It was humid. It was hot. It was overcast and looked like it was about to rain. But it did absolutely nothing to deter the punters as the Big Day Out rolled into Adelaide for another year.

Kicking off the day in the Boiler Room, bright and early at 11, was local band The Killgirls. Dressed all in black, they played an energetic and electric set, which Adelaideans have come to expect from these guys. Their style of hardcore electro and their incredibly tight set quickly drew in a large crowd, especially for so early in the day. Playing a ’20 minutes in 20 seconds’ catch up medley for those that had come late, the band also launched into a unique cover. They managed to bring their combination of electro and hardcore to the hip hop world of House of Pain with a great cover of ‘Jump Around’ and that’s exactly what the crowd did.

After the end of The Killgirls set, I headed over to catch the last half an hour of The Vines. With a set that included some of their older hits – ‘Ride With Me’ and ‘Get Free’ – The Vines treated fans to a set full of proper rock ‘n’ roll. Changing things up a little, the band also played a cover – their own take on Outkast’s ‘Ms Jackson’. While everyone knew the original, it didn’t sound like Outkast at all – it sounded only like The Vines. The final song saw lead singer, Craig Nicholls, in full rock ‘n’ roll style. After a couple of attempts, Nicholls smashed his guitar in two and then used the remnants to smash up the drum kit, all while drummer, Hamish Rosser, didn’t miss a beat. Very rock ‘n’ roll.

Next up was Queensland band Operator Please. With their catchy brand of indie pop, these guys were clearly crowd favourites. The crowd loved their hits ‘Get What You Want’ and ‘Back and Forth’, as well as new tracks like ‘Gold’. In what was becoming a bit of a trend, the band also belted out their own punk version of Kelis’ ‘Milkshake’. One of those songs that, regardless of musical taste, everyone knows, it was great to hear Operator Please’s take on the track.

A little later and back at the Green Stage was The Jim Jones Revue. Admittedly, I hadn’t heard too much about these guys, but for their first time in Adelaide, they certainly drew a big crowd. Their very old style of rock ‘n’ roll, complete with traditional rock ‘n’ roll piano playing, was fantastic to watch live. The crowd loved it too and the band quickly got people dancing. While the vocals did seem a bit loud in the mix, you couldn’t fault the vocals themselves. Lead singer, Jim Jones, has an amazing rock ‘n’ roll voice, with an even better rock ‘n’ roll scream. The whole set was simply proper rock ‘n’ roll, just as it should be.

After playing the Boiler Room the last time he was at the Big Day Out, Lupe Fiasco had now moved to the main arena and took to the Orange Stage. In an incredibly energetic set, especially given the weather, Lupe spent most of the time jumping around and running up and down the stage. It was great to see him play some older tracks, including ‘Kick Push’, ‘Go-Go Gadget Flow’ and ‘Superstar’, all definite crowd favourites. Keeping with what was now becoming a bit of a staple in every set, Lupe also threw in a great cover of N.E.R.D’s ‘Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom)’, which of course suited his style. However, some of the songs did seem to be a little shorter than the original tracks. It didn’t detract too much from the set though and Lupe easily drew a big crowd.

Heading back over to the Green Stage, I arrived ready to see Plan B. Introduced by a ridiculously talented human beatbox and his crazily accurate medley of dance tracks, a full backing band and Plan B himself emerged on stage. Playing the seamless fusion of soul and hip-hop from his album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks, he quickly got people dancing. Naturally, crowd favourites where singles ‘She Said’ and ‘Stay Too Long’, with ‘She Said’ creating a bit of crowd karaoke. Ending the set with a dubstep medley of old soul tunes also produced its fair share of crowd participation. From ‘Stand By Me’ to ‘Kiss From A Rose’, Plan B played songs that everyone knew and the crowd just lapped it up. The backing band also loved performing and, with the help of Plan B, started a mini mosh by the end song. Overall, his set was fantastic and my definite highlight for the day.

Back to the Boiler Room and it was time for LCD Soundsystem. These guys were obviously highly anticipated, but they were far better than I’d expected. They played a set complete with big hits like ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’ and ‘Drunk Girls’. Combined with a great light show and giant mirror disco balls, it felt more like a stadium show than a festival set in a tent. LCD Soundsystem managed to play a set really fast paced tunes then move to a slower, more atmospheric sound and still effortlessly keep the crowd entertained. The band and all their equipment took up the vast majority of the stage, and while there was a slight technical hiccup halfway through the set, it was great to see the band recreate their recorded sounds live.

Finally, to main arena headliners Tool. The Blue Stage side of the arena was absolutely packed. From the mosh to behind the barricade and up to the stands at the side, you couldn’t move. I’m the first to admit that I’m not a big Tool or metal fan, but this show was impressive. From some great, and very Tool style visual backdrops to a full laser light show, the set was given another element and seemed more like a theatrical production. The musical side to the show was just as impressive. You could clearly hear every guitar riff and drum beat and the diehard fans obviously loved it.

At the end of the day, the Big Day Out is always the same – far too much to see and far too little time to see it in. From the packed line-up of bands through to artwork, amusement rides, markets and, of course, Lilyworld, the Big Day Out is far more than a music festival. Going to the Big Day Out is something everyone has to do at least once, but as so often you just end up going year after year.