A remarkable 18 years on from when it first started with a bang back in 1992, Australia’s internationally renowned music festival – the BIG DAY OUT – hit an incredible milestone today: 100 shows.
Celebrating the epic achievement with a spectacular fireworks and fire cannon finale cheered on by thousands, the second of two sold-out events took place at Sydney Showground today, with 53,000 punters soaking up the sounds of 70+ artists from Australia and abroad.
A southerly change in the late afternoon provided welcome relief for festival-goers from the day’s soaring temperatures. Music fans came prepared with plenty of sunscreen and hats, making the most of the free water fountains and plentiful water stations across the BDO site.
UK trio MUSE headlined the Blue Stage with aplomb, captivating the crowd for a second night running. LILY ALLEN thrilled over on the Orange Stage, while other international highlights included DIZZEE RASCAL (who braved a quick storm to pull off one of the day’s biggest sets), MARS VOLTA, PEACHES, RISE AGAINST, and PASSION PIT. The Boiler Room swelled with the tunes of CALVIN HARRIS, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO and GIRL TALK amongst others, while GROOVE ARMADA brought the 100th BDO to a close at midnight.
The BDO has always been about supporting Australian artists, and today’s line-up was no exception. Taking over the Orange Stage for our 100th show was Brisbane’s POWDERFINGER, while fans were spoilt for local choice with the crème of Aussie music – from GRINSPOON to THE MIDDLE EAST, KISSCHASY to JET, LADYHAWKE to ESKIMO JOE and more.
The BDO is not just about music, however. The madcap world of LILYWORLD is as much a part of BDO as the bands, and continues to go down in legend with this year’s ‘Mexicana’ theme. The BDO also featured a collection of visual art, including sculpture that came to life, progressive street art, film, and photography.
St John Ambulance Commander Penelope Little said, “Punters were much better prepared today [for the heat], so we haven’t treated as many people as yesterday’s show. It’s been a big couple of days but we handled it well, so we’re happy.”
>From Sydney, the BIG DAY OUT travels to Melbourne, with the next stop taking place on Tuesday 26th January, before it hits Adelaide and Perth next week. The line-up features some of the biggest names in the music world, including MUSE, LILY ALLEN, DIZZEE RASCAL, PEACHES, KASABIAN, GROOVE ARMADA and many, many more.
www.bigdayout.com
Expect an ImWithTheBand writeup tonight! Alongside gig and crowd pics!
Comments on this entry are closed.