Big Day Out, Melbourne, Australia, 2000, By c h e m k e i t h

After finding my sister again in the 50,000-strong crowd, we deicide to head to the Boiler Room where Primal Scream were performing, I hadn't heard much of their material apart from the Chemical's awesome remix of "Jailbird" and that's bout it, but we hung around, testingly making our way upto the front of the barricades. Eventually we got up there and witnessed The Scream go off totally, distinctively remembering a song which Bobby G was going, "Sick, Sick, Sick, Fuck, Fuck, Sick..." and on and on... Well my sister and I were like this is wicked (after catching the guys at the Big Day Out, I brought "Exterminator", awesome album, but anywho...). Well The Scream had finished so here's my sister and I waiting up the front like two kids in front of a lolly shop seeing all the nice lollies. All the road crew were setting up decks and samplers for Goldie featuring MC Rage. After a little delay, Goldie rocked out with MC Rage traveling behind him, with Rage picking up a mic, greeting the audience and Goldie yelling out some shit, but the crowd were just like, "Yeah.. woohoo.."... Goldie and Rage put on a wicked set featuring some really heavy-influenced drum 'n' bass tracks... Every now and then, Goldie rapping over the tracks which really worked... A hour and 15 minute set, the rap it up by ending with an-epic sounding track which literally brought the tent down...

Again with the road crew setting up for BASEMENT JAXX; decks, samplers, huge screen, strobe lights and the whole sheraz... All unbeknown to me, whilst the roadies were setting up for the JAXX, a friendly guy next to my sister was trying to say something over the load but awesome music to keep the crowd up-and-going, eventually I realised he said, "Look man, there's one of THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS!!!", with me just wanting to see, right @ the back of the Boiler Room stage, I saw TOM ROLANDS setting up, sequencing and just bopping again to some music which would of been playing in the ear phones... Heres me (the dickhead) trying to yell over the music that was already playing and Tom's earphones.. but unfortunately no reaction.. But I got my camera out and went wild taking pictures of him...

Any who, BASEMENT JAXX (Felix & Simon) finally turned up the heat (which was already about 50C in the tent already... But no one cared...). Playing tracks from "Remedy", like "Red Alert", "Bingo Bango" and the raga-house class, "Flylife" and the classic that I just love, "Same Old Show", which I first heard on a Q magazine free CD. During "Same Old Show" which mind you features samples a of chick having an orgasm, whilst they were performing it, the screen behind them featured semi-porn flicks that went that quick you really couldn't make out anything that was goin on in them.. But what would a BASEMENT JAXX show be without the amazing Mardi Gras dancers, back-flippers, live percussionists and the whole BASEMENT JAXX CIRCUS!!! But a great set, again an hour and 15 minute set...

Australia's own DJ PEE WEE FERRIS comes out with his DJ bag full of tricks... Well around this time (9pm) we all knew that THE CHEMICAL'S would soon be coming out, only an hour away from the band that I haven't seen before in my life, I've waited 5 years for this moment and its only an hour away, AAAAHHHHHHHAAAHHH.... Well Pee Wee put an amazing set on, by closing his set (surprisingly) 20 minutes earlier (probably he wouldn't to see The Chemical's, well who wouldn't, honestly), with William Orbit's "Barbers Adagio For Strings", i tell you what, that just pumped the crowd right up, and I mean, RIGHT-FUCKIN-UP!!!!

9:30pm... Pee Wee finished with a bang!!! The stage is absolutely clear until about 30-fuckin-roadies dragged the Chemical's control desk to the front... I mean this thing was fuckin huge... And if anyone caught the Chemical's tour the "Surrender" album, you would know how big their set up was... OK, roadies working on the cabling, lights, sequencing, mixers, 24-fuckin channel mixer, and the HUUGGEE 3-screens at the back of the set...everything else that went along with the Chemical's set-up...

The stage was left by all the roadies except about 2-3 just doing a final check... The they leave with the stage completely empty.. The crowd is getting literally outta control... My sister and I were getting pushed up against the barricade, which I tell you wasn't really fun, but we didn't care, we were @ the front, ready and wafting... Finally Tom & Ed come out from there darkness... The crowd just erupted!!! Everyone heard the start of "Hey Boy Hey Girl" and the wicked visuals of shadow-figures running in sync... Then it started, the crowd knew this tune and started to jump and down, coz really that's all you could really do in the tent with 20,000-strong crowd... As we all know, the opening of "H.B.H.G." goes for ages... but then it erupted...

"Music: Response" enters with a huge bang, that went off... playing a slightly different vision which must I say, is better then the one on the LP... Next minute, "Block Rockin' Beats" thunders over the towers and towers of speakers with the cheeky Chemical's throwing in a sample of Primal Scream's "Jailbird", but I tell you what, it was really funky... Everyone clicks when the sample of Schooly D's "Gucci Again" goes, "Back with one of those Block Rockin' Beats!!!", it is sea of people going wild... This is what I live for!! "Block Rockin' Beats" finishes with the ear-piercing sounds of sirens.. And we all knew what this was, "Song To The Siren" enters, with Tom going absolutely wild behind the mixer, while Ed is just grooving along whilst playing around with sounds and samples... During this stage I unfortunately lost my tracklisting, but still the Chemical's went on playing, "Under The Influence", "Got Glint?", "It Doesn't Matter", "Leave Home", and "Out Of Control"...

This where the whole crowd including myself thought it was over, but it was only half way through the set... Then I realised Ed went out for a smoke and Tom was probably having a drinks or something... Again, Tom & Ed come out from the dark backstage... This was probably my most fondest memory of the Big Day Out... The screen come back down and on all 3 screens there are a huge sunset visual... I really had no clue what they were going to perform, but next minute its the distinctive sita guitar... "The Sunshine Underground" starts... This is when the whole 20,000 crowd all chill and sway side-to-side, this was a very memorable scene.. Then that ends, and all of a sudden, a huge guitar riff just rips out... The live-techno version of "Setting Sun" comes over the speakers...

Tom & Ed have come outta their Sunshine state and killed it with Noel's warped-live" vocals.. Everyone is back to party mode and that is in the state of "yeah, lets do this shit..."... As "Setting Sun" fades out, the sounds of "Ah-Ah" (if you hadn't known), "Chemical Beats" rocks on... With unfortunately last song, "The Private Psychedelic Reel" starts up, which I at first thought was "Where Do I Begin", because of how it fades out.. Damm and I thought Beth Orton (who was also @ the 2000 BDO festival) was gonna come out and sing, which would of been amazing!!! But doesn't matter, this is where Tom & Ed just absolutely nailed it!!!!!! With the best part, when Tom got this little "looked-like" Roland 303, jumped onto the mixer and was creating all these sounds whilst The Reel was going off... Tom's long-blonde hair was going from side-to-side and he we almost head-banging!!!! But it was a highlight of the show!!! And before I knew it, it was all over... With "The Reel.." fading out for literally 20 minutes...

That was that... "The" best ever live act I have ever seen!!! Now all you Chemical fans who unfortunately haven't seen them live, and you do get the chance one day, trust me.. you will not be disappointed!!