1980: Tragedies and Triumphs- Part 2
First of all, I owe a debt of gratitude to KramerTunes for saving me from committing a very fatal error in my first post of Tragedies and Triumphs. How stupid would I have looked if I had gone through 1980 and not mentioned the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. His death from asphyxiation caused by too much alcohol intake would shock the rock world to its foundations and resulted in the band calling it a day on the grounds they couldn’t continue without him.
Bonham would serve to be a major influence on not only drummers who were around at the time like Joey Krammer, Roger Taylor and Peter Criss, he continues to influence many a rock drummer to this very day. Drummers like Tommy Lee, Dave Lombardo and Dave Grohl all site John Bonham as their biggest influence as well. He created a legacy for rock drummers that will never die and I feel slightly sick that I won’t be going to see Led Zeppelin tribute band Whole Lotta Led when they come to Stroud this Friday night.
Now the triumph. In 1980, the first of what was to be a line of great metal festivals took place at Donington Park near Derby in England on August 16 of said year. Rainbow would be the headliners for this mammoth event and supporting were the likes of Judas Priest, The Scorpions, April Wine, Saxon and Riot. From what I’ve read and heard from people who were at the event, there were a lot of near mishaps including a pyrotechnics explosion the night before. Plus the rainfall on the previous days cause a quagmire on the actual day. Still, as can be expected, metal won the day and it turned out to be the start of a legacy that would go on for over a decade. (Although it can be argued that it still goes on under the name of Download.)
If you want to read more about this historic event, click this link:
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/donington-1980.html
Many years have their own triumphs and tragedies and in 1980, the rock/metal world had more than its share. Especially as one more was yet to happen. Still, we can reflect back to the good times and raise a glass to those who left us.
R.IP. John Bonham
Next Post: Thin Lizzy- Chinatown
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London
This entry was posted on October 7, 2013 at 12:19 pm and is filed under 1980s, Concerts, Death, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal and the 1980s, Music, Rock, Uncategorized with tags April Wine, British, Classic Rock, Donington Festival, hard rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Rock, History, John Bonham, Judas Priest, Led Zepplin, Rainbow, Riot, Saxon, The 1980s, The Scorpions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
8 Responses to “1980: Tragedies and Triumphs- Part 2”
Leave a reply to 80smetalman Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
October 7, 2013 at 1:14 pm
I’ll forgive you for the oversight about Bonzo since you’ve rectified it here, but you spelled the name of my blog incorrectly. That’s just unacceptable. Haha. The “triumph” here sounds like a pretty amazing show.
LikeLike
October 7, 2013 at 7:21 pm
From what I’ve heard it really was an excellent show. Sorry about my incorrect spelling, I got a non existent “r” stuck in my head. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have forgotten Bonzo.
LikeLike
October 7, 2013 at 6:13 pm
That was one of the great Donington lineups I’ve got an LP of performances from it which is excellent. Riot and Saxon especially.
LikeLike
October 7, 2013 at 7:22 pm
Were you there? If so, I’m very jealous, lol.
LikeLike
October 7, 2013 at 8:28 pm
No, I’d have been about 5 then haha! No, it’s just a great bill and I’ve heard quite a few of the performances on that LP I mentioned and as bonus tracks etc… I’d have loved to have seen it. I only ever made it to one Donington much later on… in fact, I think it was the last one before it stopped and became Download. KISS and Ozzy headlining.
LikeLike
October 7, 2013 at 8:37 pm
What year was that? I went to 1983, 86-88 and 90. In fact one of the reasons I came to study in the UK was so I could go to Donington. Great memories. I’m going to have to get a hold of that LP.
LikeLike
October 7, 2013 at 9:22 pm
It was 96 that one. They had the 2 stages and, being Scottish, I got horribly sunburned! It was the 1st KISS UK reunion show in makeup. The highlight for me was seeing Type O Negative though. The played for about 30mins so they only managed 3 songs!
I’m extremely jealous of you attending on all those years, that’s incredible!
I put up info about that LP here if that helps!
http://heavymetaloverload.com/2012/10/24/monsters-of-rock/
LikeLike
October 8, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for the link and that 96 show sounds like it was really kick ass!
LikeLike