It perhaps should not come as a surprise for a band that’s registered on seismographs (with a little football crowd help), but Metallica received noise complaints over their Download Festival set Thursday night (June 8), with The Derby Telegraph revealing that reports came in from residents hearing the music 15 miles away from the stage in West Hallam.
The paper listed residents in Sinfin, Littleover, Mickleover, Alvaston, Long Eaton, Breadsall, Chaddesden, Spondon, Mackworth and Derby all revealing their ability to hear Metallica’s 16-song set that closed out the Thursday night festivities at Donington Park.
There were a couple of factors that may have contributed to the particularly loud performance, with the paper noting that strong winds and a sound system upgrade may have helped carry the sound further than usual.
In a press release issued Wednesday (June 7), Meyer Sound revealed that they had groundbreaking new production with 288 loudspeakers for the Metallica performance, something that Metallica creative director Dan Braun had stated was meant to “immerse the entire audience.”
“The clarity of the system is breathtaking, and that combined with Bob McCarthy’s brilliant design is giving us a show that sounds spectacular,” said Braun. “I told Meyer Sound that my goal was to have full stereo sound at every point with no overlap, from the centre pit to the nosebleed seats. We wanted everybody to hear the band as if with nearfield monitors, and I think we’ve come closer to that than ever before in a concert setting.”
Derbyshire police revealed that there were a number of noise complaints, ”We’re not able to help with concerns about noise, but North West Leicestershire District Council have provided information around what residents can expect, and what to do if you feel you are experiencing unreasonable noise levels,” while also providing a website with detailed info.
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Residents near Download will get a day’s respite, as Metallica will play their second headline date of the festival on Saturday (June 10). Over, 100,000 people are expected to make their way through the festival gates over the course of the four-day weekend event, which marks the 20th anniversary of the festival.
Be sure to catch Metallica this weekend, as well as all their future dates that currently carry over into 2024. Get your tickets here.
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