Inside the Big Day Out ABC listen

Not able to agree on two headliners for the 2014 show, the duelling owners book three. To break even, the festival will need to break records. The original founder is about to lose everything. Hasty decisions are made to salvage a cultural icon, but the ship is sinking.

While ticket sales soar to hundreds of thousands in the 2000s, artistic differences see the founder’s relationship reach breaking point. The manager holding everything together ends up in rehab and the festival starts to unravel.

The 2001 Big Day Out ends in tragedy with the death of Jessica Michalik during Limp Bizkit’s Sydney set. Jessica’s best friend Liza Ryan was with her and shares the emotional story of the music fan behind the headline. Phil Jamieson from Grinspoon recalls performing at her memorial.

The Big Day Out expands quickly and becomes a national touring circus. Every music fan wants to go and every artist wants to play, with many bands treating the tour like a holiday.

In 1991 Australian music promoter Ken West had an idea for a one-day music festival. He called it the Big Day Out.