I am one of the people lucky enough to score 2008 Big Day Out tickets. I use the word lucky fairly loosely. You would not have heard me say this in the past. I lusted after tickets for years, wishing that my student budget would allow a purchase. Then last year I magically had enough money, and I experienced my first ever BDO. What a blast! Dancing to the Presets like a mother flipper, swaying along to Angus and Julia Stone like the most stoned hippy you have ever met, jumping and lashing along to the sluttiness of Peaches, my life was complete. Happiness was my bag, baby.

As a result, I expected the same feelings of elation to erupt from this years BDO. The line up was pretty darn good. I got an extra day off work. I was attending with some crazy fun friends and I had the accessories to make life good – money, sunscreen, and mind altering substances. Yet there was some huge gaping holes in my day that made me question the worthiness of the BDO in my festival cache. I am taking this opportunity to weigh up the pros and cons of the BDO and hopefully this will help me in my ticket purchasing decisions for 2009.

Pros

1. The music. Of course the BDO attracts some of the best that Australia and the world has to offer. Over the past two years the BDO has allowed me to see some of my favourite musicians live all in the space of a day. The idea that all of these talented people are in Olympic Park at the same time makes me jizz my pants. I wish I knew how to sneak backstage. Peaches, The Presets, Silverchair, Arcade Fire, Muse, Rage Against the Machine, The Killers, British India, Operator Please, Bluejuice, Angus and Julia Stone, Regurgitator, Spoon… oh, it is so pleasurable.

2. The opportunity to meet famous people that I admire and respect. Dr Karl. Adam Spencer. Murray from the Wiggles. Need I say more.

3. The food. Hot damn. Cheese on a Stick. This beauty is only seen at the BDO (I have attended many festivals / concerts that have lacked the cheesy goodness) and is so enjoyable they should add it to the food pyramid (ok, I know the food pyramid isn’t based on pleasure, but if it was, Cheese on a Stick would be very high). I also enjoyed a delicious meat pie out of a bag and some chips with cheese sauce. I need to detox.

4. Drinking. 2008 was the first time I have had alcohol at a festival event. Normally my hyper nature allows me get through a huge exhausting festival with my guns blazing and mind in tact. This year I decided to try the alcohol route. It was good. Real good. Drinking during the day is generally, as a personal rule, a BAD idea. However I was able to do it in a dignified and elegant manner (Max and Jane may disagree). I didn’t vomit, I didn’t pass out and I didn’t tell anyone that I love / hate / heart them. I danced like a pro and had a really good time doing it. Damn I am awesome.

Cons

1. Bogans. I fervently believe that this word is enough to demonstrate the issue, however I want to elaborate for full understanding of my displeasure. The BDO attracts a gathering that is primarily bogan-ish in nature. It is something that I only notice at the BDO, and I put it down to the fact that the crowd is predominately derived of the Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong population. These people shit me to tears. They run around carrying 4 or so cans of beer, they wear either boardshorts with no shirt or bikinis with booty shorts (obviously depending on gender). They speak in a twangy, dodgy manner and everything that escapes their mouth is worthless and insulting. I used to have a certain level of tolerance in my younger years, one that allowed me to say “hey, they aren’t my type of people, but they are having a good time and not really hurting anybody”. I have matured, and arrived at the realisation that they are hurting people. They are hurting my ears and my eyes by being there, and they are hurting others by throwing full beer cans and jumping on people in testosterone fuelled idiocy. I’m not going to hold back. I hate them. Put a shirt on and grow a brain, dickhead.

2. Nationalism. This one ties in with the bogans, as they are the people that espouse a strong sense of nationalism – all_day_long. Australian flags have become a symbol for racism and this is a terrible shame. I used to be proud of the flag and all the feelings I had when I looked at it. It symbolised freedom of speech, a fair go, easy-going people and fun. Oh, it still symbolises that. As long as you aren’t gay, foreign, disabled, or have a brain. Then it symbolises repression and violence. Fucking cockheads. As Daniel said, Nationalism is Racism. Nothing good comes of running around with a flag as a cape and a shirt that says “if you don’t love it, f*ck off”. Oooo, I wonder what the * stands for? It stands for “I think I am tough and I am wearing a shirt that demonstrates my toughness…but I better not have swearing on it, my Mum might get angry”. Along with the brain, grow some balls, ass hat.

3. The atmosphere. As a result of the two aforementioned issues, the atmosphere at the BDO suffers horrendously. It should have a fun, easy going, drunken mindset. Instead, the BDO has a drunken, fucktard mindset. It hurts my sensibilities and makes me sad that I can’t ignore these people anymore. I feel old.

4. Mobile reliability (or lack thereof). I know this cannot really be helped. It still shits me. Trying to meet up with friends involves a whole lot of logistical bullshit. Note for anyone attending BDO in the future: just meet at the Cheese on a Stick stand. You find your friends and your tastesbuds scream in girly joy.

I don’t know. I guess I will just wait for the first line-up announcement for 2009 to make my decision. If it doesn’t blow my pants off I’m not going.