All Time Top 5 Oxegen Sets
I entered a competition for Oxegen 09 tickets requiring me to name my all time favourite Oxegen Set and why.
This was a doozy of a question so I looked back at my 5 visits to Punchestown over the years in search of an answer.
Super Furry Animals – Wittness 2003
Sunday afternoon, I had found some Brigadoon-like spot for my inflatable chair 30 yards left of the sound desk. Sun was blazing and the Guinness (oh how I miss the Guinness) was a beautiful as plastic cup stout could be. Random punters were using my chair as shelter for skinning up and sharing in gratitude. Super Furries came on an did a blistering rocking set slowing down only for Fire in My Heart and closing with a riot inducing Don’t give a Fuck.
Came on a whim after swearing off festivals and was reborn as a festival fanatic.
Orbital – Oxegen 2004
The final Irish gig (until Stradbally 09) and everyone was up for it. The Pet Sounds tent as it is know now was spilling out into the main area and all lucky enough to get in were treated to a hits heavy set culminating in a 15 minute Chime with a light show that still makes me blink when I think about it.
The Go! Team – Oxegen 2005
Had gotten the album a month earlier and fell in love with it.
Girlfriend and mates wouldn’t traipse to the New Band stage so went solo.
Danced non-stop for 40 minutes and emerged a sweaty crippled mess. Slept happy.
The Who – Oxegen 2006
People are calling this years line-up the best ever but look back at 2006.
Was jazzed when Who were announced but crushed when the timetables emerged and the dreaded clash with The Go! Team was revealed. I had no choice after a year of selling The Go! Team to anyone who’d listen and had a dozen planning to go with me but me heart was broken. Went to the Pet Sounds tent and again danced like lunatics. Emerged satisfied I’d mad the smart choice and walked straight into Teenage Wasteland! Go an Hour of The Who I’d given up on and was smiling all the way through each anthem.
2007 – Skipped for two of my mates getting married the same weekend.
Gave them Electric Picnic tickets as wedding present (Ruled the best wedding present in early September 2007)
Pendulum – 2008
I’d heard positive things from Nialler and others but never even had a chance to listen to the album. Met random mates form work and home on the Saturday and every seemed to converge on Pendulum’s set supposedly from my repeated recommendations.
“This better be good” was all I heard as we ran from a bulging main entrance to the tent to a deserted side entrance and blagged our way through.
Nialler hadn’t let me down! Awesome energetic set surprising me and all with me. We lost the plot on the dance floor.
(Rage were great but not as good as my virgin Feile in 1994, at least I think it was 94).
All time best Oxegen set?
Gonna go with the Furries. Best. Day. Ever.
