The world changed on August 16, 1980, or at least the corner of it where heavy rock lived did. That sodden late summer Saturday saw upwards of 40,000 denim-clad longhairs gather in a field in the East Midlands to witness the birth of an event that would play a huge part in shaping the decade to come: the inaugural Monsters Of Rock festival.
It was far from being the first outdoor mega-gig. Monterey, Woodstock, the Isle of Wight, Bath, Reading Rock And Blues Festival, Glastonbury Fayre, the California Jam… all of them had carved out their place in history, generating their own legends and folklore, heroes and villains.
