Most of what you need to know about the Big Day Out

My first time at the Big Day Out was in 1999, and the only reason I can date it is because of Marilyn Manson and the huge screen flashing the word “Drugs.” We had taken the number plates from the Holden Gemini that was rusting beneath the house and attached them to an unregistered Kombi that my housemate had just bought, and drove down to the Gold Coast.

We were tempted to break in to the festival, an acquaintance from university had worked his way through the storm drains and had emerged from the drains in the chill-out tent the previous year, which really freaked out some of those recovering in there, but in the end we forked out the cash. Another friend was able to dodge the cops on horseback that were patrolling outside the festival, and made it over the fence, but was nabbed on the inside by security. I’m still not sure what the line up was that year, our group of friends were all at university and we were experimenting with some mind altering substances (we had found some magic mushrooms in a field earlier and we were a bit messed up), but I do remember Marilyn Manson. 

We had made our way close to the stage, and when his set began my girlfriend at the time got up on my shoulders. That was OK, but then there was a surge toward the stage, and the press of people became so dense that I was lifted off my feet and propelled towards the stage. I found out later that my girlfriend had taken her shirt off and was being crowd-surfed towards the front, with me dangling from her legs completely oblivious to what was going on. I couldn’t see because it’s hard to look up when you have another person on your shoulders. While this was going on another friend was having sex in the crowd, and being cheered on by onlookers, but the cheering may be made up, I’ve been told he’s pretty average...

After it was all over, and we were heading towards the gate to exit the festival, we happened to notice a domestic that a couple were having near the exit. As happens with these things, a crowd began to form to view this impromptu street theatre, and made a ring around the couple. At first it was just normal shouting at each other, but then the guy involved slapped the girl in the face, prompting a number of observers to step forward. Before anyone could intervene, the girl, a switch having been thrown in her head, did the crazy eyes, and then head butted the guy, smashing his nose across his face. There were a number of cheers at this unlikely outcome, but when the guy collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from his nose, and the girl began to kick him on the ground, people stepped in and dragged them both away. I think we also reversed into someone as we were leaving the car park, but since we were in an illegal vehicle, under the influence of illegal substances, there wasn’t much we could do except to make a break for freedom and head back to Brisbane. Over the next few years we started going to Woodford, but that’s a whole other story.