“Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna’ get…” While that’s arguably the most quoted line from the movie Forest Gump, the thought always seemed a little simplistic for a topic that important. Never much liked the movie anyway. But, at approximately 10pm on Saturday night it seemed like an extremely apt way to sum up the summer music festival experience. Festivals are chocolate boxes for the music scene. A little bit of that flavour, a bite of something richer, something a little nutty, and the occasional dud. Inevitably you get something you don’t like very much, but the overall mix generally makes it all worthwhile.

As for Good Vibrations: we’d seen the line up, read the blurb and made our plans. Did it live up to the hyperbole? In many respects – yes it did.

Where the Big Day Out is all about dressing silly, and acting sillier, the look most were sporting at Good Vibrations was most definitely slick casual. Sydney’s most aesthetically pleasing people (and many wanting to be) all seemed to converge into Centennial Park on Saturday afternoon. Like its older cousin – Vibes on a Summers Day – the event attracted a, dare I say, more mature crowd – there to be seen as much as listen. However, unlike the final two Vibes parties, this event showed evidence of foresight and planning. Lack of VB on the bar aside, the layout was generally very workable and the food and booze selection classy. The cigarette girls were perhaps showing a little too much cleavage, but that’s really a matter of taste.

And the tunes, for the most part, were very good. Selling out a 15,000 plus event is no mean feat, particularly when your event is on the tail end of the most successful Big Day(s) Out on record. Crazy Penis were the first major act of note, and while there had been comment that they were playing a little early for some, a 2:30pm slot in the sun was a fantastic way to kick off the day’s frivolity. Smiling vocalist Danielle Moore hit centre stage, and proceeded to take ownership of just about every pair of feet the dance floor – a sensual goddess in a neo seventies sundress. Smooth house beats, a tight backing band and a sexy vocalist.

Lee “scratch” Perry’s performance on the Roots Stage didn’t hit quite the same heights. Plagued by sound problems – the system sounded tinny at best at times – and the fact that Perry didn’t take centre stage until about three quarters of the way through, a performer billed as legendary didn’t quite live up to the hype.

Nitin Sawhney and his eight-piece band were swooning out on the main stage. Four fantastic vocalists, a slick bassist, tabla player and percussion section were all pulled together by a supremely talented conductor in Sawhney. The only down side to this was that their beautiful eastern arrangements lent more to sitting than dancing. Asian Dub Foundation were up next on the roots stage with an energetic, eclectic mix of ragga, rave breakbeats, hip hop and eastern drum and bass. The trio’s on-stage antics were a perfect vibe up for Blackalicious – who tore the roof off the roots stage. Actually, to be more accurate, it would have been a God-send if they literally had torn the roof off. The big top was more like an overcrowded Swedish steam room than a dance arena. Gift of Gab was phat, in both senses of the word, toking on what appeared to be a larger than life ‘cigarette’ right up until he hit the stage. Lateef worked well with the big man; while their female vocalist’s Aretha Franklin-esque stylings went down an absolute treat with the crowd. Stand out performance of the day.

Gang Starr predictably played a hits and classics set, lacking a little of the intensity of their Metro performance, but still showing why they’ve been in the game for so long. And Moloko – while undoubtedly interesting and inspiring to watch – were perhaps a little too avant garde for the festival’s penultimate performance. Roisin was costumed, theatrical and raunchy, but at this stage some of the crowd seemed to be looking for somewhat less challenging sounds to round off the day.

Shout outs to Gilles Petersen for his humour [read: not flipping out over lost records] and exuberance; and Tom Middleton for making Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long his own with decks n’ effects. It’s a shame that whoever was doing the sound check during his set didn’t show him the same respect.

The toilets, and queues for, were probably the only real shambles of the day. It’s also a pity that ITM’s VIP toilets didn’t last the distance. Jam’s credible debut effort harks of bigger and better things to come, and much to look forward to. Double thumbs up from this reviewer. One final thought. If you’re going to advertise – do it with ice cream. There are few things better than slurping on a free Pine Lime Splice at a music festival on a beautiful summer’s afternoon.