Music Festival Australia: Big Day Out 2006 was a complete success

Music Festival Australia: Big Day Out 2006 was a complete success

More than 40,000 people attended yesterdays BDO in Melbourne and danced to the big beat
By: Oliver Koester
January 30, 2006
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MUSIC fans gathered for the Big Day Out in Melbourne yesterday, celebrating 4 decades of rock history and enjoying a fair and beautiful summer day.

The major Australian music event The Big Day Out kicked off in Princess Park, Carlton, yesterday. Blessed with excellent weather conditions, more than 40,000 music fans shruggeg off inevitable teething problems at its temporary home and had an awesome time. The Melbourne Showgrounds, the usual home of the annual rockfest, is being revamped.

A smaller site spared fans long treks between stages to 71 acts including The White Stripes, Iggy Pop and the Stooges and Franz Ferdinand. Lord Mayor John So, who helped find the new site, was a crowd favourite on the main stage as he pronounced Melbourne Australia's rock capital. "Melbourne is the live music capital of Australia, perhaps the world," he told thousands of fans gathered to salute Geelong rockers Magic Dirt.

But the close proximity of the seven stages resulted in overlapped riffs and beats, which annoyed many fans. Lucy Mann, 20, from Ballarat, said The Grates' set was marred by noise from '80s-style power rockers Airbourne. "The stages are too close together," Ms Mann said. "You could hear a lot of what was happening elsewhere."

But Lauren Trask, 24, of Carlton, said Grates lead singer Patience easily matched the grunt of Airbourne frontman Joel O'Keefe with her powerful vocals. Brighton sisters Fiona and Yvette Tew praised the venue. "The line-up was great and everyone was having a fun time," Fiona, 17, said. That wasn't the case for the 120 people treated by St John Ambulance volunteers for heat-related illnesses before 6pm.

A huge crowd withstood the heat to cheer Australia's latest rock success Wolfmother. The Sydneysiders looked out on a sea of crowd surfers as eager fans threw themselves around to hits Mind's Eye, White Unicorn and The Joker and the Thief.

International pop-rockers Franz Ferdinand held the biggest sing-a-long of the day, with everyone in the crowd belting out the words to 2004 smash Take Me Out. But many preferred to see At The Drive In offshoots The Mars Volta. Iggy and the Stooges welcomed the night on the main stage almost 40 years after they formed. It would have been a hard act to follow for anyone but Detroit rock duo, The White Stripes. The headline act made a day of sweating worthwhile, with signature tune Seven Nation Army the perfect end to a Big Day.

Event organiser Vivian Lees said the show went well. "It is an excellent audience today," he said.


Resource: Herald Sun - January 30, 2006