FESTIVAL: GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL, 2023
VENUE: BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS
DATE: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3RD 2023
REVIEWER: HAYLEY TREADWELL
PHOTOGRAPHERS: MAXINE THOMAS AND ANDREW TREADWELL
What a day for the final Good Things of 2023! It was hot and humid in Brisbane setting the
perfect scene for a hot and sweaty music festival…one that will be fondly remembered by
many as either their first Good Things or their best Good Things to date!
With every passing year the set up and facilities at this festival have improved. I love that
the Good Things team has listened to the punters over the years and observed where they
can make some great additions and then gone and got it done! This festival has fast
become the end of year party many of us look forward to celebrating.
Getting in was a breeze for those attending with the gates opening early. This allowed fans
to line up and grab their merch before the show started, fill up their water bottles and pick
their spot to enter the field! And when the final truck left the grounds and the tape came
down, the BRisbane Showgrounds filled with a sea of people.
Eager fans of PVRIS rushed to stage 1 to get to the front to the see the band that had been
making headlines at this festival! Rave reviews for their performance on Friday, then
devastation Saturday not being able to play with their lead singer falling ill. But nothing like a welcoming crowd in Brisbane to see singer Lyn Gunn and the band through their amazing set! It was beautiful to hear fans yelling from the crowd that they hoped Lyn was better and doing ok!
This year the line up gave us a fantastic mix of Australian and International artists and took
us down memory lane with the likes of Devo and Boom Crash Opera!! For me, and the majority of punters it would seem, the 2 acts I was most excited to see were Corey Taylor with his Solo CMFT set and the group I grew up rebelling with, Limp Bizkit!
Such a big day ahead of us.
It was my daughter’s first festival though so I spent the day hanging out with her and
experiencing bands I may not have otherwise seen, and I was reminded once again of how
much I love discovering new music in a live setting.
Stand Atlantic was one I really enjoyed, their passion was fiercely matched by the crowds
and I enjoyed every moment of their set. Behemoth and Slaughter to Prevail gave fans over at stage 3 and 4 some serious moshing opportunities which at stage 5 the ladies of Hanabie. Took over the stage and destroyed it! Slowly Slowly drew a huge crowd for a band I had not seen before and I understand why, these guys were fantastic!
Following, it was time for Corey Taylor and the punters had well and truly filled the field at the
showgrounds. What an amazing greeting we gave Corey for his first time sharing the CMFT
set with us! I love the 2 albums released so far and was so excited to hear some of these songs live. He threw in some Stone Sour Slipknot, thrilled the crowd with SpongeBob and closed out the set with a cover of Aussie Rock royalty, INXS’ ‘Don’t Change’. Incredible set!
I loved seeing Bullet for My Valentine again. These guys absolutely killed it! And drew a
massive crowd as well! And possibly gave us a clue that they will be returning soon.
I caught snippets of some of my favourite Aussie Bands, Eskimo Joe, Jebidiah, Spiderbait
and Short Stack. I was totally bummer to not see Frenzal Rhomb, I wanted my baby girl to
experience live one of my favourite bands, but it was certainly the saddest clash of the day
as they were on the same time as Limp Bizkit, and well……..
The anticipation for Limp Bizkit was huge! All day through the crowd I could hear people
talking of their excitement for this band, and they certainly did not disappoint!! ‘Break Stuff’
TWICE!! What a way to open and close the set! Legendary! Fred Durst has lost nothing in
his performance, but is also better than ever! He looks like he is enjoying himself on stage
and that seemed to radiate through the band and into the crowd! We truly had the most fun
with Limp Bizkit!
Fall Out Boy as headliners for the festival were fantastic. They delivered hit after hit and the
crowd lapped it up! A cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train had the older generation of us
in the crowd going off, while ‘Thnks fr th Mmrs’ sent the fans into a frenzy.
Closing out with ‘Centuries’ and ‘Saturday’ and confetti filling the sky, Fall Out Boy brought
an end to Good Things 2023. What an amazing day!
Brisbane, I am so proud to be born here! We represented well! I saw people looking after
each other all day! I didn’t see anyone being awful or anything that made me feel unsafe, I
felt like the people around me were all looking out for each other and we all had just the best
fun!!
Good Things really was a fantastic day out in Brisbane! A festival for lovers of rock, metal
lovers and music lovers in general!
A huge thanks to everyone at the Good Things Team, Destroy All Lines and to all the
incredible local and international bands! You put on an incredible show and I cannot wait to
see the lineup for next year!
Until the next gig
Hayley
