The Big Day Out’s headline acts dropped it like it’s hot.
The morning fog descended,on Western Springs again, only this smoke was “sticky icky,” as Snoop Dogg lit up the Aroha stage, with some old school hip hop swagger.
Hits from the 1993 album Doggystyle had the crowd rapping along with the Long Beach legend.
Back at the main stage, despite the first wait of the day, Pearl Jam had a huge crowd worshipping their epic guitar solos and singalongs.
Before paying a tribute to the influence the Finn brothers had on the band, Eddie Vedder invited Liam Finn on stage to sing with the group. He “sang the shit out of” Have It.
Throughout the set Vedder skulled from a magnum of New Zealand red wine.
The Deftones powerful metal found its way into the corners of every part of the venue.
Candian indie rock band, Arcade Fire, played a relentless set full of African percussion, a huge entourage of musicans and giant stage props. Lorde was spotted dancing on the side of stage. The closed out with Wake Up.
The new venue proved to be perfect and the weather turned right after some morning rain.
While the sun was still blazing, Swedish monochrome punks, The Hives, were the first group to really set the hordes off as they leapt all over the stage and huge beach balls surfed the crowds.
At the other end of the lush venue the Phoenix Foundation were loving the new location as much as the sun burnt spectators.
In its first year at Western Springs after a one-year hiatus due to poor ticket sales in 2012, the crowd and bands were approving of the new venue.
“Isn’t this just a massive improvement, it’s a new era,” said Phoenix Foundation guitarist Samuel Flynn Scott, who opened with track 40 years from their 2007 album Happy Ending.
The new venue really does make a difference to the big day.
Fans flowed freely between the five stages, although the gate to the Lakeside stage was a tight squeeze, where Concord Dawn’s DnB rattled ear drums.
Hip Hoppers have had their first taste of the evening when Ladi 6, P Money, and Pittsburgh rapper, Mac Miller, getting the flat peaks nodding.
