i have been going to bdo's for many years now (first one was in 1994 so yes i am getting older but not old!) and over the last few years it seems to me as if they are getting worse. anyone can go look at past bdo line ups and they were massive days and not just recycled from a couple of years before. let's have a quick look back -

1994 - soundgarden, the ramones, smashing pumpkins, primus, the breeders etc
1996 - porno for pyros, rage against the machine, rancid, prodigy, the jesus lizard etc
2000 - red hot chilli peppers, foo fighters, blink 182, chemical brothers, atari teenage riot, etc
2003 - syatem of a down, garbage, nofx, crystal method, new order, white stripes, jurassci 5, etc

these previous line ups are just a selection but they beat the hell out of line ups of the last couple of years. i know that the "younger generation" like a different style of music but if that is the case then why the last couple of years have they been recycled bands and there are less big names then there used to be. personally i think that the bdo organizers think they nowadays they can just put on whatever they like and it wil sell out just because it is the bdo. also the way they announce the bands with all the little rumors people buy the ticket hoping that it will be better then the previous years effort. i am starting to think that i am not the only one that is thinking like this otherwise all states would have sold out and they wouldn't have to be giving away 2 for 1 tickets for the second day in sydney just so that they can get a decent crowd there. i think the bdo team need to wake up to themselves and realize that there are a lot more festivals these days and if they keep up with the type of lineups they have been doing then they will lose a lot of people to other festivals because we can't all afford to go to them all. personally i love the bdo not just because of the music but because of the general vibe of the day and the chance to see all sorts of different genres and find some gems that i hadn't seen before but it's $350 just for tickets, let alone drinks for me and my wife to go. there are a few bands that i would like to see but not enough to justify that kind of expense, so if you guys want to give me a couple of freebie tickets for adelaide :d then i am there and would be very grateful otherwise i will have to wait for another year and hope the line up is better and worth the big expense.

So your not going this year?

not unless i get free tickets! as much as i always enjoy the day i cannot justify $350 on tix + drinks on the line up that is on this year. $500 for the day is way too much for me for what is on offer.

I agree with you in principle, but its easier to look back with the benefit of hindsight and state how 'BIG' some of those bands are. But taking it in context, not all of them were as popular then as they are now.

Take Nirvana for example. They were a relatively unknown band when they were signed to play the festival. If not for the fact that they released an album that became the defining moment of the grunge movement just before the festival, things would have been totally different.

Your example for 1994 is an interesting one. That was a big name heavy international lineup and a damn fine one at that. But those bands at the time are no bigger than some of the bands playing this year. Stooges = Ramones, Tool = Soundgarden, Deftones = Smashing Pumpkins, Rammstein = Primus, Grinderman = The Breeders. Sure most of this are recycled when they werent back then, but that was only the third BDO in its history. Soundgarden came back a few years later, The Ramones and The Breeders came to an end, Smashing Pumpkins imploded and Primus are playing Soundwave. you could make an argument for them all coming back to play the festival again like Soundgarden if their popularity continued to grow.

You can easily look back and see that bands like Coldplay (who whether we like it or not are one of the biggest bands in the world and regularly headline the worlds biggest festivals) played back in 2001. But this was just after they released their first album and played in front of a fairly small audience in the middle of the afternoon.

RATM played mid afternoon when they played in 1996 and arguably got much bigger after they played the festival the first time.

Everybody has different tastes and BDO do a great job of catering to a wide variety of music lovers. The festival has moved away from having as high a representation in heavy rock to cater for a wider variety and thrived as a result. Regardless of the fact that they recycle acts, which isnt the greatest thing to happen, but not necessarily the worst either.

Im glad i got to see Muse play mid afternoon in 2004 and headline in 2010. I think they are a fucking awesome live band and i have enjoyed every set ive seen them play. I loved seeing The White Stripes play on a side stage as a near no name band in 2002 and then headline the festival in 2006. I absolutely fucking loved watching RATM back in 1996 and seeing them do it again in 2008 was fantastic.(though i maintain they were better in 96).

