Sonisphere Festival
{{Short description|Annual English touring music festival}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox music festival
| music_festival_name = Sonisphere Festival
| image = Sonisphere Main Stage.jpg
| caption = Main Stage at Sonisphere Festival in Kirjurinluoto, Pori, Finland.
| location = Europe
| years_active = 2009–2016
| dates = June / July / August
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| website =
}}
The Sonisphere Festival was a touring rock music festival which took place across Europe between the months of June and August. The festival was owned by John Jackson and Kilimanjaro Live. It was jointly promoted by K2 and Kilimanjaro Live.{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5689268.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615175104/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5689268.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 June 2011 |title=British leg of rolling tour sees Knebworth ready to rock again, just like the Seventies | work=The Times | location=London | date=9 February 2009 | access-date=23 May 2010 | first=Patrick | last=Foster}} It hosted heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Slayer, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold and Babymetal (the latter group would make their UK debut at the 2014 event).
The festival has not taken place in the UK since 2014. Stuart Galbraith, chief executive officer of Kilimanjaro Live, revealed in 2018 that Sonisphere will not return to the UK, due to financial issues.{{cite web | url=http://www.musicweek.com/live/read/it-doesn-t-make-sense-to-run-sonisphere-in-the-uk-stuart-galbraith-on-kilimanjaro-live-s-festival-future/071364’ |title=It doesn't make sense to run Sonisphere in the UK| work=Music Week | date=6 February 2018 | access-date=16 June 2018}}
Event history
The idea for Sonisphere was first conceived by John Jackson in the late 90s. Jackson chose the name Sonisphere, from a combination of Sonic and Sphere. In 2008 Stuart Galbraith had formed business partnership with AEG Live called Kilimanjaro Live. John Jackson approached Stuart Galbraith with the idea of a pan-world touring festival that aligned with Kilimanjaro Live's plan for a UK festival. John Jackson is the Creator and Director of Sonisphere and Galbraith the Producer.
The first run of festivals ran throughout the summer of 2009 at six venues, returning in 2010 and 2011 with 11 venues.
Plans for future festivals consist of increasing the number of festivals, making the event global rather than local to Europe, expanding the UK event into a 3-day festival, and increasing the UK capacity from 40,000 to 60,000 attendees.{{cite web |url=http://cde.cerosmedia.com/1T4a113dce0d82a702.cde |title=Interview with Stuart Galbraith, pages 14 and 15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312093435/http://cde.cerosmedia.com/1T4a113dce0d82a702.cde |archive-date=12 March 2012 }}
Sonisphere 2009
The 2009 Sonisphere festival tour was made up of six one-day festivals across Europe with a seventh festival in England spanning two days. The festival had a core group of bands that played each of the six dates with a number of extra bands added to each date individually. The locations for the 2009 festivals include Goffert Park, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Hockenheimring, Germany; The Forum, Barcelona, Spain; Folkets Park, Hultsfred, Sweden; Kirjurinluoto, Pori, Finland; and Knebworth House, Knebworth, England. Metallica were the main headliners for each of the 2009 Sonisphere Festivals.
= Netherlands =
The Dutch edition of the Sonisphere Festival took place on Saturday 20 June 2009 at Goffertpark in Nijmegen.
Mastodon could not make it to Sonisphere due to scheduling issues. This was announced at Sonisphere itself, although some{{weasel inline|date = August 2010}} heard the news whilst traveling.
The Sword cancelled their show a few days before Sonisphere began.
= Germany =
The German edition of the Sonisphere Festival took place on Saturday 4 July 2009 at Hockenheimring with Metallica as headliners.
= Spain =
The Spanish edition of the Sonisphere Festival took place on Saturday 11 July 2009 at The Forum, Barcelona with headliners Metallica.
- Down
- Gojira
- Lamb of God
- Machine Head
- Mastodon
- Metallica
- Slipknot
- Soziedad Alkoholika
- The Eyes
- Blaas Of Glory
= Sweden =
File:Jimmie Strimmell, Dead by April.jpg
The Swedish edition of the Sonisphere Festival took place on Saturday 18 July 2009 at Folkets Park, Hultsfred with Metallica as headliners.
