Before the now infamous day of the Sydney Soundwave, a lot of punters were disappointed to see the timetabling had a longer Metallica set clashing with the Blink 182 and Offspring timeslots.
Organisers don’t usually have to worry about crossovers between pop punk and heavy metal fans, but when boasting one of the biggest lineups they’ve put together yet, with some of the biggest bands in the world, these kinds of clashes are unfortunately part of festival life and must have been a hell of a job to put together at all and trying to please the odd 75,000 people in attendance.
As the day wore on though, was when the bigger problems started to surface, definitely taking over any pre-show timetable clash concerns.
Garbage fans were disappointed to find their set had been cut due to delays in the arrival of their equipment. The NSW roads were in a shambles after recent flooding and while these things are beyond anyone’s control it begs the question, if Paramore (who’s equipment was on the same truck) managed to make it to the stage, albeit in a new time slot, why couldn’t Garbage?
For whatever reason, logistics made it impossible.
Pop punkers Paramore, notably headed by Hayley Williams, seemed psyched to be able to close out the day with their set and it was this kind of positive energy and effort on the part of the performers that stopped any complainers in their tracks and reminded them what is good about these kinds of festivals in the first place.
A lot of punters did have to skip out before their set finished in order to make the last train home but there was still a sizable crowd drawn to watch them.
Needless to say the timetables were a little hit and miss throughout the day as a result, but all things considered organisers handled the problems well and the show went on.
Announcements were made at stages throughout the day and Facebook and Twitter were used to ensure everyone was aware of the changes. A few people probably turned up at the wrong stage at the wrong time, but on the whole it was pretty easy to make sure no one missed anything.
Bring Me The Horizon took the spot as the most controversial performance of the day, although not necessarily because of their stage antics (which were, as always, ballsy and just as entertaining to watch as to listen to).
They gave a sneak preview to upcoming release Sempiternal, including new tracks “Shadow Moses” and “Antivist” in their set.
The real drama however was when someone let off a flare. The added excitement from part of the roof catching alight was short lived when it became known someone had been injured in the fallout.
It would have been a memorable show for hardcore band This Is Hell. The New Yorkers were having a good time sharing their blend of hardcore and punk when for the first time in their career they experienced every rock star’s dream, having a festival girl flash them.
Fans of Of Mice and Men will be happy to know that even with ex-singer Shayley Bourget no longer there to take the clean vocals, the band put on an epic set, one that was heavier scream wise as a result.
The added heaviness suited the crowd who had gathered to see them perfectly, who revelled in screamer Austin Carlisle’s ability to hold a note longer than would seem possible in the Australian heat.
The band also paid homage to the recently past singer of Suicide Silence Mitch Lucker by chanting some of his lyrics, “Live life hard.”
Slayer, who cancelled their Soundwave set at the last minute two years previous, made it in full swing this year, thrashing through their set spurred on by frontman Tom Araya, despite the recent departure of drummer Dave Lombardo.
Linkin Park kept their diehard fans from the early days appeased by throwing in a good number of tracks from Meteora.
It was also nice to see they have as much love for their fans as they themselves receive, co-vocalist Chester Bennington making sure to stop mid song to make sure someone who was swept up in the pit was pulled to safety before they got hurt.
The contrast of Bennington’s powerfully held melody against Mike Shinoda’s rapping was perfectly balanced upon their well-known industrial based sounds.
The wildness of the Linkin Park light show couldn’t really be appreciated until the sun began to disappear towards the end of their set.
Blink-182 were met with a raucous crowd. Most were happy they got the chance to see them at all rather than dwell on any disappointment that Travis Barker, who’s intense fear of flying kept him from boarding the group’s flight to Australia a few days earlier, wasn’t able to join the lineup.
All seemed well when the replacement drummer, Brooks Wackerman (from punk outfit Bad Religion) was introduced to a great reception.
Known for their immature humour and often ridiculous stage antics, Blink played up to these expectations, joking with each other in between renditions of the pop punk anthems that defined the teenage lives of a large percentage of the crowd.
The set opened with “Feeling This”, from their self-titled record. Their light show added an extra element to the set, as did the on-screen animations which showed some dancing spinning bananas.
As they are known to do, they had fun with their lyrics, twisting the words from the record versions to get a laugh from the audience. They finished off with “Dammit” and “Family Reunion”, trolling the audience with a further note expected to turn into an extra song before cutting it short and bidding their farewell for the night.
The highlight of the day for many was, of course, the chance to see the gods of metal, Metallica. The pit stretched across the stadium with bodies everywhere picking up the intensity of their full length set, which fans of the band will surely tell you is never enough.
They ploughed through a set list heavily populated with tracks form earlier days, more specifically from the first five albums. Although this wasn’t before a solid 30 minute wait following the end of Linkin Park. As can only be expected from such a huge band, pyrotechnics played a role in the display along with some pretty solid cannon blasts.
They ploughed through their impressive set-list, covering what are surely now considered classics – not just within the metal genre but across the board. “Master of Puppets”, and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” made very welcome appearances.
Closing with “Enter Sandman” James Hetfield’s easily recognisable voice rang out atop the choir of countless fans chanting along. It was a flawless set brought to life with even greater vigor than the record counterparts (if that is even possible) by these seasoned pros.
The added bonus of technology meant it was fun to see bands who have made friends on the tour posting backstage antics on Twitter or Instagram, leaving fans wishing they too had been invited to the after parties.
At the end of the day you might have walked away a bit muddier, perhaps with a sunburn or an injury from the pit, but that’s all part of the experience.
Our Soundwave Sydney 2013 Gallery Part 1is below, Part 2 is HERE.
