Big Day Diary

Online Entertainment Editor MEGAN GIBB takes in the 10th annual Big Day Out music festival in Auckland.

10.10pm

After an hour of Metallica, following a short break where the band left the stage, returning after huge "More, more" chants, I decide my tired body can't take any more and call a taxi for home. Which leaves me another problem...finding the right one, looks like noone else is ready to leave, and there's more taxis than people out past the entrance. Disappointed to miss Scribe, but I figure he'll be touring again soon.

Glad my job is reporting for the Herald, not cleaning up the mountains of rubbish left behind. It'll be a big job for someone, bright and early tomorrow.

So my Big Day Out is over for this year, and big it has been. I haven't felt this tired since... well since last year's Big Day Out.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

My Highlights

Best band: Metallica

Biggest pleasant surprise: Metallica still being able to rock out (not counting the weaker St Anger songs)

Most over-hyped band: The Strokes

Biggest disappointment: Missing bands while stuck in foot traffic, not seeing enough of the hip hop stage.

Best outfit: Guy dressed in a 'Where's Wally' outfit. Stripey red hat and shirt and big white glasses. If spotted in a crowd at a distance, you would have had a good laugh.

Missing this year and missed: Where was the skate ramp with international extreme sports stars?

Thing that made the day different from last year: Big screen, which meant you could see the main stage bands well wherever you were in the stadium.

Thing that made the day the same as last year: An abundance of young, sunburned girls in bikini tops.

Suggestion for next year: Crowd control to keep people moving on the walkways.

9.25pm - Poison The Well had a smaller than expected crowd but got us moving with melodic singing interspersed with heavier riffs and screaming. Now I feel revived and keen to seen headliners Metallica on the main stage.

Every seat in the stadium is taken so I resort to standing on the steps at the back to see. As promised, the metal-gods kicked off with several old songs which much of the crowd knew well. Early songs included Creeping Death, Harvester of Sorrow, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), For Whom the Bell Tolls, Frantic, Sad but True, Battery and Fade to Black.

8.00pm - Feeling slightly woozy, I think it's too much sun. A Fatima's felafel pita is in order, now I just have to make it through the long line.

Finally I sit and eat, catching up with some friends. Entertaining me are the few people shimmying to the strange sounds coming from the Lilypad stage.

Herald entertainment reporter Rebecca Barry said Canadian singer Peaches was the highlight of her day so far. (Picture) "She was hilarious. She licked her armpits and tried to get the crowd to do the same."

Rebecca saw Shapeshifter and Pnau in the boiler room earlier on but hadn't been back, saying the beauty of Big Day Out was being outdoors in the sun seeing rock bands.

Herald music reporter Graham Reid also listed Peaches as his most entertaining moment so far. He called her act a "primitive art statement with added B & D". Her shouty vocals and minimalist beats were almost overshadowed by her between song banter.

Graham also rated The Darkness, saying "anyone who has a costume change in their set has got to be good" after a quick mid-performance change by singer Justin Hawkins.

Graham was having trouble deciding between filing a story for the Herald or seeing The Strokes on the main stage.

Thankful for my trusty trainers, I'm laughing at the many who thought jandals were a good footwear choice for today. All the walking and standing and dancing make tired tootsies in need of a massage.

After having a look at rock and rollers The Strokes (Picture) I'm off to see Florida band Poison the Well and do some more damage to my eardrums.

5.45pm - Cooling my heels for a bit as I pass through the machine that is record company PR as I wait to interview James Hetfield from Metallica.

When I finally meet the man he tells me he's heard all about the BDO from people overseas.

"We've never played the Day Out. For Metallica after 12 years to still find a first to do is really cool."

The band would be "shortening [tonight's set] up a bit", he said, referring to their headlining shows where they play for up to three hours.

BDO goers would be hearing a mix of songs from Kill Em All up until St Anger.

"At the festival, people are here to enjoy the best songs you've got," he said.

