Dear god, did I just get only two and a half hours sleep?!  We get to Dublin and check in through the Aer Lingus VIP security, very nice especially since everyone is only almost half awake and it's only a few of us.  Get to Birmingham quickly and check in to the hotel for a few hours rest before leaving for Castle Donington for the Download festival.    Download is a mess, a well organized one but a mess and to throw the English completely off their game it's blazingly hot and sunny.....for England anywhere, lot's of lobsters trotting around with their shirts off.   The bus drops us off and a shuttle takes us to the backstage area where Man Raze are going to be playing later that afternoon.   Simon and Paul are there and raring to go.  Go and get some lunch at the catering area and bump into my old mate Corey Taylor who's headlining with Slipknot that night.  He looked fit and lean like he'd been working out but then again, thrashing around every night in Slipknot like he does will keep you that way.  Also see the lovely Cristina from Lacuna coil who gives me a big squeeze and we catch up a while.

Later on it's time to get the show going and there's a really great crowd there to see the guys.  I spend the whole set down in the pit shooting and although the stage was a tad high I still managed to get some good shots.  Lots of photographers in the pit for the first three songs.  I always try to be courteous and duck to avoid blocking someone elses lens as a professional courtesy but there's always one or two that have the manners of a goat in there and just get right in front of what you're doing..  Taking the high road is always best though.  Anyway, the band played tight and loud and got a great respsonse from what Phil said was their largest audience so far.

We bailed out of the festival about an hour after the set and headed back to the hotel in Birmingham.  Got a shower and went over some photos then headed out for an Indian with Phil and Jean who like me were almost falling face down in dinner from tiredness.  The food was well worth staying up for though.  If you're ever in Birmingham then try the Blue Mango Indian restaurant.....top class nosh!