In a recent interview with Kerrang!, frontman Patrick Stump opened up about his feelings regarding returning to Download Festival, where the band will be headlining this time. Stump stated:
“No pressure! I feel like it’s a little bit scary as it’s a big deal. But we’re also at this point when we’ve done a lot of big deals and somehow, it’s worked out, so I’m also amazed to see that.”
Fall Out Boy is set to headline Download Festival for the first time. The band, who will be headlining alongside Queens Of The Stone Age and Avenged Sevenfold, returns to Donington exactly ten years after their last appearance. They previously performed as the opener for Linkin Park.
Comparing it to when he sang the national anthem for the Chicago Cubs at the World Series, Stump reflects:
“When I got up there and the lights hit me, it was terrifying. I thought I’d suck, but also thought enough people think I do okay at this that they asked me to do it, so we’ll see what happens. I did it and it was fine, so that’s how I feel about Download. Part of me is like, ‘Really?!’ but here we are, 22 years after we started, going from playing in a cafeteria to Download. I’m waiting to see what happens.”
Patrick Stump’s Ultimate Metalfest Line-Up Revealed
When asked who he would include in the lineup if given the chance to create his own heavy festival, Patrick Stump responded:
“One of my favorite hardcore bands ever is a band called Left For Dead, so I’d want to see them. I would love to see Sepultura with Max and Igor Cavalera back in the band. I also really love Disembodied.”
In the hardcore music scene, Fall Out Boy stands out as an unexpected choice among enthusiasts. Frontman Patrick Stump emphasizes the band’s unique position, stating:
“We’re an anomaly, a sort of pop-rock hybrid, yet we all share a profound connection to heavy music in our personal lives. Consider us the pop band for the metal and hardcore youth; it’s been our identity from the start.”
Stump recalls a defining moment at a hardcore festival where Fall Out Boy shared the stage with heavy bands like Terror and Every Time I Die:
“We were the lone pop presence, and the response was, ‘That’s cool, but we really want to mosh.”
Fall Out Boy will headline the Saturday night of Download Festival next year, taking place at Donington Park from June 14 – 16.
