The Prodigy headlined the main stage, but disappointed those expecting anything like the performance seen in previous years.

Madchester stalwarts New Order wowed, while Garbage showed that while their tunes may have dropped in class since their brilliant self-titled debut, they can still most certainly cut it on the stage.

Speaking of wowing, the White Stripes marked their first trip to Australia and were THE band of the festival despite playing on a side stage. The incendiary System of a Down impressed, while the newly capitalised Silverchair were the other big story of BDO 2002, with Daniel Johns coming back from his arthritis to thrill the fans.

Peaches was funny, Regurgitator were awesome, Kosheen and Drowning Pool stunk up whichever stage they were on, while Basement Jaxx proved to be a treat in the Boiler Room. Young Kiwis Betchadupa (fronted by Liam Finn, son of Crowded House’s Neil) got their first taste of the Big Day Out, playing at home in Auckland as well as along the east coast of Australia, while Gerling introduced themselves to New Zealand. Elsewhere, the Crystal Method disappointed but Dave Clarke did not, and Jurassic 5’s no-gimmicks hip-hop had the Melbourne BDO crowd scaling rooves for a better view.

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