= Finland =
File:Sonisphere pori linkin park panorama 20090725.jpg
The Finnish edition of the Sonisphere Festival took place on Saturday 25 July 2009 at Kirjurinluoto Arena, Pori with Metallica as headliners.
- Diablo
- Lamb of God
- Linkin Park
- Los Bastardos Finlandeses
- Machine Head
- Mastodon
- Metallica
- Saxon
- Turisas
- Blaas Of Glory
Machine Head were forced to cut their set short, due to lead guitarist Phil Demmel collapsing on stage.
= England =
The British edition of the Sonisphere Festival took place over two days, on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August 2009, at Knebworth House, Knebworth with headliners Linkin Park (Saturday) and Metallica (Sunday). The festival featured four stages of music over the weekend, with the main two being staggered staging, the others being within the Bohemia village.{{cite web |url=http://uk.sonispherefestival.net/2009/04/the-rumours-are-true-not-two-stages-at-sonisphere-there-are-three-instead/ |title=Sonisphere UK announce 3 stages |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225032933/http://sonisphere.co.uk/ |archive-date=25 December 2012 }} The Bohemia stage (the third of four stages) was an undercover stage and was able to continue past the sound curfews placed upon the main stages. This was The Rev's final live performance as Avenged Sevenfold's drummer before his death in December 2009. It was also the last European appearance of Ronnie James Dio before he died of stomach cancer in May 2010.
- Avenged Sevenfold played their final concert with The Rev before his passing on December 28, 2009. The band's final song together was Almost Easy.
- Dead by Sunrise appeared on the Apollo Stage on the Saturday night as part of Linkin Park's encore.
- Coheed and Cambria were late arriving, due to them missing their ferry and as such were moved onto the Bohemia stage to play a later slot originally intended for the band FACT. As such, FACT played the Apollo stage.
- Lamb of God's guitarist Mark Morton missed the band's slot on 2 August as his wife was due to give birth around that time. Unearth's Buz McGrath filled in for him for the band's show at Sonisphere UK.{{cite web |url=http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/lamb-of-gods-morton-to-miss-sonisphere/ |title=Lamb of God's Morton to miss Sonisphere |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922074109/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/lamb-of-gods-morton-to-miss-sonisphere/ |archive-date=22 September 2012 }}
- Nine Inch Nails performance was said to be their last in Europe as they were set to stop touring at the end of that tour after 20 years. Ultimately the resumed touring, returning to the UK in 2013 at Reading and Leeds festivals and playing several dates in the UK in May 2014.
- Thunder played their last set as well after 20 years of performing.
- Anthrax played what was billed as a one-off show with former vocalist John Bush as the originally intended vocalist, Dan Nelson, was no longer part of the band.
- Machine Head pulled out when Limp Bizkit's addition bumped them down the bill; however, they did return to play the fourth slot on the Apollo stage as Special Guests.
- Frank Turner pulled out for undisclosed reasons, though he has claimed to fans that he was forced to choose between this festival and Leeds and Reading festivals, ultimately choosing the latter.
- Fear Factory cancelled tour dates for what they claimed to be recording of a new album, but was ultimately found out to be legal disputes over the use of the name Fear Factory.
- Thin Lizzy pulled out as the band parted ways with guitarist-vocalist John Sykes.
- Dirty Little Rabbits pulled out before the festival due to their drummer suffering from exhaustion after months of touring with Slipknot.
- The Ataris pulled out after one of their members contracted swine flu.{{cite web |url=http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/bohemia-headliners-pull-out-of-sonisphere/ |title=Bohemia Stage Headliners pull out |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922074237/http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/bohemia-headliners-pull-out-of-sonisphere/ |archive-date=22 September 2012 }}
Sonisphere 2010
The Sonisphere 2010 tour visited eleven locations around Europe between 16 June and 8 August 2010. The locations for Sonisphere 2010 were Poland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Spain, United Kingdom, Sweden and Finland. Unlike in 2009, there was not a core group of headliners performing all dates. The headliners for 2010 were Iron Maiden, Metallica and Rammstein.
