Big Day Out organisers have announced that they have cancelled the second day of the festival’s Sydney leg for January 2014.
The festival, featuring triple headliners Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, and Blur, was to take up two dates at the Sydney Showgrounds, returning the regular Australia Day showing to the NSW capital after Melbourne enjoyed the privilege for the first time for this year’s edition.
However, Big Day Out promoter Ken West has issued a statement today noting that the event will be scaled back to just a single day.
“Perhaps we were a bit ambitious expanding to two dates in Sydney for this year’s Big Day Out,” writes West. “The Sydney Big Day Out show scheduled for Monday, January 27 will now be merged into one show on Sunday, January 26, Australia Day.”
It’s not the first time the Big Day Out had doubled up in Sydney, having run two days in 2004, 2010, and 2011, but while the Big Day Out 2014 was to continue the edition, it seems that either through ailing ticket sales or organisational issues, the double date has been scrapped.
Fans who had originally purchased tickets for the cancelled Monday for the event have three options, according to festival organisers:
You can use your January 27 ticket for the January 26 festival – there is no need to exchange your tickets if you wish to attend the Big Day Out on Sunday 26 January as they are automatically valid.
You can get a full refund until October 30, 2013 (full info at bottom)
You can exchange your 27 January ticket(s) for any other (Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth) Australian Big Day Out festival.
While we are looking into a possible expanded capacity for the 26 January, given the merge of the two shows, tickets to January 26 are anticipated to sell out much earlier so do not delay if you have not already purchased.”
The cancellation of the second Sydney date is likely to consolidate on slow ticket sale, despite the hype around the lineup, some punters have grumbled about the price hike of $20 to $185 for Big Day Out 2014. Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit had previously defended the price hike to accommodate for the bigger lineup and the festival’s three headliners.
The cancellation of the second day means that Pearl Jam fans looking forward to the band’s promise of two separate sets for each night of the festival will have to take solace in a single, closing festival set. Organisers have arleady promised that the Seattle rock institution won’t clash with Canadian art rockers Arcade Fire and Britpop icons Blur, while main stage sets from Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion) and Major Lazer across three marquee stages; the regular Blue and Orange stages and a new Love stage, custom-built for Blur.
West has noted his pride of the bill previously, saying “the lineup is strong” and “pretty magical” for fans. “You wouldn’t be able to get these three (headliners) on the one day anywhere else in the world,” he says. “We had an opportunity to put a gangbuster show together, we’ve got that and we’re going to make sure it’s the best experience.”
In related news, festival promoter AJ Maddah – the man responsible for Soundwave, the Australian Vans Warped Tour, and the canned Harvest Festival – recently bought into the Big Day Out, co-promoting alongside Ken West for the festival’s foreseeable future. One of Maddah’s first moves may involve moving Brazilian dance rock group, CSS, to the Big Day Out 2014 bill.
Meanwhile, DIIV’s place on the Big Day Out 2014 is in jeopardy after the band’s frontman, Zachary Cole Smith, and his pop singer girlfriend, Sky Ferreira, were caught in an automobile drug bust with a significant amount of heroin.
Refund/Exchange Contact Information:
If you would like to obtain a refund or exchange for the January 27 BDO Sydney show, please go to one of the following places, depending on where you purchased your tickets, before October 30, 2013:
For tickets purchased from bigdayout.com, please email [email protected] or please dial 1300 762 545
For tickets purchased from Ticketmaster, please dial 136100
For all other inquiries including tickets purchased from General Pants, please visit support.bdopresents.com with “Sydney General Pants ticket exchange” “Sydney General Pants ticket refund” in the subject line
Big Day Out 2014 Lineup
Pearl Jam * Arcade Fire * Blur
Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion * Major Lazer * Steve Angello (Swedish House Mafia) * Flume * The Lumineers * Tame Impala * Dillon Francis * Mac Miller * Ghost * Grouplove * Flosstradamus * Portugal. The Man * Toro Y Moi * DIIV * The Naked And Famous * Big Gigantic * PEZ * Mudhoney * Cosmic Psychos * Northlane * The 1975 * Loon Lake * Kingswood * Bo Ningen * The Algorithm * DZ Deathrays * Peking Duk * Ben Morris * Rüfüs
and more to be announced…
Big Day Out 2014 Dates & Venues
Friday 17th January ~ Western Springs, Auckland*
Sunday 19th January ~ Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Friday 24th January ~ Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 26th January ~ Sydney Showgrounds, SydneyMonday 27th January ~ Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney Day Two
Friday 31st January ~ Bonython Park, Adelaide**
Sunday 2nd February ~ Claremont Showgrounds, Perth**
*For New Zealand Big Day Out 2014 lineup and ticketing details, please refer towww.bigdayout.com and choose AUCKLAND
**Subject to council approval
