The Big Day Out

The Sydney Big Day Out had an amazing international line-up this year, with something for every taste. This also meant the crowds naturally spaced themselves out, instead of bunching in one place when the bigger acts were on, such as Pearl Jam and Snoop Dogg. 

A light rain at the start of the day sent punters running for cover, so there was some congestion in the boiler room – which worked out great for local Canberra boys, Peking Duk. They did a killer set to the enormous crowd, pumping out their current single, ‘Mufasa’, on which they collaborated with Laid Back Luke. The guys have cited Luke as a huge influence on them, even before having the chance to work with him. 

There was still a decent crowd who braved the weather on the Red Stage for All the Colours – a great ease-into-the-vibe band with their dreamy electro pop-rock. They also treated fans to some classic covers: ‘I Want You (She’s so Heavy)’ by the Beatles; and ‘Break On Through (To the Other Side)’ by The Doors, for which guitarist/vocalist Joshua Mann channelled such an accurate Jim Morrison it was almost frightening. The keys were bang-on too – for that song it was like being transported back to 1970.

Once the weather cleared up, all the outside stages were in full swing. DZ Deathrays smashed it up at the Orange Stage, soon followed by the legendary Tame Impala, who of course drew a massive crowd to headbang, scream and dance all over the place. 

Straight after that, the crowd grew a little larger for some of the weirdest rock legends around: Primus. Les Claypool and the guys were in fine form, and the reaction they drew from their audience was 70% awe, 30% jumping around. Punters were loving it in the most fascinated way. 

Next up was the Swedish band who truly knows how (and loves) to rock out: The Hives. The band threw themselves all over the place (with lead vocalist Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist clearly deciding not to limit himself to the stage) and the crowd went nuts for hits from their past albums including ‘Hate to say I told you So’ and ‘Tick tick boom’. The energy was up and building momentum. 

Party-people over at the JBL Essential Stage seemed infected by this energy, with local metalcore boys Northlane delivering a tight, powerful set that had the sizeable crowd moshing hard. Lead singer Adrian Fitipaldes is clearly a seasoned performer, showing not just exemplary singing vocals, but first-class screaming and growling skills too.

Following Northlane were Vista Chino. They may have slunk under some people’s radar because of a recent name change (they were previously known as Kyuss), but a huge swarm of dedicated fans were still in attendance. Their purist stoner-rock has been tuned to perfection over the years, and the crowd drank it up, clearly not planning to budge until their idols finished their set. 

If Vista Chio were somewhat soothing with their style, Swedish doom-rockers, Ghost, kicked that atmosphere right out of the way once they took the stage. Mesmerizing in their dramatic costumes – all the band dressed in black bishop robes with Darth Vader masks – bar the lead singer, who dresses as the Pope with a skull for a face – the audience had no choice but to keep their eyes locked on stage, while a wall of guitar sounds and deep soaring vocals transcended everything.

No time to rest on your laurels once that spell was broken though – by that time, Pearl Jam and Snoop Dogg had already begun. While Snoop drew cheers rapping to ‘all the sexy Sydney ladies’, Eddie Vedder was giving Aussies a rap for keeping their gun laws under control, saying how awful he found it that shootings were happening all the time in America. 

The fans crammed into the Blue Stage for Pearl Jam was by far the largest crowd – of course being headliners, the day had been leading up to that – and the boys truly had what it took to please an audience that big. Sweating, yelling and rocking out lots of old stuff, and lots of newer stuff, Vedder was just as full of life as in his Vitalogy days. It seems that all time has done is weather his face a little, and bring great wisdom and peace to his personality. After finishing a killer rendition of ‘Spin the Black Circle’ – a hit that brought the band fortune and fame – Vedder gave kudos to a certain ‘Australian barstard’ who had once said: ‘It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll’. Vedder’s humble attitude was truly heart-warming, even inspiring. 

Those that weren’t the beneficiary of Pearl Jam magic weren’t missing out – around the corner, more legends – the Deftones – were doing their thing. Greek-Swedish DJ Steve Angello was rocking the boiler room, and Major Lazer finished the night off on a high after Snoop took his chilled vibes off stage. 

No matter where you went this year at the Sydney Big Day Out, there were tons of punters having fun. With the diverse crowd the festival pulled, that was no mean feat. Good planning meant the enormous numbers of people spaced themselves out in a way that naturally avoided unmanageable situations, and the festival security kept everyone safe and hydrated throughout the 12-hour event. 

The Big Day Out may have changed a lot over the years, but it’s truly changed in a good way. This year’s amazing headliners were testament to that, and the crowd-loving reactions they all deservedly received. If next year is anything like 2014, it’ll definitely be worth getting your ticket quickly. 

The Big Day Out