=Poland=
Warsaw, Poland was the host city for the first of the 2010 festivals; that was first announced on 9 December 2009. The 2010 Sonisphere in Poland took place on 16 June 2010. Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, bands which make up the big four of thrash metal, played together for the first time.{{cite web |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=131967/ |title=Blabbermouth.Net |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=11 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230014544/http://www.blabbermouth.net/ |archive-date=30 December 2012 }}
=Switzerland=
Switzerland was the second nation to host the Sonisphere festival in 2010 with the event taking place at Degenaupark in Jonschwil on 18 June 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=132067|title=Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax were confirmed for Sonisphere in Switzerland}}
=Czech Republic=
Czech Republic hosted the festival in Milovice on 19 June 2010; this was also a one-day festival. Metallica headlined this event.
=Bulgaria=
Bulgaria held its first Sonisphere over two days in Sofia on 22 and 23 June 2010. The venue was the Vasil Levski National Stadium.{{cite web|url=http://bg.sonispherefestivals.com/|title=Sonisphere Bulgaria 2010|publisher=Sonisphere Bulgaria 2010|access-date=4 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111035650/http://bg.sonispherefestivals.com/|archive-date=11 January 2013}}
Day 1 – Tuesday 22 June
Day 2 – Wednesday 23 June
This concert was also broadcast live around the world in movie theaters as part of the Big Four Tour. This was the first time in their history that all four bands played together on one stage, performing the Diamond Head song "Am I Evil?".[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=146442 'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria': New DVD Trailer Released] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127033516/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=146442 |date=27 January 2016 }} blabbermouth.net. 21 September 2010. Retrieved on 2010-10-01.
=Greece=
The Sonisphere festival in Greece was held on 24 June 2010 at Terra Vibe Park in Athens in front of 30,000 people.{{cite web |url=http://www.rockpages.gr/detailspage.aspx?id=3578&type=3&lang=EN |title=Concerts – Sonisphere Festival: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Bullet For My Valentine, Stone Sour, Suicidal Angels – Terra Vibe, Malakasa, Greece |publisher=Rockpages.gr |date=24 June 2010 |access-date=11 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315130020/http://www.rockpages.gr/detailspage.aspx?id=3578&type=3&lang=EN |archive-date=15 March 2012 }}
=Romania=
=Turkey=
Turkey held the Sonisphere festival at the same time as Romania: 25 to 27 June 2010. This part of Sonisphere was at the BJK İnönü Stadium in Istanbul. Akbank sponsored the event.
Day 1 – Friday 25 June
- Alice in Chains
- Black Tooth
- Pentagram
- Rammstein
- Stone Sour
Day 2 – Saturday 26 June
Day 3 – Sunday 27 June
The Big Four were on the stage one after another, but did not play altogether.
This was the first time Rammstein and Anthrax came to Turkey.
The bass player of Manowar, Joey DeMaio, made a speech to the audience in Turkish.
=Spain=
Spain hosted Sonisphere on 9 and 10 July 2010, at Getafe Open Air in Madrid.
Day 1 – Friday 9 July
- Anathema
- Bullet for My Valentine
- Faith No More
- Porcupine Tree
- Saxon
- Slayer
- Suicidal Tendencies
- Volbeat
- W.A.S.P.
Day 2 – Saturday 10 July
=United Kingdom=
Sonisphere arrived in the UK for a three-day festival, taking place at Knebworth House between Friday 30 July – Sunday 1 August. Music included a 'Rocky Horror Show'' theme with Alice Cooper, and headliners Iron Maiden and Rammstein.
Day 1 – Friday 30 July
- 65daysofstatic
- Alice Cooper
- And So I Watch You from Afar
- Bigelf
- Blaas Of Glory
- Black Spiders
- Chrome Hoof
- Deaf Havana
- Delain
- Europe
- Fei Comodo
- Gary Numan
- Hawk Eyes
- Karma to Burn
- Lower Than Atlantis
- Sylosis
- Terrorvision
- Throats
- Turisas
- Winnebago Deal
Day 2 – Saturday 31 July
- Anthrax
- Apocalyptica
- Audrey Horne
- Blaas Of Glory
- Corey Taylor
- earthtone9
- Enforcer
- Evile
- Family Force 5
- Fear Factory
- Feeder
- Gallows
- Good Charlotte
- Heaven's Basement
- InMe
- Katatonia
- Lacuna Coil
- Little Fish
- Mötley Crüe
- Outasight
- Papa Roach
- Placebo
- Polar Bear Club
- RSJ
- Rammstein
- Sabaton
- Sick of It All
- Skunk Anansie
- Soulfly
- Therapy?
