Gig review: Big Day Out 2007 (+pics)

MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times

SO EMO: My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way whips the crowd into a frenzy during the band's main stage afternoon set at the Big Day Out 2007.

MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times

RELIABLY RAUNCHY: Peaches gets hot and heavy in the Big Day Out Boiler Room.

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Despite congestion to rival peak time Auckland traffic, entertainment editor Chris Schulz finds plenty to enjoy among the crowds and the emos at the Big Day Out 2007.
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Religion isn't something you'd expect to see at the Big Day Out.

But two key bands at this year's sold out music festival provided what can only be described as a religious experience for their legions of Kiwi fans.

My Chemical Romance and Tool are worlds apart musically - suggestions of fights between the bands' fans were raised on internet message boards leading up to the show - but their music demands a kind of manic devotion others can only dream of.

For their legions of Kiwi worshippers, seeing these bands live is as close as they'll come to going to church.

But first, fans had to get to Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium, and with a sell-out 44,000 crowd it wasn't easy. Once they arrived, festival-goers found congestion was just as bad inside the venue.

Luckily, sporadic cloud cover kept the temperature down for moshers as a new-look D-barricade was unveiled at the main stage. With turnstiles and red lights indicating when the restricted area was full, it resembled an airport departure lounge rather than a moshpit.

But that didn't stop moshers testing the barricade's support early on for metal bores Sinate and Trivium. At least they were out of the way early.

The day's first real highlight came in the Boiler Room when British electro-boffins Hot Chip took the stage. Looking like a modern version of Kraftwerk, tracks Boy From School and Over and Over showed there was brains behind their dancefloor-filling antics.

Back at the main stage, a typically brutal set from Kiwi metallers Blindspott warmed up the surging crowd for My Chemical Romance.

True to form, the main stage arena was whipped into a frenzy of black eyeliner and angled fringes as an army of emo soldiers worshipped MCR's every move.

The band's afternoon slot may have sparked a near-riot, but a shoddy sound system left many curious punters unimpressed and wondering why they're currently the world's biggest emo act.

Thankfully, many of MCR's fans deserted the stadium after their gig, creating breathing space at the heavily congested concert.

Elsewhere, Kiwi band The Tutts seemed surprised by how many people had turned out to see them, but responded with a set of radio-friendly garage-pop that was perfect for relaxing back on the grass.

Less impressive were Aussie rockers The Vines. They've got three albums of great songs behind them, but front man Craig Nicholls seemed intent on butchering them by screaming instead of singing.

It's hard to believe these guys were once hailed as the world's best band. Both Kasabian - the current kings of Britain's music scene - and fellow Aussies JET - blew them away just an hour later.

But the biggest fall from grace came from Scribe and his disastrous 6pm main stage set. The Kiwi rapper partied like it was 2004, playing ageing singles Not Many and Stand Up to a rapidly diminishing crowd.

His new material received nods of approval, but by that stage most had bailed to find dinner and toilets. Judging by the queues for both, they were in for a long wait.

With The Killers and Muse sucking the crowds back into the main stage arena in the early evening, getting around the smaller stages became a breeze.

And those who chose not to see the headlining acts were rewarded with a great set from Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco, who flew around the stage like a mini-Kanye - all style, wit and a healthy dose of arrogance.

And Kiwi pop-punk act The Mint Chicks were a revelation, blistering through much of last year's standout album Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! with the kind of frenetic fervour fans are used to.

Back at the main stage, the day's second religious experience belonged to headliners Tool, who blew away U2's cobwebs with a multimedia extravaganza that was nothing short of mindblowing.

Per capita, Tool sell more albums in New Zealand than the rest of the world, so it was no surprise to see fans from all demographics packed into the arena, singing along to every word.

Blistering early versions of Stinkfist, The Pot and 46&2 were trumped by a "mystery guest" - System of a Down's Serj Tankian - joining them on stage for Sober. The creepy visuals and laser show just added to the experience.

There was only one way it could get better - and that came when contortionist front man Maynard James Keenan announced the band would be back in New Zealand for more shows later this year.

Two Tool shows in a year? That's the kind of reward only serious devotees receive.

- © Fairfax NZ News