No sleep till Auckland/the quest for 200 (long)
So yesterday was the Big Day Out. I flew up to Auckland especially, with the plan of coming back to Wellington today, so I didn't miss the New Zealand-Pakistan match.
Things got off to a good start when I noticed the kid beside me on the plane was going to the BDO. Within minutes, I'd arranged a ride to the venue with him and his step-sister (seriously, it made my day when he offered).
Get to the venue and he ditches me as politely as possible, which is cool (I really wasn't going to hang around all day with a bunch of 15-year-olds, just because I was on my own). It's hot hot hot, and packed out. Looks good to me.
(I've decided that my New Years resolution is to try to see 200 bands in 2004. This will be difficult, but not impossible. And festivals mean I can up the numbers fast).
First up is #3
Deja Voodoo. Very cool - they've got the same sense of humour and combination of rock rhythms and pop melodies as the Ramones. Song titles include 'Beers' and 'More Beers', and the classic 'I'm on P':
I smoked P, and I'm alright
I smoked P, didn't get in a fight.
I stroll down to the main stage where the
D4 (#4) are doing their Stooges-revival by numbers thing. Barely a shred of originality, but still fun. And 10 times better than the better-known Datsuns. They're followed by
Black-eyed Peas (#5). I've heard bad things about these guys, mainly from my brother who used to be a big fan until their current album, which he hates. *shrug* - I liked what I heard, even the supposedly bad new songs.
To the dance tent.
Peaches (#6) is on stage with a guitar and very skimpy PVC outfit (which turned up in both newspaper reports I saw of the show today). It's OK, kinda obvious electroclash that works best as a visual experience, not just as music.
Hmmmm....who else? This really wasn't a very memorable concert, overall. I'm sure I'm missing a few people.
Salmonella Dub packed out the dance tent but did exactly the same set they always seem to do. I love 'em, but I'm sick of it.
The Strokes (# were the highlight, from coming onstage to 'Absolutely Cuckoo' by the Magnetic Fields (far and away New York's best band) to admissions of drunkenness and attempts to sing from the middle of the crowd. They played the good ones off 'Room's on Fire' but concentrated on 'Is This It?', which worked for me - and a lot of the songs sounded much better live than on record.
The Darkness - kinda fun - like a Slade revivial or something.
David Holmes (#10) - played 'Blue Monday'. And 'Love will Tear us Apart'. I could have stayed home and heard those tunes.
Aphex Twin - enjoyed what I heard, but had to leave to check out the Strokes.
Metallica (#12), were, well Metallica. Most of the crowd were there to see them, and I guess if you like Metallica they were great. Good presence, played the old stuff and the good new stuff. Just doesn't move me.
Finished the night with
The Flaming Lips. Absolutely gorgeous melodies, played impeccably. A great stage presence (15-20 people in costumes, a background film of half-naked female kung fu, a dozen giant balls, balloons, fire, everything). And yet....it didn't quite work for me. Maybe because Wayne spent waaaay too long talking between songs, and waaaay too much effort trying to get the crowd to sing along. Thing is, it wasn't a Flaming Lips crowd - it was a bunch of people who were quite curious about them and maybe knew a few songs, plus a few harder-core fans. Not the sort of crowd who would be singing along.
All of this is going down pretty well with me, I was enjoying the bands and I'd knocked back some Frenzy (the legal herbal high that actually gets you slightly high). All good. I then come up with the brilliant idea to taxi back to the airport, and sleep there. (The original plan was go downtown, find a cybercafe, stay up all night and then get the first shuttle bus to the airport [my dad pointed out that I could also have gone clubbing. Yes, my dad. I didn't think of this at the time])
So after waiting at least an hour for a taxi, while empty ones go past and won't stop, I finally get on board one. Have a good chat with the driver, and he explains to me that drivers will only stop if they like the look of the passenger. This should re-assure me, but as dozens of empty taxis had gone past, I guess the consensus was that I wouldn't make a good customer. Oh well.
To the airport, manage to get a whole 40 minutes sleep in the international arrivals lounge (forgot that I wasn't likely to doze off after taking the Frenzy). Oh, and in spite of still being quite fucked up, I got the 3rd high score on the pinball machine there, without even really trying. I rock.
Home to Wellington, got a few hours sleep from 9am to noon before heading out again to the cricket.
Great. Just like old times.
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