- Turbowolf
- Young Legionnaire
Day 3 – Sunday 1 August
- Alice in Chains
- Army of Freshmen
- Blaas Of Glory
- Bring Me the Horizon
- CKY
- Dir En Grey
- Fightstar
- Funeral for a Friend
- Henry Rollins
- Iggy and the Stooges
- Iron Maiden
- Karnivool
- Kylesa
- Love Amongst Ruin
- Madina Lake
- Pendulum
- Rise to Remain
- Sacred Mother Tongue
- Skindred
- Slaves to Gravity
- Slayer
- Sweet Savage
- The Cult
- The Defiled
- The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
- The Union
- The Xcerts
== Band dropouts ==
- Outcry Collective pulled out due to the band breaking up.
- Municipal Waste pulled out due to exhaustion and injury.
=Sweden=
Sweden hosted Sonisphere in Stockholm on 7 August 2010 for a one-day festival. Iron Maiden announced via their official website that the band would headline the Swedish event. The following bands performed at the event.{{cite web |url=http://se.sonispherefestival.net/sonisphere-festival-med-iron-maiden/ |title=Sonisphere Festival med Iron Maiden till Stockholm 2010 | Sonisphere Festival Sweden, Stockholm |publisher=Se.sonispherefestival.net |date=9 December 2009 |access-date=11 November 2010 }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Heaven & Hell cancelled due to Ronnie James Dio's illness and later death.{{Citation|title=2010 Tour Cancellation |url=http://heavenandhelllive.com/?p=162 |year=2010 |journal=Official Blog |access-date=19 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623013430/http://heavenandhelllive.com/?p=162 |archive-date=23 June 2010 }}
=Finland=
Sonisphere finished its tour in Finland, where tickets sold out in 2009. It was held on 7 and 8 August 2010, at Kirjurinluoto Arena Pori. Iron Maiden and HIM headlined the event.
A freak storm hit Sonisphere in Finland on Sunday 8 August 2010, causing severe damage to the second stage, rendering the stage unsafe and unusable. Two people were seriously injured and one died in hospital.{{cite web|url=http://yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/08/storm_victim_dies_of_injuries_1899919.html |title=Storm Victim Dies of Injuries | News | YLE Uutiset |date=12 August 2010 |publisher=yle.fi |access-date=11 November 2010}} The Heaven & Hell show was cancelled before the beginning of the festival due to Ronnie James Dio's health issues. He died on 16 May 2010.
Day 1 – Saturday 7 August
Day 2 – Sunday 8 August
Sonisphere 2011
Sonisphere returned in 2011 with new venues in India, France and Italy but did not return to Romania. It also marked the first time that Metallica played in India. The first headliner announced for Knebworth, England was Slipknot.
=UK=
Sonisphere Knebworth took place from 8 to 10 July 2011.[http://team.sonispherefestivals.com/s.php?t=10&m=28 Official promo of Sonisphere Festival UK 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830141128/http://team.sonispherefestivals.com/s.php?t=10&m=28 |date=30 August 2011 }} On 3 December 2010, it was announced that the American band Slipknot would headline Sonisphere 2011.Bhamra, Satvir. [http://amplified.tv/2010/11/18/sonisphere-2011-knebworth-dates-announced/ Sonisphere 2011 Knebworth dates announced] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630233137/http://amplified.tv/2010/11/18/sonisphere-2011-knebworth-dates-announced/ |date=30 June 2012 }} amplified.tv. 18 November 2010. Retrieved on 2010-11-18. Soon afterward, on 6 December it was announced that Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro would be headlining the Saturday night, in the band's first major festival headlining performance.{{cite web|url=http://amplified.tv/2010/12/06/biffy-clyro-to-join-slipknot-at-sonisphere/|title=Page Not Found|access-date=21 July 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802085305/http://amplified.tv/2010/12/06/biffy-clyro-to-join-slipknot-at-sonisphere/|archive-date=2 August 2012}}
On 13 December 2010, it was announced that Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax would headline the Friday of the Knebworth event. This will be the first time that The Big Four perform together in the UK.Bharma, Satvir. [http://amplified.tv/2010/12/13/the-big-4-to-headline-sonisphere-knebworth/ The Big 4 to headline Sonisphere Knebworth] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802074758/http://amplified.tv/2010/12/13/the-big-4-to-headline-sonisphere-knebworth/ |date=2 August 2012 }} amplified.tv. 13 December 2010. Retrieved on 2010-12-14.