For my full interview with James got to nzherald.co.nz/music tomorrow.

4.20pm - Nu metallers Blindspott hit the stage and the mosh pit, first seen earlier for 8 Foot Sativa, is back in full force.

Several young men are determined to disobey huge signs near the stage edge reading 'no crowd surfing'.

A couple managed to avoid burly security men but the others are ejected promptly.

Slow song Phlex finished their hour long set.

Blindspott's amazing performance of 'Stop, Drop and Roll by Mareko, and his local crew Deceptikonz, featured hip-hop mixed with heavy guitar riffs.

4.00pm - Concord Dawn blast out their teeth rattling drum'n'bass in the Boiler Room and although it's a little cooler in there it's not really my thing and Black Eyed Peas are on the agenda, back to the main stage.

The crowd responds enthusiastically to the call to "put your hands up". I feel a bit silly but do it anyway.

New girl Tracy 'Fergie' Ferguson proves she has an impressive set of pipes by holding her notes and singing in perfect pitch. (Picture)

Their single 'Shut-up' is very loud but it's obvious the Peas know just where the love is - here at the Big Day Out. (Picture)

2.40pm - At the top field on the Green Stage pop band Elemeno P had a sing-a-long going "Verona, Veronaaaa". I imagine that song will be stuck in my head for awhile.

Nearby in the band signing tent Katie Duncan, 19, was excitedly showing off the signatures of Blindspott band members on the band's single 'Blank'. [Picture]

"Damien said he would put the song 'Nil by mouth' out to me," she said.

Blindspott is her favourite band but she was also here to see headliners Metallica.

There's still only one speed to move here, slow, unless of course your moshing.

It means I'm missing some of the things I want to see. The mood in the human traffic jam is light hearted, no one seems to mind the speed.

A colleague tells me crackling speakers were effecting the set of Verse Two on the hip-hop stage, which meant they started late.

Vodafone's on the ball, my cellphone's telling me when the band changes on the main stage - it shows The D4 at the moment.


1.25pm - I find a seat in the covered grandstand as British retrorock band The Darkness take the stage - and rock they do! After an extended instrumental intro, with singer Justin Hawkins pumping out an impressive guitar solo they launch into several well known songs from their album Permission to Land.

Their song Get your hands off my woman, Mother****er goes down well with the crowd, which by now is filling three-quarters of the field.

Lots of scissor-kicks and strutting by Hawkins add to the stage presence and a big screen provides the detail for those of us in the stands.

The strobe lights don't have much effect in full sunlight, so I'm disappointed these quys didn't have a later spots. But they definitely live up to their hype.


12.58pm - Finally made it to the hiphop stage but it's all pretty quiet around here. Not the place to be just yet. Better try the Blue Stage.

12.35pm - While the traffic outside may not be so bad, the foot traffic inside is! I just spent 10 minutes trying to get up a short stairwell. That's a long time to be staring at someone's back. Hate to think what it will be like when people try to get to the main stages later today for the big acts. [Picture]

12.00pm - Phew, the battle with traffic is over. Although cars were backed up on the motorway, the time to get from central Auckland to Ericsson Stadium wasn't as long as previous years. It seems many have heeded advice to take public transport. Patience is the name of the game.

My press pass is a godsend as I breeze past the bag check line. Glad I didn't have to unload all my BD essentials - sunscreen, earplugs, water bottle, cash, bands schedule and cell phone.

But already I realise there's one thing I forgot -- a hat. This season's style - the trucker cap - is abundant in the crowd at the gates. [Picture]

With a sunny sky above, a few clouds and a slight breeze it's looking like perfect day for the Big Day Out.

On my list of bands to catch are The Darkness (their stage antics are famous, so it should be a laugh), Black Eyed Peas, The Strokes (only to see if they live up to their hype), hardcore band Poison the Well, Scribe, Afrika Bambaataa and of course metal legends Metallica (looking forward to hearing some to the old classics I hear they still play).