Big Day Out 2010 (part i)

On Saturday 24th January Sydney held the 100th Big Day Out. It was a scorcher of a day, reaching 32 degrees by 8am. The day before the temperatures had reached 42 degrees. Thankfully, the sky refused to endure the heat any longer and showered us all with a downpour. Sadly, this is when Dizzy Rascal played, and I was stuck in a corridor, protecting my camera gear from the wet. By the time his first three songs were over (the only time photographers are allowed in the photo pit to shoot) the rain had stopped, the crowd was back in the stadium, as, after all, the show must go on. It was a great day, as always grueling at the time, what with the heat, the crowds, the running between stages, the bossy security guards, the bogans, but when I get home, and download the pics, there is always a sense of satisfaction. And so, here are some of the 3000 pics I shot, sans Dizzy of course.

My old mates Bluejuice, never one to disappoint on the performance front donned themselves in extra skin tight yellow jump suits. Like schizophrenic bees they buzzed around the stage, amping the crowd up for the rest of the day.



Karnivool took me by surprise. I really only went in to photograph the crowd, but as soon as the lead singer, Ian Kenny waltzed out donned in Avatar 3D glasses and a short sleeve shirt buttoned right up, looking very akin to the Mormans we all try to avoid at Town Hall. He was incredible. Mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes, or my camera off of him. Later I saw Ian in the bar, he had his glasses off, and the Morman shirt was gone. No urge to take any more shots. Amazing act to catch if you can.





Mastodon was next. And as much as I wanted to fix my camera on the multitude of tattoos that adorned the aging metalheads, I couldn't help but turn my camera around and focus on the incredibly captivated audience.*











Next up was Passion Pit. What with the hype they have received over the past few months, the crowd was hungry, and the young men from Massachusetts put on a great show. The guitarist stole the show for me, while the lead singer looked a little like a younger, shorter Nick Littlemore, without the crazy stage antics.



Lily Allen sauntered onto the main-stage donned in a tropical flourish, shaking her bootie across the stage, making all the photographers day. Apparently there was some nipple action later, however all photographers were gone by this stage....




Ah Devendra, wow, what a show. AND the voice. What an incredible combination of rich falsetto, impeccable good looks, home-made tattoos, nonchalant style. Not many men can wear skinny white jeans, sing like an angel and still have all the girls swooning. Devendra does it, yes he does.





And so part i comes to a close, here is a little teaser of what is left to come.




*It's Mastodon, not Mastedon. Mastodon is not a Christian Rock band. Mastedon is.