On 17 January 2011, it was announced that Motörhead, Mastodon, In Flames and Parkway Drive will be playing the UK leg of Sonisphere.Sonisphere Festival UK {{cite web |url=http://uk.sonispherefestivals.com/news/motorhead-mastodon-in-flames-parkway-drive/ |title=Sonisphere Festival - 2012 |access-date=7 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225032933/http://sonisphere.co.uk/ |archive-date=25 December 2012 }} Sonispherefestivals.com 17 January 2011. Retrieved on 2011-01-17. On 31 January 2011, it was announced that Weezer, Airbourne, Architects and Diamond Head will be playing Sonisphere.{{cite web|url=http://amplified.tv/2011/01/31/4-more-bands-added-to-sonisphere-lineup|title=4 more bands added to Sonisphere lineup|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724022355/http://amplified.tv/2011/01/31/4-more-bands-added-to-sonisphere-lineup/|archive-date=24 July 2012}} On 28 February You Me at Six, All Time Low, Sum 41, House of Pain, Arch Enemy, Grinspoon, Fozzy and Periphery were added to the lineup.Davies, Alan. [http://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/eight_more_added_to_sonisphere_2011_festival_at_knebworth_1_815134 Eight more added to Sonisphere 2011 Festival at Knebworth] whtimes.co.uk. 28 February 2011. Retrieved on 2011-03-08. On 28 March Bill Bailey, Jarred Christmas, Jason John Whitehead, Jim Breuer, and Steve-O were added to the lineup.Bhamra, Satvir. [http://amplified.tv/2011/03/28/bill-bailey-to-headline-sonisphere/ Bill Bailey to headline Sonisphere] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314231649/http://amplified.tv/2011/03/28/bill-bailey-to-headline-sonisphere/ |date=14 March 2013 }} amplified.tv. 28 March 2011. Retrieved on 2011-03.29. According to the official site, during all three days of event, nearly 190,000 people were present. Cancer Bats performed a Black Sabbath tribute show. Motörhead dedicated their set to their former guitarist Würzel who died just the day before. The Saturday July 9 show opened at 11:30AM with a performance by Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine.
=Sweden=
Sonisphere in Sweden returned to Stockholm, but it was held at "Globen Open Air" on Saturday 9 July 2011. Slipknot headlined the event, with In Flames, Mastodon, Mustasch and Dead by April also playing at the festival. Only 16,000 fans came to see the bands this time.
=Finland=
Sonisphere in Finland took place at Kalasatama, Helsinki on 2 July 2011. Slipknot headlined the bill with the other bands performing included: In Flames, Opeth, Sonata Arctica, HammerFall, Mastodon and more. As opposed to past two years, the 2011 Sonisphere was less well attended, with attendance of only 12,000 fans.
