“I booked Def Leppard because they deserve it, because they are big enough to do it,” Copping told RockAAA.
Metallica were strongly rumoured to be appearing this year, but Copping has claimed booking the rock heavyweights for 2011 would have been ‘boring’, but has hinted he will look to bring them back to the festival in a few years.
“Metallica are a great band but if they went away for three or four years then came back then they’d be even bigger,” he said. “When they keep coming back they become boring. Metallica have toured extensively and have been here for seven of the last eight summers. For me that is definitely overdoing it.”
This year’s Download festival will be held at Donington Park between June 10th-12th, with rock favourites System of a Down and Linkin Park joining Def Leppard at the top of the bill.