Wow - an awesome event well worth the $157 ticket cost (Just need to adjust the budget for the rest of the month!!). It starts with a walk to Byron Park at 11am and a quick search of the back pack which reveals that I am carrying restricted contraband… Yep… A bottle of water!!! This is removed and annoyingly binned before I can take a swig but then I am in and tagged for alcohol consumption ;)
The site is split into 3 double stage zones and 2 single stage zones one under and enormous tent, but as it has been so dry here it is also very dusty 0_0... Walking around the site it was possible to hear from some local bands in the morning before checking my schedule to make sure that I saw all the bands that I wanted throughout the day (11am-10pm) - I also made sure that the sun cream was liberally applied as the clear blue skies, open parkland and crowds left little shelter from the baking sun while enjoying the bands…
Highlights of the day:
Coheed of Canbria playing under the tented stage brought the crowd to life with thumping tracks and a lead singer who’s hair had a life of its own bouncing & weaving at times to the music or concealing his face completely during his time at the mike!! Pennywise shouted out tracks to their loyal following and new admirers once again under the tented stage bringing raucous cheering and a mosh. Feeder provided a more mellow experience of rock styled metal, which led into Stonesour’s thumping metal soundtrack on the main stages with massive and admiring crowds singing (shouting) along to the songs they knew ;) but a revelation for me was PRIMUS who reminded me of ‘Steampunk’ in style with the lead singer sporting a waste-coat, tinted round sunglasses and a bowler hat while showing complete mastery of the base guitar, frankly one of the best performances of the day J Then back to thumping hard metal with Slayer slamming out familiar tracks across the baking grass with great enthusiasm and energy. After a few hours in the sun it was time to find some shade and a second surprise Anberlin, who I had not even heard of until today lit up the tent stage with some rollicking tracks, which you could not help but move along to - fantastic (not sure about the upside down horse as their backdrop art though!).
Finally it was back to the main stages as the sun finally began to set… Queens of the stone age are playing and once again bring the whole crowd to life with thumping hits from both their new and old albums. The lead singer is a great entertainer and fills the short gaps between the songs with comments on Adelaide, band members and the crowd :) then…
IRON MAIDEN… What can be said - They epitomise heavy metal taking the stage with authority and passion. The power of their performance was breathtaking with Bruce Dickenson leading from the front with roaring lyrics and a seemingly endless reserve of energy, he climbed the light gantry, ran around the stage set and one of the highlights of the whole show, during the trooper took two British Union Jack flags and brandished them as if in battle as he bellowed out the lyrics that the whole crowd were familiar with a bellowed back in return :) The set continued with mastery of guitars, drums and base demonstrated by this legendary band keeping the crowd completely entertained for 2 hours, sweat visibly poured off some of the members as they tore through Fear of the dark, Iron Maiden (where ‘space monster’ Eddie made a life-size appearance grasping a guitar and playing along with the band), Blood brothers and for me the highlight of night ‘Number of the beast’… Breathtaking and worth the ticket price alone.
Overall a fantastic day and well worth the return visit to Adelaide :)
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