=Poland=
Sonisphere Poland returned to Bemowo Airport, Warsaw on Friday 10 June 2011. Iron Maiden announced on their website that they would headline the event in Poland in 2011. Motörhead was confirmed as the second headliner of the festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.ironmaiden.com/iron-maiden-to-headline-sonisphere-festival-in-poland.html|title=Iron Maiden to Headline Sonisphere Festival in Poland|publisher=Iron Maiden official website|date=14 December 2010|access-date=17 December 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://pl.sonispherefestivals.com/2010/12/iron-maiden-headlinerem-motorhead-druga-gwiazda-sonisphere-festival-2011/|title=Iron Maiden to headline! Motörhead the second star of Sonisphere Festival 2011|publisher=Sonisphere Poland official website|date=20 December 2010|access-date=20 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223110746/http://pl.sonispherefestivals.com/2010/12/iron-maiden-headlinerem-motorhead-druga-gwiazda-sonisphere-festival-2011/|archive-date=23 December 2010}} Other bands announced were Mastodon, Volbeat, Killing Joke, Devin Townsend, Hunter and Made of Hate. Iron Maiden played to the crowd of over 40,000 people who attended the event.{{cite web|url=http://bloodbrothers.pl/relacje.php5?id=23|title=Iron Maiden to Start Sonisphere Festival in Poland|publisher=Iron Maiden FC|date=14 June 2011|access-date=16 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325190652/http://bloodbrothers.pl/relacje.php5?id=23|archive-date=25 March 2012}}
=Greece=
Sonisphere in Greece returned to Athens and it took place in Terra Vibe Park, Malakassa on Friday 17 June 2011. Iron Maiden headlined the event, and Slipknot were special guests, playing live for the first time since Paul Gray's death. Mastodon, Gojira and Virus were the supporting acts.{{cite web |url=http://gr.sonispherefestivals.com/ |title=Sonisphere Greece - 2011 |access-date=9 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622085827/http://gr.sonispherefestivals.com/ |archive-date=22 June 2011 }} {{citation needed|date = April 2011}} On 6 May it was announced that Nightfall, Moonspell, Need and Total Riot would play on 17 June 2011. Rotting Christ were the headliners of the second stage of the Greek leg of Sonisphere Festival. More than 25,000 fans attended the event.
=Italy=
Sonisphere 2011 took place on Italian soil for the first time. More than 40,000 people were present during two days of festival. The two-day event was booked at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, on 25 and 26 June 2011. Iron Maiden were the headliners on the first evening, and the band performed to nearly 30,000 fans. Next day's headliners were Linkin Park with 13,000 in attendance. The other bands on the bill were: Slipknot, My Chemical Romance, Sum 41, Alter Bridge, The Cult, Mastodon, Motörhead, Guano Apes, Funeral for a Friend, Papa Roach, Rob Zombie, Apocalyptica and others.
=France=
Slipknot and The Big Four confirmed that they would be headlining the French Sonisphere event, which took place on 8 and 9 July 2011. Other bands announced were Dream Theater, Airbourne, Mastodon, Gojira, Loudblast, Tarja, Volbeat, Diamond Head, Mass Hysteria, Rise To Remain, Symfonia, Bring Me the Horizon and Papa Roach.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} The two nights attracted 76,000 people.
Metallica performed Helpless from Diamond Head, with Diamond Head and Anthrax members on stage, but without Slayer and MegadethMetal Traveller [http://www.metaltraveller.com/en/gigs/metallica/sonisphere_2011.html Metallica at Sonisphere France comcert review] MetalTraveller.com 20 January 2014. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
=India=
On 1 May 2011, Metallica confirmed on their official website that they would headline the Indian edition of Sonisphere, which took place in Bangalore on 30 October at the Palace Grounds.{{cite web|url=http://www.metallica.com/news/20110501_news.asp|title=Page Not Found – Metallica – Page Not Found – Metallica|website=www.metallica.com|access-date=21 July 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101170603/http://www.metallica.com/news/20110501_news.asp|archive-date=1 January 2013}}
=Spain=
The third Spanish Sonisphere Festival took place on 15 and 16 July 2011, at Getafe Open Air in Madrid. The main headliner was Iron Maiden with The Darkness and Slash headlining the night before. Sonsphere Spain included around 70,000 attendees. Iron Maiden played to a full house venue with nearly 45,000 fans.
=Turkey=
Iron Maiden headlined the second Turkish Sonisphere show, which took place on 19 June 2011, at Maçka Küçükçiftlik Park, Istanbul. Other bands that played included Slipknot, Alice Cooper, Mastodon and In Flames. Tickets were sold to approximately 25,000 people.
=Bulgaria=
A Sonisphere event was scheduled to happen this year in Bulgaria but according to local promoter Marcel Avram and Balkan Entertainment the event was cancelled due to logistical and other problems that could not be rectified. The promoters also said that these problems were out of their control and that full refunds for tickets would begin on 15 June and continue to 15 July.[http://bg.sonispherefestivals.com/2011/06/sonisphere-bulgaria-2011-cancelled/ Sonisphere Bulgaria 2011 Cancelled] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103123828/http://bg.sonispherefestivals.com/2011/06/sonisphere-bulgaria-2011-cancelled/ |date=3 November 2012 }} bg.sonispherefestivals.com. 14 June 2011. Retrieved on 2011-06-14.
