Pelle Almqvist, The Hives (Photo: Live4ever Media)
AJ Maddah, co-promoter of Big Day Out, has promised to refund any fans who are unimpressed with the event’s re-jigged line-up after headliners Blur withdrew in November, apparently becoming exasperated with ‘constantly changing goalposts’.
Deftones, Beady Eye and The Hives will all attempt to fill the void left by Blur, while Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire remain on board as the travelling festival’s other headliners.
Quoted over at Billboard, Maddah admits those behind Big Day Out were ‘completely caught with their pants down’ when Blur made their great escape, and that any new additions ‘won’t be cheap’.
Blur appeared distinctly unimpressed with the goings-on at Big Day Out in a statement released last month; “We’ve done our very best to work with the organisers and considered every option to make it happen, but they’ve let us down and let everyone else down too,” they concluded.
This follows last year’s abridged 20th anniversary shows – described by founder Ken West as ‘a total fiasco’.