Big Day Out 2007 – Auckland

Comment by josh — January 23, 2007 @ 3:37 am

I’m not sure exactly what the deal was. The picture above was taken pretty early in the day. We couldn’t believe when we were trying to find a place to throw away our trash that we could find NO TRASH CANS. Every once in a while we would see one, but they were few and far between. Everyone just threw their trash on the ground. It was really the only option.

Tool headlined and they were fantastic. One of the highlights of the night was Serj Tankian [System of a Down] making a guest vocal spot during a jammed out version of Stinkfist.

Among the other acts we enjoyed were: Muse, Luciano, The Vines, My Chemical Romance, The Rabble, Kora, and Lupe Fiasco. For a full list, check here:
http://www.bigdayout.com/lineup/artists.php

Comment by josh — January 23, 2007 @ 3:39 am

Okay so maybe you want to see a better picture of the event. Here is a picture of the crowd at the two main stages fairly early in the day:

There were several other stages at the festival, and as the day went on the crowd got larger. These two were in a rugby stadium.

Comment by Peg Moore — January 23, 2007 @ 9:36 am

WHAT?!? No Famile?!? Will write more later. Gotta shower and get out the door. But very fun to have your new posting be one of the first things I see in the morning! XOXOX

Comment by jeremi clark — January 23, 2007 @ 8:00 pm

I am jealous. I would love to see tool. The no trash cans would have freaked me out though. I love the blog, josh.

Comment by Adam — January 23, 2007 @ 10:02 pm

nice dude…surprised there was no ICP though. I guess there’s no faygo in NZ (maybe diet root beer only). Did tool do the whole experience with the videos/dancers and all? I remember the show in Raleigh was really cool. How many ppl do you think were there?

Comment by josh — January 23, 2007 @ 10:37 pm

I don’t know how many people were there. It was sold out. I would estimate somewhere b/w 50k-100k. Tool had the show on the screens but not the weird dudes walking around on all fours on stage. It was a bit hard to see the screens from the ground because the venue was general admission.

Comment by Louise — January 24, 2007 @ 10:57 am

Ok, so hearing about the performers shows how out of it I am! So, thank you for educating me a little bit about them! I love the photos showing the contrast of during and after. Did it seem like very many people got drunk (or whatever) as I know happened at “concerts” a lot when I was in college? Although I’m kind of a hermit when it comes to thinking of being around crowds, this really looks like a blast.

Comment by josh — January 24, 2007 @ 4:57 pm

The sale and consumption of alcohol was limited to a few confined areas so I didn’t really notice. It was pretty hot and New Zealand beer is generally low in alcohol content . They were selling “party pills” outside the venue which are legal in New Zealand. They contain BZP (Benzylpiperazine) supposedly a euphoric stimulant, but I couldn’t tell if someone had taken some or not by looking at em.

Comment by Clara Hoover — January 24, 2007 @ 7:41 pm

The event looks very colorful and exciting. Colorful stage and setting with the fleecy white cloud puffs set against the blue sky.

I’ve had no experience at big concerts, especially any outdoors with thousands of fans and featuring rock bands, but I don’t think I’d feel comfortable being one of those vertical bodies in the middle of the field. The “after” photo reminds me some of the Iowa State parking lots after a day of tailgating before and after a football game. At least there, there are lots of porta potties and trash cans. Just the same, some people just don’t make the effort to clean up.

Thanks for posting your photos, describing them and responding to questions and comments. I always look forward to new postings and enjoy having insight into your experiences.