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Soundwave Australia
Gnomez
Posts: 17,550 master of ceremonies
On Friday afternoon I flew to Brisbane for the Soundwave Festival which is an entire day of music, much like Big Day Out but more bands, bigger venue and heavier.
This chap was at Auckland airport....pretty cool aye?
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I stayed at a cheap and nasty hotel that I found on the internet which was close to the venue which meant I wouldn’t get stabbed by a junky after leaving the concert.
On the downside it meant that I had to walk past all the junkies and homeless people who were sleeping on the footpath the next morning when I went for breakfast.
NOTE TO SELF…don’t talk to the homeless Abo's (Aborigines) again.
Saturday morning I walked for about 3 hours around Brisbane, thru the Botanical Garden, across a pedestrian bridge, through Southbank (which has really nice gardens and a man made kids beach with life guards) and back across another bridge to my hotel.
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Why I chose to walk for so long and so far when I was going to be on my feet in the blazing 31+ degree sun for an entire day I have no idea but talking to homeless Abo’s will do that to you.
After getting back to the hotel I loaded up with sunscreen, water bottle, money, glasses, hat and ticket and headed to the venue.
Why I forgot my ear plugs I have no idea but it worked to my benefit later in the day.
The first band came on at 11:00am Saturday morning so after queuing and forcing my way thru crowds of scantily clad ladies I got inside the gates in time to hear one of the first local bands play.
I think it was a local band….either that or someone was slaughtering a live animal on stage due to all the shrieks and guttural demonic ogre-like noises they were making.
As unaccustomed as I am to animal slaughter I avoided the carnage and went in search of water, a t-shirt, and some ear plugs to buy.
I purchased another Metallica shirt, grabbed a taco for a snack (I figured I might need something to throw up later that day), and went searching for new ear plugs.
I actually found some for $2 and in doing so I came across two lovely ladies giving away free samples of Beef Jerky.
Now I’m normally a quiet and shy kinda guy and not a big fan of Beef Jerky but I figured I would give it a taste since it was free and I have attached a photo of it as proof that I did in fact try Beef Jerky.
" />
This chap was at Auckland airport....pretty cool aye?
" />I stayed at a cheap and nasty hotel that I found on the internet which was close to the venue which meant I wouldn’t get stabbed by a junky after leaving the concert.
On the downside it meant that I had to walk past all the junkies and homeless people who were sleeping on the footpath the next morning when I went for breakfast.
NOTE TO SELF…don’t talk to the homeless Abo's (Aborigines) again.
Saturday morning I walked for about 3 hours around Brisbane, thru the Botanical Garden, across a pedestrian bridge, through Southbank (which has really nice gardens and a man made kids beach with life guards) and back across another bridge to my hotel.
" />Why I chose to walk for so long and so far when I was going to be on my feet in the blazing 31+ degree sun for an entire day I have no idea but talking to homeless Abo’s will do that to you.
After getting back to the hotel I loaded up with sunscreen, water bottle, money, glasses, hat and ticket and headed to the venue.
Why I forgot my ear plugs I have no idea but it worked to my benefit later in the day.
The first band came on at 11:00am Saturday morning so after queuing and forcing my way thru crowds of scantily clad ladies I got inside the gates in time to hear one of the first local bands play.
I think it was a local band….either that or someone was slaughtering a live animal on stage due to all the shrieks and guttural demonic ogre-like noises they were making.
As unaccustomed as I am to animal slaughter I avoided the carnage and went in search of water, a t-shirt, and some ear plugs to buy.
I purchased another Metallica shirt, grabbed a taco for a snack (I figured I might need something to throw up later that day), and went searching for new ear plugs.
I actually found some for $2 and in doing so I came across two lovely ladies giving away free samples of Beef Jerky.
Now I’m normally a quiet and shy kinda guy and not a big fan of Beef Jerky but I figured I would give it a taste since it was free and I have attached a photo of it as proof that I did in fact try Beef Jerky.
" /> Post edited by Gnomez on
Comments
They were really into it, very entertaining to watch and the crowd loved them, especially when the lead singer got the crowd to split and form a Wall of Death.
On the count of 3,2,1 both sides rushed toward each other like a huge form of bull-rush.
from opposite sides of the park and pretty much beat each other up.
I’m not sure if anyone died but I didn’t see any bodies lying on the ground so I was like "meh"....Wall of Death my ass....
After Crossfaith finished the crowd moved off to the stage 1B so I made my way to the front of stage 1A and waited an hour for Anthrax (not the infectious disease but the heavy metal band) to come on.
I got to within 2 people from the front rail, dead centre and marked my territory.
I don’t know why there was a sign saying “No Crowd Surfing/No Moshing” but its obvious that Aussies can’t read or chose to ignore the sign….coz there were bodies everywhere and coming at you from all angles.
AS Anthrax started to play I think 20,000 people spilled in behind me to claim my spot but I stood my ground, lost 5kg in sweat and head banged like a 20 year old.
Anthrax were awesome, loved them and when they played TNT by ACDC the crowd went wild. I cant recall who played drums for them but I think it was the dude from Testament?
I chilled out down the back of the stadium on the grass having my burger and rehydrating while trying not to make eye contact with the young and scantily clad ladies.
