Monsters of Rock 1985

Well the first thing to point out is that The ‘Monsters of Rock’ tag was actually dropped for some reason. Instead we got ‘ZZ Top – Rockin’ The Castle’. The lineup when announced looked a bit lame, but actually turned out solid. Four of the bands on the bil  went on to HUGE success.

Openers Magnum were introduced by Tommy Vance as “one of the UK’s most underrated bands”. Relatively local lads (Birmingham) they were always able to toe the line between heady art rock, melodic hard and commercial pop.

It was a really good opening set from a professional, experienced band who tried their best to get the crowd going. Engaging and catchy, familiar and credible, these were well crafted songs, played with passion and belief, including new ones from their recent album On A Storyteller’s Night.

Next up were Ratt. It was actually their first gig on UK soil. They were charismatic and played with commitment. With the sun out that year, they brought a little bit of their native California to the day, infusing their brand of hard rock with serious pop hooks.

Stephen Pearcy shouted ‘FUCK’ a lot. His sign off at the end of Ratt’s well received set was the inspired and subsequently much copied ‘ See ya later Muthafuckers’.

Metallica were relatively unknown in the UK when they took to the stage as the third band. By the end of their show, everyone there knew that they’d just seen something special. Fast, furious and fantastic is what it was.

This set catches them after their first two albums Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning, and just before they deliver their masterpiece Master of Puppets. “We came here to bash some heads. Are you with us?” yelled Hetfield. Indeed we were.

Clearly good showmen, they put on a crowd-pleasing act in the blazing sunshine with their goofy grins and good time rock n roll.

Their performance was strong, though they were received with indifference. Their short set featured only 7 tracks Bon Jovi were a fairly new name at the time, their meteoric rise to mega stardom was still a year away. My personal favourite was “Runaway,” which rode to glory on E Street Band-mate Roy Bittan’s distinctive keyboard riff, an often-overlooked minor gem from the early days of hair metal.

Marillion were a prog rock band who managed to appeal a hard rock audience. They were enjoying popularity at the time. They’d had two top 3 singles and played most of their new album on the day. Their Neo-Prog sound had become acceptable in the UK and they had built up a big following amongst metal fans after consecutive appearances at the Reading Festival, namely 1982 & 1983.

Their current album (at the time) Misplaced Childhood was an elaborate concept based on lyrics born out of a Fish acid trip. With its lush production and punchy mix, the album went on to become the band’s greatest commercial triumph and it worked live too. For many, they were the highlight of the day.

ZZ Top were probably the biggest rock band on the planet when they took to the stage that night. Their album ‘Eliminator’ had gone through the roof and they sensibly played 7 tracks from it.

Compared to previous Donington headliners this was a very pared down show. No pyrotechnics, no gimmicks, no long solos and no banter. They didn’t need it.  Just good old honest rock n’ roll, tight and well-rehearsed. A compelling mix of down-and-dirty blues-rock with colorful MTV hits.

Playlist featuring nearly all songs above here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2sk64pfuSjCjk8LvJsGBed?si=9149af75792047ce