Big Day Out headliner clash 'a slap in the face'

Herald online

8 Jan, 2014 06:35 PM3 mins to read

The Big Day Out will be held on January 17 at Western Springs Stadium and Park in Auckland.

A Big Day Out fan has called the festival's end-of-night log jam between headlining acts a "slap in the face".

Last night's timetable release shows punters face a major decision at the close of next Friday's festival: Rocking with Pearl Jam, moshing with the Deftones, or enjoying the smooth gangster rap of Snoop Dogg.

As with many past Big Day Out festivals, the trick may be to see a little of all of them when the Big Day Out hits Western Springs Park and Stadium - a new venue after the event took 2013 off.

Pearl Jam will play a two-and-a-quarter hour set - not a whopping three hours as was initially rumoured - beginning at 7.45pm on the main 'Kowhai' stage.

Snoop Dogg's set runs for an hour on the Aroha stage, starting at 8pm, while the Deftones play for an hour on the Tamaki stage from 9pm.

Other acts on at the same time include dance stars Dillon Francis (Lake Side stage, 8.15pm) and Steve Angello (Lake Side, 9.30pm), while masked metallers Ghost are on the Tamaki stage at 7.15pm.

A small number of Herald readers posted angry responses to the timetable, with one calling the end-of-night clash "a slap in the face".

"Putting three of the headliners on at the same time is beyond stupid. Its a slap in the face for the price paid per ticket when there is so much time that all the bands could have been fit in with minor clashes if any at all," said a commentator called Grant S.

And a reader called Johnboy said: "I'm so disgusted by the Pearl Jam/Deftones clash - I've paid $185 to see one decent band. Epic fail on the part of the organisers."

However, another fan said it wouldn't be a Big Day Out timetable without clashes and advised fans to "move around at your leisure depending on how you feel".

Promoter Campbell Smith defended the line-up on Twitter shortly after its release, saying:

Fans shld know that myriad of factors go into scheduling, not least Artist requirements as to playing times, when planes arrive, lots.

Further highlights revealed from the timetable include a 90-minute set from fellow headliners Arcade Fire (Tui stage, 6.15pm), Kiwi metal act Beastwars firing up the Kowhai stage at 12.25pm, and an hour-long early evening slot from Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye (Kowhai, 5.15pm).

The last act of the night will be dance kingpins Major Lazer who should have things wound up by 11pm.

The biggest Kiwi act on the bill, the Naked and Famous, perform on the Tui stage at 2.35pm.

At 135 minutes, Pearl Jam's headlining set will still be the longest played by a Big Day Out headliner - and at some Australian legs they'll hit 150 minutes.

The previous record was set by Metallica at 120 minutes in 2004.

A site map for the event, released late last night, also reveals new details including the location of VIP areas and the Immortals

* See the full timetable here and the site map here.