This year isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. It might be lacking a big name boiler room headliner like Chemical Brothers or The Prodigy or Underworld, but there are some damn fine acts playing, even if they are repeat offenders. Iggy and The Stooges have just been inducted into the hall of fame (Iggy is one of my all time favourites) Tool and Rammstein always put on amazing shows, Screamadelica is an album of legendary proportions, Grinderman will be one of those sets people will look back on with legendary status in years to come, Deftones are a very solid heavy rock act and even though im not really a fan, i admit that MIA is very good at what she does and is a great live performer. The rest of the lineup is pretty damn solid as well.

So in response mos20+, i see your point, but don't totally agree with it. I've been going to BDO as long as you have and i'm probably around the same age (38). My missus and i are going this year. Yes it is getting very expensive, but its still damned good value for money when you consider tickets for bands like U2 and Bon Jovi are equal to the price of a BDO ticket. I do understand your inability to justify spending that much for the festival experience. Its that very reason why i am choosing to go. The way i see it, im going to see Little Red, Jim Jones Revue, CSS, Andrew WK, Plan B, Deftones, Crystal Castles, Edward Sharpe, Iggy and the stooges, Primal Scream, Tool, Grinderman and MIA for $160. Thats 13 bands at a cost of $12.31 a piece. I see that as maximising my music experience whilst minimising cost.

Im not happy that The Black Keys aren't playing as they were the band i was looking forward to the most having never seen them before. Im still going to have an awesome day though. But your argument of BDO losing its popularity due to the direction its taking is flawed. Melbourne sold out in record time this year and Gold Coast and Sydney 1 sold out very quickly too. Now we just need to find a couple more tickets so our crew can all go together again, just like the good old days.

first big day out.. paid $150 for my ticket.. happy as pig in mud

if it's your first bdo i am sure you will have a ball no matter who is playing. enjoy your day!

Stop calling me Shirley...

1997 was my first ever and favourite BDO and back then I think I only paid about $70! I'm hanging out to see Soundgarden again. I think some of us will be like our parents... liking music that's from our era and not getting with the times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troll

Stop calling me Shirley...

shame.
it wasn't the right moment, nor did you get the quote right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mondo22

shame.
it wasn't the right moment, nor did you get the quote right.

"internet"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troll

INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET INTERNET

INTERNET

I completely agreed with that last year the line ups do seem more and more full of local bands which I dislike as I can see them throughout the year. I am happy they got rammstein this year though.
Another thing I've only been to 4 big day outs but ive noticed the whole atmosphere has changed, people used to not give a shit and dress up and there was more diversity. Now it's a fashion show and way less older people. I think it used to be alternative now people like Lilly Allen headline

i sorta agree with the above statement, but i think thats how music is going also!

i agree, but i think that it's a damn shame. some of the music coming out now is so damn boring! one example - now i know everyone's taste is different, but jjj hottest 100 winners angus and julia stone's music bores the crap out of me! the kind of music you use to put a baby to sleep. isn't there any youth angst and rebellion these days, it seems to be all contemporary, indie crap that my grandma would like!

i think it's just all a matter of taste really. some people i know think the same as me, the big day out lineup this year just isn't good enough for me to go - i'd much rather spend my money on sideshows and avoid the crowds. but others are raving about how awesome it is. they are recycling a lot of acts though, bringing them back sooner than they probably should. but then there are a lot of summer festivals now so bdo don't have the monopoly and other festivals are taking big acts as well.
the second sydney show was clearly a mistake though.

agreed, 2nd sydney show a big mistake! organizers getting greedy?

recycling acts too soon, hell yes!

2006 - iggy & the stooges, wolfmother, mia
2007 - tool, lupe fiasco, john butler, the vines, birds of tokyo
2009 - lupe fiasco, birds of tokyo

way too much recycling!

last year recycled and too teenybopper/top 40 for my liking

this year getting back to the way it used to be, but not fully there

'08 being the best (not as heavily recycled) lineup of recent years imho

i attended the 1993 bdo and it cost me 50 bucks and have going to them ever since. there was not much competition back then as there is now.