Performance: The Big Day Out

By RUSSELL BAILLIE and GRAHAM REID

The Big Day Out wasn't quite as big this year. It did, however, seem quite a lot longer.

An odd line-up, ranging from fresh-faced local pop heroes Zed to German industrial-metal fireworks show Rammstein, made it a day of little momentum, reflected in a palpable decrease of excitement levels around Ericsson Stadium.

Certainly, the seventh event might have provided quite a beginning-of-year party to its 30,000-plus younger-every-year attendees. But musically an air of predictability hung over much of the day.

In 2001, of course, the BDO is no longer an event riding out the alternative rock explosion of the early 90s. It has transformed along with that alt-rock culture into a popfest with extras.

Think the Easter Show with a moshpit, or the case of the Boiler Room, a very big dancebeat.

But as a pop event for New Zealand acts, it was still heartening to see both the crowd reaction and the assured big stage performances of the Kiwi acts like Zed, the poprock of Tadpole and, best of all, Fur Patrol during their early slot.

As well as Kiwi accents, twangy Aussie ones - notably rockers 28 Days, Powderfinger and Killing Heidi - also dominated the rock stages during the early part of the day, and pretty good it was too.

And as for the rest, some random highlights and lesser lights ...

The not-quite act of the day: Pleasant though Coldplay were in their sunstruck afternoon slot, the act was not one to make you go home and play their splendid album again.

Comedy act 1: Rammstein with their hazardous pyrotechnics (nice fiery jacket that) diverting attention from their familiar chugging industrial metal.

Comedy act 2: The face-painted US outfit Mudvayne, who came on to the theme of 2001: A Space Odyssey, looking like psychotic clowns.

Dance act: By the time Roni Size and Reprazent had come off, the Boiler Room had certainly earned its moniker with an especially soulful line in drum'n'bass.

Best use of a song by a band you aren't in anymore: Former Underworld member Darren Emerson employing the anthem Born Slippy (the one that goes "lager, lager, lager ... ") in his dynamic DJ set - and which got an early energy boost by turntable forerunner Auckland DJ Greg Churchill.

We don't know what you see in them prize: Placebo and their groaningly obvious oh-aren't-we-decadent fuzzpop.

Best evening wear: PJ Harvey, who not only wore one fab frock, but whose set was the most consistently interesting of the day with a performance which writhed with swampy voodoo and wiry bare-bones rock.

The award for looking and sounding most like your video: Headliners Limp Bizkit. Yes, they went off. But they sounded like a lot of previous BDO's best bits, didn't they?