Having seen the rumours circulating online and heard the rumour on the radio today, Clear Channel, in its capacity as Download Festival promoters, has issued the following statement

"We are huge Metallica fans at Download and would be honoured to have them performing at our festival. However, they are not playing at Download. We gather a rumour was started when we added Apocalyptica to the bill earlier this week."

ummmm!!!

The set list was as follows:

Blackened kicked in on guitar with an intensity you can't appreciate unless you were there, the drums followed then the energy went to levels above even most 'tallica gigs. The whole of blackened was blistering, then No remorse seemed to ring out as the song that should follow and it kept the intensity right up there. Harvester kicked in and broke my back clean in half, the first time it's been played in 8 years odd the shouts of ey ey ey ey ey kicked in way before any prompt from the band. The song seemed fully loaded with intensity putting every dB right down your cochlea like a hydraulic press. Sanitarium came in and provided the first chance to have any semblance of a break since the 'tallica boys took the stage. Then when the song gets going intensity again whack on max. The new one frantic (which I am listening to right now) seems surprisingly well known seeing as the album is still unreleased, but hey this is a secret gig and everyone's here. A future classic to be sure. Sad but true finishes off any excuse for a back I had, vertebrae by vertebrae. St.Anger Sonicates the bones of my body to dust, and quakes my cerebral fluid another fuking classic. James sez he wants everyone in Donnington to know the 'tallica boys are here and this is the song to do it with. Puppets kicks in with obvious consequences, shit the shouts of master were so loud from the crowd I could hear it at the front echoing off the tent. Creeping death again amazing die die die die fuker. LOud LOUd LOUd LOUD. Damage inc ripped my head off and I still managed to sing every 'blood will follow blood'. If I were rating this gig out of 5 clean 5 Honesty is my only excuse. By this time medical style metaphors aside my body was bruised around the ribs and hips very badly.

Ed Glenn (Metedfucker) 05/June/2003