Andy J Ryan Mar 26, 2023

Big Day Out 2007 - Homebush Bay, 25 January 2007
With another successful year under their belt, Big Day Out organisers can give themselves a pat on the back - the weather held out, the kids were happy and the flag issue was a non-issue.

The day kicked off and artists took to their stages. Most entertaining of the first acts were The Punishers, with their hilarious lyrics of whores and Asian noodles. Amateur punk sounds and jamming beats were an appropriate backing for choreographed dancing and sexy matching nautical outfits.
Trivium was the Big Day Out's equivalent of a Berocca, giving it its b-b-bounce with their fierce and precise, tight-black-panted, devil-horn-inducing thrash metal. The Drones, who followed, maintained the intensity if not the circle pits and spiralling hair.
Never being ones to let a controversial opportunity go by, The Streets jumped in with their two cents on the day's hot topic. The stage was adorned with flags from around the world, complete with a Union Jack stuck on the end of Mike Skinner's microphone. The cockney outfit seemed to have a little trouble getting the crowd going until they pulled out recent single 'When You Wasn't Famous' and took off their shirts to cavort around the stage.
A hit in the Boiler Room was the cheeky Lily Allen (who was later spotted giving Kasabian the two-fingered salute from side of stage). Doing the right thing by the crowd, she stuck to album tracks and had a thousand or so people singing along to her signature dubbed-out pop single 'Smile'. Never one to keep her thoughts to herself she proclaimed: "I'd like to dedicate this next song to the drummer from a band called Jet. He threw a lit cigarette a' me in the bar the other night, so I threw my glass in 'is face...it's a song about men with small penises". The roar from the crowd upon hearing this was certainly louder than the cheer the actual band Jet got later on in the day. It seems the golden children of last year's festival circuit may have fallen from grace, and being slotted in just before Muse, the crowd seemed somewhat apathetic.
Mid-afternoon, My Chemical Romance appeared on the main stage where dapper-emo frontman Gerard Way let loose with shattering vocals. His facial gestures clearly indicated he loved the show and atmosphere. Who wouldn't? Their set packed the arena out; everyone was jumping in time to the beat and singing along to the well-known tracks such as opener 'I'm not Okay (I Promise)'and 'Helena'.
Kasabian's singer Tom Meighan burst onstage with a cocksure, arrogant stagger. Kasabian are a raucous, anthemic beast of a band, blending stomping rock grit and swagger with booming sing-along choruses. By the end, you got the feeling they mightn't play on a stage this small again.
The Killers curiously introduced themselves with "Hello you fleas, we are the band, let's get it on". The stage was brimming with instruments including a piano, organ and a gong, while their set was packed with more singles than RSVP.com. You know you've made it when a stadium full of people sing along to your song and 'Mr Brightside' was this moment for the Killers, with girls hoisted on shoulders and thousands of phones thrust towards the stage.
Lupe Fiasco proved his reputation as the next big thing in hip hop. He held the crowd in the palm of his hand for the entire set with nothing but a DJ for stage support. He kept energy levels up and the crowd moving, especially in sync to his radio anthem, 'Kick Push'.
Hoards gathered to hear the epic sounds of UK prog-rockers Muse. As the trio took to the stage, the sea of people surged to the front and threw their fists in the air, pointing and moshing to opener 'Knights of Cydonia'. Their drum and bass-laden tracks, accentuated by singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy's eccentric playing and soaring vocals, had fans in a frenzy. The tense mosh-pit was too much for some and many bailed, leaving their spaces to be filled with other sweaty bodies. New songs earned the band more fans, while classics such as 'Plug in Baby' ignited a massive sing-along. Muse's synth-strong set finished up with the fitting 'Take a Bow', ending the hour-long spectacular.
Bringing the night to a close on the Blue Stage, the hotly anticipated Tool took their places as the audience cheered and screamed, turning it up a few decibels higher in appreciation of opener 'Stinkfist'. The ground and grandstands trembled as people jumped to the humming bass and pumping drums.
All members of Tool were illuminated with coloured spotlights as they expertly played their anthemic progressive metal to the cult-like audience, while frontman Maynard James Keenan's silhouette was highlighted against visuals of distorted figures. Danny Carey's phenomenal drumming could be likened to automatic weapon firing, while the guitar and bass sounds of Tool were unparalleled. As the set - which included the popular tracks '46 & 2', 'Sober' and 'The Pot' - came to a close, the band was honoured with a lengthy, well-deserved ovation.
The Violent Femmes call themselves eternal teenagers, but have actually grown up. While they've undoubtedly written some of the most identifiable teen anthems of our time - cue 'Blister in the Sun' - they have a formidable canon of astute songs, not just filler between hits. The closing lines of 'Add It Up' - "I'll take a bow and say goodnight"- were a fitting end to 12 hours of music. In fact it couldn't have been more appropriate given they headlined 15 years ago at the first ever Big Day Out, but my, how things have changed. (www.yourgigs.com.au review)