Big Day Out opts for older audience, improved safety

By RUSSELL BAILLIE, Entertainment Editor

Promoters of Auckland's annual rock festival the Big Day Out have confirmed the first raft of acts for next year's show while announcing new measures to make the event safer - and older.

They have imposed an R15 age restriction on the show at Ericsson Stadium on Friday January 18 in the wake of the death of a teenage fan at the Sydney Big Day Out this year after being caught in a moshpit crush during the set by American rap-metal stars Limp Bizkit.

There was also concern about crowd safety during the band's stop-start set in Auckland. The barriers in front of the main stages have been redesigned, while each concert goer will receive a "survival pack" on the day including a refillable water bottle and other items.

The age restriction, which allows those under 15 to attend with a parent or guardian, is necessary, says promoter Bridget Darby, because at this year's festival too many young teenagers considered themselves "bullet-proof". With no admission to the event's bars they were imbibing spirits outside the gates and causing problems once inside.

Darby is also hoping to educate BDO-goers in the art of moshpit etiquette - that when someone comes a cropper in the crowd they get picked up and helped - rather than the "bogan" attitude by "Limp Bizkit boys" which prevailed at the last show.

Organisers are also hoping to skew the show to an older crowd with a line-up of bands that aren't "the big band of the minute or the passing fad" says promoter Darby but "good bands which stood the test of time".

That includes veteran British electronic rock-act New Order, who are in their twentieth year of existence and have an average age of 45 but have recently staged a comeback on with their album Get Ready.

Also booked to play are Brit dance-rock outfit the Prodigy (who went down a storm at the 1997 show), Garbage (the pop-rock UK-US band fronted by Shirley Manson), veteran Californian punk band NOFX, American electronic duo Crystal Method (best known for their theme to television's Third Watch), and star English techno DJ Dave Clarke.

Early confirmations from New Zealand bands include Shihad, Salmonella Dub, Che-Fu, and Tadpole.

And among the Australian acts crossing the Tasman before joining the BDO travelling circus at home will be Regurgitator, Magic Dirt and Gerling.

Many more international acts are yet to be confirmed. Some have been held up as the September 11 terror attacks affected many New York artist management firms based in Lower Manhattan.

Another set of announcements will be made in early November.

Tickets, which next year cost $90 plus booking fee (up from $85 this year), will go on sale Wednesday, October 17.

www.bigdayout.com