenses were covered, but it was very limited. We [Festival Republic] lost money on the event, but we have a vested interest in so many other festivals – Reading and Leeds, Creamfield, Isle of Wight, Park Life and Lattitude – so it was more about getting the industry back on its feet.
We need those other festivals like Bloodstock, Stonedead and Slam Dunk to happen. We’re not involved with them, but I’ve talked to those guys directly and they were all on site. This is where the music community pulls together.
How optimistic are you that we will return to something resembling normality very soon? After last weekend I’m very, very confident that things will open up for all of the other events later in the summer. Sure, there will be certain protocols for them to follow – people will have to show they’ve had a lateral flow test [to gain admission], but if it’s on your phone that’s all you’ll need. And I’m hopeful that will reopen the doors to indoor concerts. We need that. Let’s get gigs happening again, and let’s do it sooner rather than later.