DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL Second Stage Named After DIMEBAG DARRELL
April 24, 2007The organizers of this year's Download festival, set to take place June 8-10 at Donington Park, Leicestershire, England, have issued the following update:
"We are proud to announce the second stage at this year's festival will be called The Dimebag Darrell Stage. One of rock's great guitarists, Darrell was shot dead in 2004 while performing on stage. His bands PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN and REBEL MEETS REBEL all had great success, and festival organisers felt that this was a fitting tribute to a legendary man that has influenced and inspired many great bands."
Vinnie Paul, Dimebag Darrell's brother, and drummer in PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN and REBEL MEET REBEL, commented: "I am proud to announce we have the privilege of honoring my brother Dimebag Darrell by naming the second stage after him... This is a huge honor and I'm sure the blacktooths will be flowin'!!!!! This tribute to Dime will bring a special vibe to the Download/Donington Festival which he was part of several times and loved it... Dime's legacy continues to grow, and he lives through his music and spirit, and for the second stage to be named after him in association with the Download/Donington Festival, which is such a legendary event and landmark in rock history, is truly rock royalty!!!!!!! Getcha pull!!!"
Download Festival promoter Andy Copping paid tribute to the man himself: "Reflecting on the spirit of Download and Donington, we wanted to come up with some way of remembering Dimebag Darrell. The idea of naming a stage after him came to mind immediately. Anyone who met Dimebag, saw him play or listened to his music knows that they were in the presence of someone very unique and very special. Dimebag Darrell was one of us and if he wasn't in a band, he'd be at Download in the crowd moshing and drinking and air guitaring with the rest of us.....you can tell he loved what he did and it makes it all the more fitting that we can honour his memory by naming a stage at Download after him. Sadly he has gone but he will never, ever be forgotten. Dimebag Darrell — Download and Donington salutes you"
The Download festival is a three-day rock/metal/punk festival held annually at the spiritual home of rock music in England — Donington Park, which hosted the Monsters of Rock festivals between 1980 and 1996, and 2002's Ozzfest. It takes place in early summer, and is owned and managed by Live Nation.
Download festival 2006 — which featured headliners TOOL, METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES — was said to be a huge success, with 75,000 visitors each day.
For more information, visit www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
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