Soundwave 2013 - Bonython Park, Adelaide.

You wake up bright and early. You know what today is. You hurry to get ready, the anticipation is mounting. It's going to be a good day. You double check that you have everything: phone, money, ID, ticket. Don't forget the ticket, that's the most important part... 

You leave where you're staying to meet up with some friends for breakfast and all conversation is focused on what is to come. You eat your food in a hurry, anxious to get there, ready for it all to begin.

As you get closer to the venue you see them all. All those people congregating for the same reason as you, the reason you're all there: Soundwave Festival 2013.


With a lineup boasting more than 70 bands including acts such as Metallica, Blink-182, The Offspring, Linkin Park, A Perfect Circle and much more, Soundwave 2013 was destined for a huge turnout and I happened to be amongst the crowd amassed at Bonython Park on March 2nd.

I had been eagerly awaiting Soundwave for months, I had taken two flights and travelled more than 2,500kms and I was not let down in the least.

The first band that I watched was American punk-rock group, Mindless Self Indulgence whose on-stage antics were something that I had previously only heard about. The band played spectacularly and lead singer Jimmy Urine's outlandish interaction, (drawing on his clothes and face, peculiar dance moves, bad Australian accents and edgy jokes) left the crowd wanting more.

From there I was off to the other side of Bonython Park for American indie-rock group Motion City Soundtrack who were lovely to watch. Located at Stage 3, under the marquee, the band's set felt more intimate and the boys were a delight, full of exuberance for the music that they have made into a career for themselves. Motion City Soundtrack finished on a high note by playing their well known song Everything is Alright which the crowd happily sang along with to complete the set.

A Perfect Circle were up next on the main stage so I rushed off to watch them with enough time to see Slayer finish their set with Raining Blood, much to the enjoyment of the gathered metal fans. A Perfect Circle were wonderful to watch, playing a wide range of songs including The Outsider, Passive, The Noose and their cover of John Lennon's Imagine. Maynard James Keenan, dressed in a suit in the Adelaide heat, sang passionately and powerfully. Keenan also had commitments earlier in the day with his other band, Puscifer.

Up next on the main stage were highly anticipated punk-rockers Blink-182 who hadn't toured in Australia for almost a decade. Unfortunately, Travis Barker (the band's drummer), was not touring with the band due to his extreme fear of flying. However, replacement drummer Brooks Wackerman of Bad Religion, was more than up to the job of filling in for Barker. Wackerman performed admirably alongside Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge. If anyone was expecting Hoppus and DeLonge to be any different to the Blink-182 of the past, they were sorely mistaken, the boys still constantly cracked jokes and made sexual innuendoes and just generally enjoyed themselves onstage.

Linkin Park followed Blink-182 to huge applause, starting with Mike Shinoda casually playing guitar and strolling out from the side of the stage before leading into the song Faint which made fans cheer and jump around. With a fantastic set of songs, both old and new, and a customised visual accompaniment to the show, Linkin Park delivered both an emotionally powerful and entertaining set.

At long last, with the sun finally setting, the major draw for the festival was ready for the main stage: Metallica. The heavy metal superstars may be older than when they first started out thirty years ago but have not diminished at all in that time. The men of Metallica met eagerly awaiting fans opening strongly with Hit The Lights, immediately followed up with Master of Puppets. I stood transfixed for the first hour of Metallica's two hour set, by their performance and the obvious glee that could be seen on their faces before tearing myself away to find The Offspring.

Over on Stage 2, I found myself arriving at the end of Paramore's set, in time to see frontwoman Hayley Williams bring two girls up from the crowd to sing Misery Business with her. One of the girls was overcome with emotion and started crying, so Williams had an arm around her as they sang. It was a touching moment to witness at the festival.

Then The Offspring began. Playing a set mostly consisting of their older music, The Offspring were interesting to watch live but more interesting was the crowd. During tracks from their latest album, Days Gone By, the crowd seemed to be less interested and less inclined to sing and dance than during songs like Come Out and Play. As much as I enjoyed The Offspring, I found myself drawn back to Metallica who had set off fireworks and other pyrotechnics in my absence.

So shortly after The Offspring played big time hits Want You Bad, Hit That and Gone Away, I determinedly pushed my way back to the main stage to watch Metallica's finale and encore. I was entranced once again by the fervour and spirit exuded by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett. The boys absolutely nailed their performance, ending on a high with Seek and Destroy.

Overall, the performances at Soundwave were magnificent and it is wonderful to see people who are so passionate about music performing and still being visibly happy and appreciative to be there.