The first headliners for next year's Download Festival have been announced: Avenged Sevenfold and Rob Zombie. Download, held every year in Donington Park, England, is one of the largest rock-oriented music festivals in the world (we're talking heavy rock here...not the same scene as the average alt-rock based American festival). It's a three day affair, but A7X and Zombie have been the only acts announced thus far.
Both Sevenfold and Zombie played the festival during the 2011 event, with the former opening for System of A Down on the Main Stage, and Zombie headlining the Second Stage. We presume that the festival intends both acts to headline the main stages, but nothing can be assumed at this point.
By only announcing two headliners, festival planners have left room for debate and suspense over who the third main act will be. Download typically features some arena-sized acts on its bill, such as Rammstein and Iron Maiden last year. A7X and Zombie are huge in the rock world, but don't hold down quite the same size venue on tour.
Primary organizer Andy Copping has said recently that his three dream acts for the festival include Led Zeppelin, the original Guns 'n' Roses lineup, and Van Halen. The last of the three is a distinct possibility for 2013, as Van Halen played its first international shows since 1984 recently. Zeppelin is an extremely long shot; all the members are still good pals, but don't see much of a purpose for reuniting (although they played a one-off in 2007. Guns 'n' Roses are at near impossible odds, as Axl Rose wouldn't even meet with his former bandmates for their Rock 'n' Roll HAll of Fame induction ceremony.
