After a year-long break, the Big Day Out is back in Auckland this week.
Be prepared. It's not called the Big Day Out for nothing. Photo: Getty Images
It’s at a new venue, with Western Springs Stadium taking the place of Mt Smart Stadium, but some of the acts will be familiar if you've been in recent years. Though it’s the first time headliners Pearl Jam have performed at the Big Day Out, they toured New Zealand in 2009. Sharing the bill for this year’s festival is Arcade Fire, who played in 2007; Tame Impala, in 2010; CSS and Deftones, both in 2011.
The Wireless spoke to a Big Day Out veteran, who didn’t want to be named, but says this year’s line-up feels like they’re pitching at the late-30s crowd. “Pearl Jam; Arcade Fire, a band with a young audience that can also make the cover of Mojo; The Hives have sort of had their day…
“It’s an okay line-up; it’s just not adventurous. I’m looking forward to a lot of it, but I think Laneway’s picked up the slack as a so-called ‘alternative’ festival.”
In terms of filling the gap left by Blur, I think there’s something poetic about Liam stepping in for Damon Albarn.
The veteran points out that BDO bills are tailored to an Australian audience. “In the past we’ve had some pretty terrible Australian bands, which no one here gives a damn about, heading the bill.” Naming no names (except Powderfinger).
And, of course, the festival was dealt a blow when Blur pulled out of the line-up in November, with the hasty addition of Beady Eye, Deftones and The Hives a poor replacement in the eyes of many Britpop fans. “In the scheme of things, it’s a terrible email or phone call to get,” he says. “Blur’s a bigger proposition than Beady Eye or Deftones together, but I think they handled it the right way.”
Sam Wicks of Radio New Zealand’s Music 101 is picking Snoop Dogg (“aka Snoop Lion”, as he’s been billed on the promotional material) and Beady Eye.
“Beady Eye are what they are, but Liam Gallagher is good value,” says Wicks. “And in terms of filling the gap left by Blur, I think there’s something poetic about Liam stepping in for Damon Albarn.”
“It’s about discovery,” says Wicks. “The beauty of Big Day Out is you don’t know what your festival was like until the end of the day – there’s this whole kind of narrative that plays out.
“It has given New Zealanders the chance to see a whole lot of bands we would never otherwise have got.”
“Since the first announcement, I’ve been operating entirely under the assumption that every single person going to the Big Day Out is going for PEARL JAM and PEARL JAM alone,” says musician and The Corner contributor Matthew McAuley over email.
“If, as a Big Day Out patron, this is you, and I’m very certain that it is, I can strongly recommend PEARL JAM. If you plan on seeing anything else during the day, I’d go with THE ARCADE FIRE for bombast, MAJOR LAZER for sweating off the inevitable three-hotdog dinner and SNOOP LION because duh, of course it’ll be 99 per cent back catalogue classics.”
Shahlin Graves, of the online magazine Coup De Main, is looking forward to Major Lazer’s set – “not for the music so much, but I’m really excited to see Diplo’s zorb,” she says. When Diplo performed at Coachella, he got into a zorb, and ran on top of the crowd – like a sort of safety-conscious crowd-surfing.
“I can’t imagine Diplo letting the organisers not let him have his zorb,” says Graves. “I’m pretty sure it’s part of his festival show experience.”
BDO’s new home is Western Springs, encompassing the stadium, sports field, and part of the park, beside the lake behind Museum of Transport and Technology (or MOTAT as it's ususally called).
“For the sake of your beautiful skin wear a LOT of sunscreen, for the sake of your beautiful life do NOT enter the lake,” writes McAuley.
bFM’s Lucas Jensen-Carey describes BDO as a party festival. “People go there to have a good time, and may end up forgetting all of the acts that they've seen due to certain substances they've imbibed, but at the end of the day, they've had fun.” He’s looking forward to Snoop Lion: “How can you go past a legend like Snoop?”
Gates open at 11am.
If you’re looking to be close to the stage, you’ve got to pick your battles.
Take a packed lunch and an empty water bottle to fill up at the venue. There is food for sale at the festival in the Chow Town food village. bFM's Friday drive host, Jack Riddell says this year he’s going to eat everything there “because everything looks delicious and I want it in my stomach ASAP”. Inbetween trips to the food stalls, he's also hoping to catch his top musical picks Tame Impala, Beast Wars and Primus.
As there is no official parking at the venue, and you get a free bus ride or train connections from Britomart with your ticket, you are encouraged to take public transport (details here). Give yourself plenty of time, and be prepared to wait.
Alternatively, there will be bike racks by the gate, if you want to ride the Northwest Cycleway to the venue.
Once you’re in, the BDO becomes an exercise in endurance. “If you’re looking to be close to the stage, you’ve got to pick your battles,” says Wicks. “When Deftones take the stage, it’ll get rough up front. Same with Pearl Jam. There will be folks camping out at the front of the stage so they can see Pearl Jam, or whatever.”
As Michael McClelland, another writer for The Corner, says: “Pack a new pair of legs. Confront assholes you catch stealing valuables. Don’t get misdirected and lose your friends. Don’t get wasted and lose your friends. Be prepared to see people from your high school, and in overpowering force.”
“Prepare for all eventualities” says Lucas Jensen-Carey: “hat, sunscreen, raincoat, covered shoes. It can get messy, so wear clothes you don't mind having to throw out.”
The event finishes at 11pm.