=Switzerland=
Sonisphere returned to Switzerland for the second time. The event took place at St. Jakob on 23 and 24 June in Basel. Over two evenings more than 35,000 people attended the headlining shows. 23 June headliner was Judas Priest with the Epitaph World Tour at the St. Jakobshalle; the next evening's headliner was Iron Maiden, who performed to almost 25,000 fans gathered at Leichtathletik Stadion. The other bands were: Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, In Extremo, In Flames, Papa Roach, Kreator, Mr. Big, Hatebreed, HammerFall, Alter Bridge, Gojira, Gwar, Skindred and more.
=Czech Republic=
For the second time, Sonisphere took place in Czech Republic. The 2011 event was originally scheduled for Milovice Airport, but after a few months was changed to Praha's Výstaviště Park. Nearly 30,000 people from Czech Republic and multiple other countries (Poland, Germany, Austria) attended the headlining gig of Iron Maiden on 11 June 2011. Other bands on the bill included The Sisters of Mercy, Kreator, Korn, Mastodon, Cavalera Conspiracy and others.
Sonisphere 2012
=UK=
Sonisphere Knebworth was scheduled to take place from 6 to 8 July 2012. On 20 February 2012, the headliners were announced as Kiss (Friday), Queen + Adam Lambert (Saturday) and Faith No More (Sunday). Several bands were set to play an album in its entirety, including Mastodon performing The Hunter, Glassjaw performing Worship and Tribute and Hundred Reasons performing Ideas Above Our Station. On 29 March the festival was cancelled with the organisers stating that co-ordinating the festival to an appropriate standard this year had proved more difficult than expected.{{cite web|url=http://sonisphere.co.uk/news/sonisphere-knebworth-is-cancelled/|title=Sonisphere festival cancelled|access-date=29 March 2012|work=sonisphere|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112143654/http://sonisphere.co.uk/news/sonisphere-knebworth-is-cancelled/|archive-date=12 November 2012}}
=Poland=
Poland hosted Sonisphere on 10 May 2012, at Bemowo Airport.
=Spain=
Spain hosted Sonisphere on 25 and 26 May 2012, at Getafe Open Air.
Day 1 – Friday 25 May
- Corrosion of Conformity
- Kobra and the Lotus
- Kyuss Lives!
- Limp Bizkit
- Machine Head
- Orange Goblin
- Paradise Lost
- Rise to Remain
- Skindred
- Sonata Arctica
- Soundgarden
- The Offspring
Day 2 – Saturday 26 May
=Switzerland=
=Finland=
Finland held Sonisphere on 4 June 2012, at Kalasatama.
=France=
France held Sonisphere on 7 and 8 July 2012, at Amneville.
Sonisphere 2013
=UK=
In December 2012, organisers announced the festival would make a return after cancelling that year's edition in Knebworth. However, on 21 December it was confirmed the event would be cancelled for the second year in succession, citing a struggle to secure a strong lineup for the festival.{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/20811231/sonisphere-uk-rock-festival-is-cancelled-for-2013|title=Sonisphere UK rock festival is cancelled for 2013 – BBC Newsbeat|work=BBC News |date=21 December 2012|access-date=21 July 2017}}
Sonisphere 2014
=UK=
{{anchor|2014}}
It was announced on 12 November 2013, that Sonisphere would return to Knebworth, UK, from 4 to 6 July 2014. The festival would celebrate 40 years of Rock Music at Knebworth Park. Sonisphere would come to Hamburg, Germany on 4 June 2014.
On 2 December Iron Maiden (Saturday) and Metallica (Sunday) were announced as the first two headliners of the UK edition of Sonisphere. This would be Iron Maiden's final show of their highly successful Maiden England World Tour. It was also revealed when Metallica were announced, that fans booking weekend tickets would be eligible to vote for 17 of the 18 songs in Metallica's setlist (The 18th to be one of their new songs). On 11 December The Prodigy were announced to be headlining the Friday slot. On 6 January, Slayer, Mastodon, Alice in Chains, Ghost, Karnivool, Gojira and Airbourne were added to the lineup as undercard bookings. Then on 21 January, Limp Bizkit were revealed to be the special guests for The Prodigy on the Friday, with Dropkick Murphys, The Sisters of Mercy, Anthrax, Chas & Dave, The Devin Townsend Project, Carniflex, Silverstein, The Virgin Marys, Voodoo Six, TessaracT and Alestorm also appearing across the weekend.
