STUART GALBRAITH

The mastermind behind Sonisphere’s Big 4 shows thinks they were even better than Monsters Of Rock

When did you start wanting to pull together a Big 4 event?

“It all tied in to Sonisphere. With John Jackson of K2 [Agency], we came up with the concept of a new festival that wouldn’t just be based in the

UK, but would work on a touring basis. We approached two bands – Iron Maiden and Metallica – and they both bought into it, and for several years they were part and parcel of Sonisphere. Part of the reason Metallica agreed to Sonisphere’s proposal was the idea of bringing the Big 4 together, so we worked on doing that for the 2010 event. We had some magnificent shows – literally history-making, and now never to be repeated. It was an honour to be part of that.”

How many shows did you attend? “I was at all of the shows! The atmosphere was stunning from the minute we opened the gates, right up to the final chord Metallica would play that night. That was the case everywhere we went; the sense of history wasn’t just backstage, but also front of house. A lot of people recognised it was probably the only time they were ever going to get the opportunity to see those titans together, plus it’s a given by this point they’ll go down great no matter where they play.”

How did it feel to bring the show to the UK?

“I think the Big 4 shows ended up being better than even Monsters Of Rock. I was involved with Monsters Of Rock from 1984 up to the last one in 1996 at Milton Keynes Bowl, and later did the first five years of Download Festival. I’ve done a lot of shows over the years, but Knebworth is an iconic location, so to get the

Big 4 to that place and add them to the list of bands like Led Zeppelin and Genesis that had played there – especially considering it was the only Big 4 show ever played in the UK – was amazing.”

As the biggest of the four bands, why do you think Metallica’s sets were so important?

“I think without them it becomes hard to measure the rest of the scene’s achievements – you wouldn’t necessarily talk about a Big 3 in the same way. Metallica play stadiums wherever they go, and there are very few acts that can do that on a global scale.”