Metallica to Headline Reading

Metallica, Linkin Park and Blur will headline Britain's biggest summer music festival, the three-night, two-city 2003 Carling Weekend. Blink-182, the White Stripes and System of a Down lead the main stage undercards for the event, which runs from August 22nd to the 24th in Reading and Leeds.

The Leeds leg of the weekend, usually held at Temple Newsam Park, is still subject to permit approval. Last year's event was marred when Guns n' Roses played past the scheduled 12 a.m. stop time and a group of rioters clashed with police and burned garbage bins and portable toilets. Organizers are considering a backup venue for this year's event. Assuming the paperwork goes through, Metallica, paired with System of a Down, will play Leeds Friday the 22nd and Reading on Sunday; Linkin Park, paired with Blink, will play Reading Friday and Leeds Saturday the 23rd; and Blur and the White Stripes will play Reading Saturday and Leeds Sunday.

Other bands confirmed for the weekend include Sum 41, the Music, Beck, Doves, Placebo, the Datsuns, AFI, Courtney Love, the Mars Volta, the Polyphonic Spree, the Streets, Hundred Reasons and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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