I was there.

Me and 12,499 other people, apparently.

Powderfinger headlined, but Stephen Malkmus was the highlight.

It was a charming Saturday in Byron Bay in the middle of winter. A hotel room cost us less than a hundred bucks for the night. It took us less than 15 minutes to get home after the last band.

Splendour In The Grass has changed a lot since that first date way back in 2001. Mainly for the better, but in some ways not so much. They do, however, still program a broad line-up that feels both fresh and nostalgic. 

Few Australian festivals would bother trying to fit Midnight Oil and Tyler, the Creator on the same bill – as Splendour has done for 2020 – and their sway has allowed us the chance to see artists who mightn't have come otherwise and haven't been here since; Black Joe Lewis, Afghan Whigs, Money Mark et al.

With new(ish) part-ownership and a firmer future at a venue that they own, I'd like to think that the event can broaden even further. 

I imagine a future where there's a whole arm of Splendour dedicated to those of us who are still passionate about music, but have had a few more birthdays than your average Splendour punter.

Imagine sending your kid off to go nuts to Flume while you wander over to see Nick Cave on the other end of the site. Or skipping Denzel Curry to go and see Robyn. Taking in a Janelle Monáe set while Dom Dolla wips up a frenzy elsewhere. 

Regardless of what actually happens, it will be interesting to see how the event evolves in its third decade of existence.