I was looking at my Concert List on this blog, and I have pretty strong memories of certain gigs/festivals more than others. There's no pattern either - I can remember some concerts way further back in time than more recent ones, and vice versa. Sonisphere Festival in 2009 is a pretty important one to me, mostly because it was the first music festival I ever attended. Since then, I've attended at least 1 festival every year since (apart from 2020, when COVID put everything to a halt). Sonisphere hasn't existed for a number of years now; the last one was 2016, and here in the UK we haven't had one since 2014 (which I was lucky enough to attend). Anyhow, the point of this blog is just so share my memories of the 2009 Sonisphere in Knebworth, and to see how much of it I can remember. As it happens, I do remember a fair amount of it!
Okay, so the festival was held at Knebworth House in Stevenage, England. It was a big site, and I can still remember a lot of the layout of the arena and campsites because when I returned in 2014, it was still basically the same setup. Anyway, it's about 150 miles from where I live, and just about under 3 hours drive depending on traffic. When I attended in 2009, I was 17 and still a student at Sixth Form college. I didn't own a car until I was 18 and started working full time, so even though I would drive there some 5 years later, for the 2009 festival I went with a group of 6 and we took 2 cars. We went down on the Friday as the campsite was open, but the music in the arena didn't properly start till the Saturday. Nearly every open air festival I've been to since has been longer, with people arriving on Thursday, and the music going on from Friday-Sunday. For whatever reason, the first Sonisphere was different. I don't remember much of the commute there, or what queuing to get in was like. I can only assume there wasn't much of a queue, otherwise I probably would remember. I do recall getting there maybe mid-afternoon, because most of the main campsite we pitched in was already full of tents and drunk people! I also remember that we took a massive 8-man tent with around 4 sleeping compartments big enough for 2 people each - it was actually my tent, but where it is now I have no idea. So basically 6 of us teenagers shared an 8-man tent, and it worked out pretty well.
Sonisphere's line-up was honestly pretty similar to Download Festival. I've actually been to Download twice (2015 and 2019), and I do think the music at Sonisphere was comparable, in that the bigger-name bands are mostly pretty mainstream hard rock/metal acts. But the actual size of Sonisphere was definitely a few thousand people smaller than Download. Still big, but not huge. Honestly, I actually preferred the scale of Sonisphere overall - the campsite was far closer to the arena than Download meaning there was way less walking, and like I said, the music was pretty similar overall.
This being my first ever festival in 2009 however, I had nothing to compare it to. I didn't really know what to expect in all honesty, because I'm pretty sure it was everyone else in my group's first festival too. What I do vividly remember is thinking "What the fuck am I doing here?" within an hour of arrival! Yeah, immediately after pitching the tent, we decided to go for a walk around the campsite. After about 3 minutes of walking, I saw a guy go into a portaloo and lock the door behind him. 5 seconds later the door unlocks, flings open and he's on his hands and knees throwing up on the grass. Maybe 2 minutes after I see a group of blokes having a kickabout with a football, all of them easily aged 30+. Nothing weird then, except one of them was wearing a pair of walking boots and nothing else, just casually kicking the ball to his mates. Of course, seeing weird shit in festival campsites is pretty much the norm, and doesn't exactly phase me anymore. But at 17 years old and a festival novice, I can't say I was quite ready for the way some normal societal rules are effectively thrown out the window at these events.
One thing I was ready for (or at least expecting), was booze. I didn't really start to enjoy the taste of alcohol until I turned 16, when out of nowhere lager suddenly tasted good to me. So I hadn't actually been drinking very long in 2009, and to be honest, shit lager like Carling and Fosters was all I really drank until my early 20s. So that's what I drank all weekend, though I wasn't bringing as many cans of the stuff as I would once I had a couple more festivals under my belt. I'll admit first-hand that I've drank disgusting amounts of beer at festivals over the years, and I still do to this day. At Sonisphere 2009, I remember being drunk on the Friday, but not particularly smashed. I don't remember being especially hungover on Saturday or Sunday because I honestly think I wanted to keep a clear head for the music. Jeez, I definitely don't have that mindset anymore!! But I do remember a couple of my mates passing out next to the bumper cars in the arena on the Sunday morning, so clearly some of us were getting properly plastered. In my first 2 or so years of festival going, I took the music very seriously. I was gonna watch a lot of the bands regardless of whether or not I was even into them. Socialising came second. I want to say it was around Bloodstock 2012 when I started to realise I enjoyed the social camping aspect of festivals just as much as I do the music.