I tried to apply suntan lotion but you know when you wear a singlet there’s always that little spot behind your shoulder blade that you can’t quite reach?
So I then had to ask one of the young and scantily clad ladies that was walking by if she could apply some sunscreen to that part of my shoulder for fear of a melanoma.
Some people might think I’m a dirty b*strd but sun sense is very important.
From my vantage point I watched Bullet for My Valentine play and they were really popular with the younger crowd.
When BFMV finished and the crowd dispersed to stage 1B I made my way back to the front of stage 1A again (3 people back this time but still dead centre) until Stone Sour came on.
They were brillaint; very energetic and talked to the crowd and just really enthusiastic and going for it.
Another 5kg of lost bodyweight and having someone dry humping my back while I dry humped someone elses and the wait was on for A Perfect Circle, while Slayer played on
stage 1B. I wanted to see Slayer up close but you can't have everything so I stood and watched/heared them from my spot. I'm pretty sure the same dude who drummed for Anthrax had to drum for them as well..
A Perfect Circle were…ummm….yeah unusual…...
I’m sure they were all tripping as their entire set was just laid back and mellow and umm yeah cruisy….I was looking at other people all around me and we were just like…WTF?
It was around this time that 30,000 people then decided they wanted my spot where I had stood for most of the day and despite my weakening bladder I wasn’t moving for anyone let alone the 6.5ft tall shirtless b*stard who fought his way to the front and thought he would like to stand where I was….
I politely suggested that I was staying where I was and he agreed that was a good solution .
As LP finished the real pushing and shoving started and just when I thought my rib cage couldn’t compress any further, Metallica came on and my rib cage compressed even further.
Its just was well I have learnt to breath using only one lung and through my ears as I couldn’t move and in fact if I lifted my feet off the ground I could have stayed in one place.
Metallica was AWESOME and it was around this time that the guy pushing his elbow into the small of my back and grinding on my butt managed to crack my back for me…I guess it was cheaper than going to physio.
Not long after that a crowd surfer landed on my head, and it hurt so much it felt like he jumped off the roof of the stage as he compressed the vertebrae in my neck.
As accustomed as I am to headbanging with a bent neck while breathing with one lung I only managed to last an hour at front and centre of the stage before (with a subtle wink of an eye) I signalled to security that I’d had enough….(hey before you call me a wimp I wasn’t the first to bail out either…grown men, women and children were being pulled out thick and fast by security).
There was no way I could move back and out of the crowd so security reached over the rail and while giving me a (non-gay) bear like hug they attempted to delicately extract me from my spot.
They actually succeeded in getting me half way out before I became stuck like a cork in a bottle.
Now I only weigh 75kg (by this time I was only 65kg by the time I’d lost all the sweat during the day) but I just couldn’t move….despite him and another security guard pulling and 50,000 people pushing me from behind and giving me probes in places I wish I could forget I was stuck fast…half in and half out of the crowd.
Needless to say due to my sheer upper body strength I managed a huge chin up manoeuvre and popped up and out of the crowd and over the rail.
In a manly like way I then made my way off to the side of the stage to where I got a fairly decent view of the big screen and the stage, while having plenty of room and free airspace which didn’t smell of body odour.
Now this is where my cunning plan came about because during the day I had seen the roadies lift some huge beach balls in bags up to the left and right of the stage and I figured I was in the drop zone for when they released these balls.
An hour later and chilling in the fresh air, after all the explosions and canon fire and pyrotechnics, Metallica wound up their set and released the beach balls from above.
Most landed back in the main crowd but as I had expected a few drifted my way and (by way of a cunning almost David Campese like goose step) I ducked and jived around security and scored myself a beach ball Yay for me!
As Metallica thanked the crowd and bowed etc etc, Kirk Hammett walked to the end of the stage near me and threw a fistful of guitar picks at the crowd, and in as manly a way as I could while clutching a beach ball under one arm, I dived like a seasoned All Black diving for the try line and plucked a pick off the ground from beneath someone’s 120kg foot.
Content with my treasures I was about to leave the venue and head for home when Lars also came to the end of the stage and started taunting the crowd with a drumstick.
He then casually tossed one drumstick in the crowd and in slow motion I saw it spin like a slow spinning thing spinning lazily through the air, bounce of people’s finger tips (in slow motion), off their heads (in slow motion), and (pre empting its trajectory) I dived (in slow motion) for the ground (while yelling NNNoooooooo! In slow motion), beach ball under one arm and pick in one hand, and latched onto the drumstick while (in slow motion) it was still bouncing off the lush green grass below peoples feet.
Unfortunately two other people grabbed it at the same time as me……..
I wasn’t there to make friends………
I remembered the under arm bowling incident oh so many years ago (Australia vs NZ in Cricket)……
Those dirty F-N Aussies….
It was mine…..
I unleashed the fury. ……
The better man won
she was actually cute
and I saw her going into el nino's trailor at the end EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
1.Caught in a Mosh
2.Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't
3.Antisocial
(Trust cover)
4.Indians
Hymn 1
5.In the End
6.T.N.T.
(AC/DC cover)
7.I Am the Law