"Ahh, I see" she said. The Soundz girl was going too, it seemed.
Big Day Out 2005 was the most relaxed day of concert-going hustle and bustle ever. I parked on Gt South Road, used the railway bridge and wandered up the road to the O'Rorke Road Entrance. Got frisked, tried to go back for more but they'd had another keen one before me and promptly ushered "carry on elsewhere".
Ooooo, where to go first? I was not handed a timetable of gigs and times so I played the day by ear. I was welcomed by "The Music" who gave me my soundtrack for the quick rounds to check where everything was - toilets, food/drink, exits, and in doing so, the stages. ..'the people.. the people'..[yeah!!]
It was bittersweet to see the Channel Z tent doused with "Kiwi FM" signage and flyers. I briefly said my hellos and mild 'guttings' to Ang and others there and decided to see all of my friends who would be working today. Ross running around at the C4 tent, Mitch's Gobi shop and the Juice TV tent. 40 minutes had passed and I picked up a drink, checked that the suntan lotion was working (it was), and proceeded to the main stages in the arena. P Money & Scribe were congratulating us for making it, and moments later, Blindspott raided the stage for a mashup of "Stand Up".
Moving over toward the hiphop stage by this time, where some american DJ was busting out some average beats, hibbedy hobbing and the like, I passed and found myself in the Boiler Room. I believe it was Concorde Dawn blasting out some phat sounds that really shook my ribcage. My ears frowned with the extremely loud vibration. Neat!
I had the opportunity to take some photos while they played, and for once, actually got to look around the Boiler Room. No-one goes in there I admit to 'look around', but facing away from the lights, I saw people sitting at the edge of the tent exhausted, swapping 'herbal phone numbers' - half of them seemingly naked.
From there I exited, got in line for a drink with some guy who was having a conversation with me I later discovered. "Yeah, you have a good one buddy". The Lilypad was my next destination. HAHAHAHAHA - were they serious? "Sound problems" all morning, or an innovative comedic approach to legit fuckups? I still don't know what to think, but the sight of a guy wearing a horses head in pyjamas had my wry sense of humour dismiss the unprofessionalism, and had me entertained. Some safe GeorgeFM-swayed beats helped keep the mood light too.
From there, back to the HipHop stage, where Dei Hamo was turning himself into a RTD plonker. I turned around and saw Jacquie lining up for a cross back to C4, so I obligingly took a photo, and ran off to see what I heard to be Le Tigre. This was the highlight of my Big Day Out. Their cover of "Im So Excited" was mostly shitty, but got an A for guts. The rest of their set was ingenius with a mix of "im being cheesy, taking the piss, a foriegner, and being serious all at the same time" coupled with loud distorted guitar, drunk bar-bitch lead vocals and a Vengaboys cheese beat treat. The reason I liked their set was because it was unpredictable and loud!. Im sure I saw the Slipknot 'maggot' guy push in some earplugs. Oh, and that was also when I noticed Boh Runga trying to talk to someone on her cellphone. Umm, Boh. Nup.
By this time, the suns blaze was peeling paint and I was thirsty yet again. Back over to the drinks, when I later found that my camera had taken a rogue shot of someones butt. Why would I delete such a gift from the Big Day Out gods?
I turn around and some guy was hanging by his skin next to the Illicit tattoo shop. They pull out all the stops at the Big Day Out folks!
I headed back to the Lilypad, sipped the drink and bumped into the lovely author of picnic by the motorway - Jane Yee. She would not indulge me into her next project, since Squeeze got the [ding] ..Squeeze, but she seemed in great spirits so - you go Jane! I think it was fitting that after exchanging 'ciao', I heard a guitar lick Id been hoping for. Shihad's "Alive". Nice. (I picked up that CD single a couple of days later).
I ended up sitting in the upper stands for Shihad as my legs began to disagree with all the walking. Next Big Day Out, if they introduce standing toilets for females, then I want conveyor belts. I dont really, but that'd be cool.
Taking a pause, I saw an area I hadn't been to yet. Funny, as I had walked right up to it without seeing it. The Export Gold area. I wandered up, only to be told I had to have a special tag that proves my age (and therefore consent to consume liquor and become a drunken asshole). They checked my ID then implied that my head was not screwed on properly for having no tag so late in the day, after I told them Id been here for about 6 hours already. Get a life! The tag was attached, and in I walked - pretty much to 'look around' and probably find Thane Kirby. If there was one place at the Big Day Out that Thane would be, it'd be somewhere where: there is shade, seating, nearby toilets and vast supplies of beer. Oh, and a view. The Export Gold area seemed right, but I never found him. Maybe he had a corporate box? Bastard - onya Thane.
I avoided a fashion incident. My nominated BDO t-shirt this year had no thought behind it, it was just something clean to wear (my washing was most certainly drying back at home in this sun). I decided to check out the new Eastern Stand with all its new glory, and entered the main hallway only to see some dude 40 pounds heavier than I with the exact shame shirt. Fuck this, I thought and bailed.
Walking all the way back around throught the Export zone was the last straw for my legs - just as the Beastie Boys were starting. "No Sleep till.. Brooklyn" was all I heard. That was my soundtrack as I left escorting a drunk girl who really really really, pretty please, wanted me to piggy back her out of the arena. If I had walked less that day, maybe I could have obliged, but my calves were in agony. She decided to be all strange and ran off singing to the gates. I dont think she was even talking to me upon second thought. She probably thought I was an airline baggage mover, or other small engined machine.
I got home some 20 minutes later, sat on the front deck and could hear the rest of the Beastie Boys set distantly from home. Bliss.
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