One of the oddest moments of the entire festival was when one of the lads in my group bailed and went home on the Saturday morning. It was around this time in 2009 that the whole swine flu pandemic was happening and was constantly in the UK news. Anyway, said friend in my group got really ill and feverish on the Friday night out of nowhere, and had his dad come pick him up the following morning. While he did look like shit on the Friday, whether or not it actually was swine flu I don't know. Nobody else got ill! But whatever. I don't think his dad was expecting a 300 mile-round drive the next morning!
Thank god for the internet! I've just found a website that has all the stage times on it, so I can actually put them in the correct order of when I saw them. So here's all the bands I watched. Obviously I remember some performances far better than others.
SATURDAY 1st AUGUST:
- SOIL (Saturn Stage): The first band of the entire festival I saw. Wasn't hugely into them, but I don't remember them being terrible or anything. Just not my thing. Like I said, I used to watch a lot of bands on principle when I first started going to festivals. Not so much anymore. I think I watched Soil because I remember my older brother owning one of their albums when he was at school. Still, in the build-up to the band's stage arrival, I remember a roadie walking onto the empty stage and sweeping it with a broom. The crowd cheered for him.
- ALIEN ANT FARM (Apollo Stage): A short main stage set early in the afternoon. I suppose AAF have always been something of a guilty pleasure for me. I'm not familiar with anything they released after Anthology (which was probably their only major hit here in the UK that I remember), but they're a fun band. Who doesn't enjoy a bit of 'Wish', 'Movies' or their cover of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' every once in a while?! A fun performance from what I recall.
- SYLOSIS (Bohemia Stage): These guys have always had something of a cult following here in the UK. I think they're okay. Maybe a tad too metalcore-leaning for my tastes overall, but I liked this performance because it was heavy for 17 year old me back then. Also, they only had 1 album out at the time (2008's Conclusion of an Age, I had to look that up), but I still remember people talking about them a lot even in 2009. Good stuff.
- ANTHRAX (Apollo Stage): Probably my favourite performance of the entire festival. I think I've seen Anthrax more than any other band in my years of gig and festival going, and this was my very first time seeing them live. This and the fact I was already an Anthrax fan, and had been for a few years even when I was 17 made it special by default. What made it that extra bit special however, was the fact John Bush filled in on vocals for the Sonisphere performance. This was around the time Anthrax had Dan Nelson as their singer (a strange period which I had completely forgotten about until now), co-writing several songs for 2011's Worship Music comeback album. He unexpectedly bailed before the album's release, and technically they had no official singer in August of 2009. Hence why John Bush came back to lend a hand, despite being back with Armored Saint at this point. Anyhow, it's the only time I've seen John with Anthrax (I did see him with Armored Saint at Bloodstock a few years later too) - I admit that the John Bush era of the '90s and early 2000s is a little weaker to me overall than that of the Joey Belladonna stuff, but I've always loved the guys voice with Anthrax and Armored Saint. And I might even argue that he was better and more energetic on stage than every time I've seen Anthrax with Joey fronting them. 5 of the 10 songs were Bush-era 'Thrax in the setlist. I wish I could re-live this performance.
- AIRBOURNE (Saturn Stage): The poor man's AC/DC - that's how I've always described Airbourne. There's nothing fancy about their music, but they were memorable here because frontman Joel O'Keeffe climbed all the way to the top of the metal framework to the side of the stage and continued playing guitar whilst he was sat at the top. And it was bloody high up in the sky if I say so myself.
- HEAVEN & HELL (Apollo Stage): Black Sabbath were still touring under the moniker 'Heaven & Hell' at this point, and that always annoyed me. It was of course the Mob Rules/Dehumanizer lineup of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinne Appice, i.e. BLACK FUCKING SABBATH! I guess at this point Sharon Osbourne had already made sure the Sabbath brand couldn't exist without Ozzy. Whatever! Heaven & Hell at the NEC in Birmingham 2007 was actually the first gig I ever saw, but by 2009 they'd also recorded the fantastic The Devil You Know album, so 'Bible Black' and 'Fear' made their way into the setlist next to the other Dio-Sabbath classics. Speaking of, Ronnie himself was still in fine form despite tragically passing away less than a year later (RIP). I'm so glad I got to see him with Sabbath not once, but twice. I also remember the only rain of the festival coming down during their set, which seemed fitting.
- BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE (Saturn Stage): I mean, I don't like BFMV at all. I watched a few of their songs because a couple of the other lads wanted to see 'em. I got nothing else to say really.
- LINKIN PARK (Apollo Stage): The main stage's Saturday headliner. Again, I'm not a Linkin Park fan AT ALL. Honestly, most of their songs irritate me, but I'm still glad I can say I've seen them with Chester Bennington (RIP). I may not like this band as such, but I understand their popularity and importance. What I didn't expect was Chester's other band, Dead by Sunrise to come out mid-set and play 3 songs. For some reason, I had it in my head that they played way more than 3 songs, but that may have just been because I wasn't into them at all, and the crowd weren't really receptive to them either from what I remember.
- THUNDER (Bohemia Stage): Supposedly their final show at the time, but they'd reunite again in 2011 and have recorded several albums since! Don't remember a great deal because I was pretty far back since they started right after Linkin Park and the tent stage was already packed full of people. Classic hard rock though, kind of a cult band here in the UK. I've only ever owned their debut, Backstreet Symphony, but I've always liked that record.
- THE WILDHEARTS (Bohemia Stage): Probably the most unexpectedly enjoyable performance of the weekend for me. Also, they were just 1 of 2 bands I got right to the front barrier for (the other being Saxon on the Sunday), so that probably helped. I say 'unexpectedly enjoyable' because I always found the Wildhearts to be somewhat punky and occasionally even poppy, and I wasn't really into that sound as a teen. Great, energetic performance. Very fun. I certainly don't remember them coming on stage at 12.15am!! At Bloodstock this year, I was asleep by midnight on the Saturday! Then again, I'm 33 now - Sonisphere 2009 was almost half my lifetime ago!
SUNDAY 2nd AUGUST:
- PARADISE LOST (Saturn Stage): I remember absolutely zilch of these guys, all I know is that I did catch a few of their songs!
- SAXON (Saturn Stage): I got right to the front for Saxon. I remember being to the left side of the stage, near Doug Scarratt's position. One of my favourite performances because like Anthrax, Saxon have been one of my favourite bands since forever, and this too was the first time I ever saw them live. I've seen them many times since, and I'm even seeing them again next month. Anyhow, it being on the 'mid-size' stage in the early hours of the afternoon meant it wasn't the longest setlist, but what they did play was awesome. Into the Labyrinth hadn't been out very long at that point, so they opened with 'Battalions of Steel'. I remember some brief volume issues with Nigel Glockler's drums during 'Battalions', but it was luckily fixed rather quickly. They also played 'Let Me Feel Your Power' from 2007's The Inner Sanctum, a rather important record for me personally. The crowd were chanting "Saxon, Saxon" by the end of the set, and rightly so. I used to wear a Dean Guitars-branded baseball cap back then. Doug was endorsing Dean guitars at the time, and playing them on stage. I remember he looked me right in the eye and nodded at me at one point during the set as I was stood right in front of him. That made the 17 year old me feel great, and in my head it was because he acknowledged my hat!
- LAMB OF GOD (Apollo Stage): I'd actually already seen LoG in support of Heaven & Hell a couple years prior to this. The 2007 performance sticks in my head more than the Sonisphere one, but I do remember lead guitarist Mark Morton not being there. According to the Sonisphere Wikipedia page, he was with his wife as she was due to give birth to their baby at the time, so a guy from Unearth filled in for him. Like I said, I can't remember much else. I saw LoG again headlining Bloodstock in 2013, and I barely remember that performance either because me and my mate smoked too much weed and spent the entirety of the set discussing how awesome a grindcore band with yodelling vocals would be!
- MASTODON (Saturn Stage): I was pretty far back for this one. I wasn't really into Mastodon at that point (despite the fact Crack the Skye was new at the time and for most people, their masterpiece album), but my mate was. The band were starting to get really popular at this point, and every following time I've seen them has been a longer setlist/headlining slot. I do remember enjoying this set however, and buying both Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain within a few months of the festival.