For the first time at a UK festival, the pro wrestling company Progress Wrestling held three shows at The Satellite Stage on all three days. The shows were well received and considered on multiple music sites "Best at Sonisphere 2014", especially after a "Lego Deathmatch" was held on the final night.
Sonisphere also later revealed on their official Facebook page, that they plan to continue their tradition of having no stage clashes between the two main stages (Apollo & Saturn stages), but the other stages would run as normal.
The capacity of the 2014 UK festival was 60,000.{{cite web |title=Sonisphere 2014 |url=https://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/sonisphere/2014 |website=eFestivals |access-date=14 December 2020}}
==BABYMETAL's debut==
The 2014 Sonisphere event would also feature one of the most anticipated sets in the festival's history, the United Kingdom debut of then-unknown Japanese death metal trio BABYMETAL. The original plans for Sonisphere event planners was that the group would have a late Day 3 evening set in the Bohemia tent; however, after BABYMETAL's music video for their wildly popular song Gimme Chocolate! released, the event planners decided to move their set to early Saturday morning on the main Apollo stage.{{cite web |url=http://sonisphere.co.uk/line-up-poster/ |title=Line Up Poster |author= |date=7 May 2014 |website=Sonisphere Festival UK |access-date=9 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811104657/http://sonisphere.co.uk/line-up-poster/ |archive-date=11 August 2014 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.babymetal.jp/schedule/ |title=Babymetal World Tour 2014 Live Schedule |access-date=9 May 2014 |website=Babymetal.jp |publisher=Babymetal}}{{cite web |url=http://www.babymetal.jp/ |title=Babymetal Tour Dates |date=7 May 2014 |website=Babymetal Official |access-date=9 April 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://sonisphere.co.uk/news/uk-brace-for-babymetal/ |title=UK Brace for Babymetal |author= |date=8 April 2014 |website=Sonisphere Festival UK |access-date=9 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817225009/http://sonisphere.co.uk/news/uk-brace-for-babymetal/ |archive-date=17 August 2014 }}
Sonisphere 2015
=Italy=
Italy held Sonisphere on 2 June 2015, at Assago Summer Arena.
=Switzerland=
Switzerland held Sonisphere on 6 June 2015, at ExpoPark Nidau-Biel.
=UK=
Sonisphere UK 2015 was cancelled in January 2015 after the organisers stated they couldn't get a line-up together they deemed suitable for the event.{{cite web |url=http://sonisphere.co.uk/news/no-sonisphere-knewborth-in-2015/ |title=No Sonisphere Knewborth in 2015 « Sonisphere Festival UK |date=16 January 2015 |website=Sonisphere Festival UK |access-date=18 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120005749/http://sonisphere.co.uk/news/no-sonisphere-knewborth-in-2015/ |archive-date=20 January 2015 }}
Sonisphere 2016
=Switzerland=
Switzerland held Sonisphere on 3 and 4 June 2016, at Allmend in Lucerne.
Day 1 – Friday 3 June
- Gojira
- Iron Maiden
- Sabaton
- The Raven Age
- The Wild Lies
- Tremonti
Day 2 – Saturday 4 June
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
{{Commons category|Sonisphere}}
- {{Official website|www.sonispherefestivals.com}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090822025128/http://www.vexedmag.com/2009/08/feature-sonisphere-coverage-feat.html Vexed Sonisphere Festival Coverage – Feat Interviews with Taking Back Sunday, The Used and more]
{{Rock festivals}}
{{Anschutz}}
{{Major British Music Festivals}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Music festivals established in 2009
Category:Rock festivals in the United Kingdom
Category:Music festivals staged internationally
Category:Heavy metal festivals in Europe
Category:Rock festivals in England
Category:Rock festivals in the Netherlands
Category:Rock festivals in Finland
Category:Rock festivals in Sweden
Category:Rock festivals in Spain