Sight for sore ears at Big Day Out

By ALAN PERROTT


They came, they heard, they went home with sore ears. A 40,000-plus crowd pressed its way throughout Ericsson Stadium yesterday, transforming the arena into a gridlocked, pedestrian version of Spaghetti Junction. Event organisers declared the musical extravaganza a sellout at 3pm, just as the sun returned.

If you were a true fan, you spent a fair amount of your day at the signing tent, lining up for the chance to grab a quick autograph and photo with someone famous.

The most devout fans seemed to be those for English trio Muse. "That was amazing, absolutely amazing," gushed a glassy-eyed Glenn Williams as he clutched his freshly signed CD tightly. "I absolutely worship those guys. I will make sure I'm in front of the stage an hour before they play."

Glenfield teenager Erin Hartley was having trouble containing her smile after her brush with rock stardom. "Awesome, I loved them when I came here and now I think they're even better. They're not stuck up or anything. I just want to see them play then go home and play their CD."

Veteran Big Day Outers said the crowd was one of the mellowest they had seen. St John and police reported no serious problems during the day, although they were braced for the influx of post-work punters. St John regional events manager Adam Johnston said two women had to be transported to Auckland Hospital with abdominal pains, but their conditions were not serious.