- MACHINE HEAD (Apollo Stage): The Blackening was still their latest record at the time, and they were still riding the hype train. As overrated as I think Machine Head are sometimes, they've been bloody good each time I've seen them. This performance was no exception. I recall multiple circle pits going on during 'Halo'.
- FEEDER (Saturn Stage): I kinda wish I'd seen more of Feeder the more I think about it today. I haven't seen them since, and I only caught a few of their songs. Just a nice and straightforward rock band with lots of fun songs that I've been digging since before I was even a teenager thanks to their songs being on games like Gran Turismo 3. I even have Echo Park and Comfort in Sound. At least I can say I've technically seen them, albeit briefly!
- LIMP BIZKIT (Apollo Stage): I felt like I wasn't supposed to like Limp Bizkit as an edgy teenage metalhead, but deep down I always kinda have! Needless to say, Fred Durst knows how to control a crowd, and Wes Borland was wearing a white suit and weird blue face paint. Impossible to forget that image!
- ALICE IN CHAINS (Saturn Stage): I've only seen Alice in Chains twice, both times being at Sonisphere funnily enough. Anyway, William DuVall was still kinda new to the band at this point if I'm not mistaken? I wasn't aware of him until I saw the band here anyway. I remember being really impressed by his vocals and stage presence. That's about all I have to say really. A solid and enjoyable performance, but not a favourite of the weekend for me.
- NINE INCH NAILS (Apollo Stage): One of the festival highlights for me. Until the Friday night, I'd literally never heard a NIN track in my life. When we were walking around the festival grounds and drinking on the Friday night, there was an open air DJ blasting tunes in the arena. 'Closer' came on, and that was the first time I ever heard NIN. Anyhow, it got to Sunday night and I got to see Trent Reznor and co. for real. It was the quietest performance from a rock act I've ever seen, because a handful of the songs were dark, depressing ballads like 'Something I Can Never Have', 'Lights in the Sky' and 'Hurt'. You could literally talk at normal volume, yet the crowd were still really into it, as was I.
- AVENGED SEVENFOLD (Saturn Stage): The Saturn stage's Sunday headliner. I only caught a few of their songs because I never was an A7X fan. But some of my friends were.
- METALLICA (Apollo Stage): Sunday's biggest headliner. Obviously I was psyched for Metallica; they are one of the bands that made the biggest impact on me and my musical tastes/journey, and one of the bands I credit most with my obsession of heavier music. They were still promoting 2008's Death Magnetic at this point, so naturally a few tracks from that record were played. Fine with me, because other than the production, I've always been a big Death Magnetic fan. I don't remember them playing 'Dyers Eve', but according to Setlist.fm they did which was cool! They also covered Queen's 'Stone Cold Crazy', like they did on Garage Inc.. James Hetfield's 46th birthday the following day, and this was announced on stage. Someone threw a pie at his face on stage if I remember correctly!! The perfect headliner to end the festival, as you'd expect from Metallica.
Writing this piece and studying the lineup/schedule has brought back a lot of memories of this festival that I'd otherwise forgotten about. I didn't really know what I was doing as a first-time festival goer, but everyone's gotta start somewhere! Of course, since Sonisphere 2009 I've been avid fan of music festivals, and I have my own routines and checklist of things I bring every year. Back then I didn't even bring a camping chair with me, I just sat on the ground for the entire thing. Not a fucking chance am I sitting on the ground in the campsite these days! Looking at the stage times and schedules again makes it seem as if Sonisphere was actually really well thought-out. There was barely, if any, overlap between bands on the 2 main stages (Apollo and Saturn). Maybe on the Bohemia tent stage, but that's understandable. Bloodstock can be really poor sometimes when it comes to bands clashing; I've missed out on watching plenty of things because I've had to pick one band over the other due to clashing stage times. Didn't seem like much of an issue at Sonisphere.
I was kind of surprised at how clearly I can remember some of these performances. It being my first festival probably makes it all the more memorable. Anyway, this was a fun trip down memory lane for me. I might do another one of these articles about another particularly memorable festival for me at some point down the line.
