September 7, 2024 • 7 mins
The festival disaster that gripped the world and inspired multiple documentaries is back for round two.
After his release from prison, event co-founder Billy McFarland has promised to reboot the ill-fated festival, with tickets selling for as high as $7999 (NZ$13,400).
Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says it's unknown where the event will be held, when it will happen or who will headline.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And joining me now to talk entertainment is a Steve Newell,
editor at Flix, stock Code own secod morning, Good morning.
Can I just say the cast for this, I've only
seen the first step. I've got to have a sneak
peek at the first step of celebrity. It looks like
it's going to be such a good season if you
enjoy your reality TV. It looks like she's going to
be feisty. But have you seen any of that?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Because I'm stuck in the double wammy of intellectual or
maybe shall we say the abilities of comedians getting tested
and Taskmaster Simonton spelling Bee there in that world right now. Yeah,
I'll get up doors shortly.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You'll be switching soon. Let's talk about the Netflix action
thriller Rebel Redge that I was really looking forward to seeing.
So I sat down this afternoon. Yeah, no, no, no,
I really I really enjoyed it. I thought maybe plot
wise we went in a couple of circles. Who was
(01:07):
the lead actor? I loved him?
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yes, So the lead actor in Rebel Ridges, Aaron Pierre
they've definitely uncovered a modern action star in the making here.
He's a British Thespian, which you wouldn't believe, so little
narrative circle back rebel roadge. This is an action thriller,
kind of cut from the First Blood mold, that sort
of old Western archetype of dude, rides into town, runs
(01:31):
a fowl of the local corrupt cops. Turns out he's
got a bit more resilience and you know, a Liamnis
and a certain set of skills, upper sleeves, and it
all kind of goes pear shaped, very very reminiscent of
the first Rainbow film, but bring a lot of new
stuff to the table, and particularly the dynamics of racial
policing and sort of over militarization of modern US police forces. Yeah,
(01:56):
he's great. I don't know necessarily where they found him.
He was the lead in Barry Jenkins Underground Railroad series.
Is it a couple of like sort of like bubbling
under rolls in the States. Here's such screen presence. I
loved this film, Francesca, like this is. I've been hanging
out to see it and it did not disappoint me
at all. It's from the writer director of Green Room
(02:16):
and Blue Ruin, which two of them like superior action thrillers,
and in particular, the sort of style of action that
we're talking here is quite grounded in reality. Is It's not.
It isn't Sevesto Slone, It isn't Ott. I found it funny, thrilling,
and maybe I do kind of know what you mean.
So I checked the time while I was watching this film,
which is usually a really bad sign, but I was
(02:38):
having a great time, and I was like, oh, wonder
much longer this has got to go, and had over
an hour to go at that stage, and I was
thrilled because I just felt like I'm getting all this
bonus movie.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I didn't think I was gonna, Yeah, you're going to
get Maybe that's just what happened. I just thought, okay, Cangle,
I thought we kind of were wrapping this up here.
Oh no, we're back into again, and.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Maybe it's a slightly unconventional structure and that you kind
of feel like your third act is about to get underway,
and it kind of has a couple of those.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, but you know what, I also thought this one
that should have been at cinemas would have been great
on a big screen. I think if it was on
a big green I wouldn't. I can get very easily
distracted at home, Steve, this probably won't surprise you, but
you know, you suddenly go, oh, God, make a cuppa,
so you pause it and you go make a cuppa,
and that's not a good way to watch. So it's
probably my viewing. No, I really enjoyed it. I just
thought I really loved it, and then I just sort
(03:21):
of waned a little bit near the end that.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, I mean worth catching. Maybe the kind of the
evidence for me for for why it worked so well
was I watched a screener of this, like a watermarked
screener on my laptop, and I couldn't look away. So
not you know, I'd fight tooth and nail for the
ability to see this film in a cinema, but it
still worked on that format, and that kind of that
(03:44):
kind of tells you something. Also, should briefly mention that
Don Johnson is a fantastic corrupt small police chief. I'm
so great to watch. Yeah, look, I felt this was
a very very interesting and efficient film that kind of
updated that kind of archetypal.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Should I get that, No, so definitely worth a watch.
That's Rebel Ridge on Netflix. I can't believe this news.
So years ago you and I had a bit of
a chuckle over the Fire Festival, and everybody will remember
that this was this luxury music experience that was going
to take place on this posh private island and it
(04:23):
failed spectacularly, like it was just such a disaster. And
they made a documentary about it called Fire, which I
think it probably was on Netflix.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
I think, yeah, so that there's two documentaries about this,
and I think the one on Netflix is Fire the
Oh I can't remember the full title.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Sorry, yeah, no, no, no. So there's a couple and
they're definitely worth watching because what happened here was it
was it was a spectacular fail.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
And what do I.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
See in the news this week? Oh yeah, hey, we're
back run by the same cocky entrepreneur that went to
jail for it last time.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah. But the thing is when he's come up with
Fire II, which tickets, Well, tickets are on sale, so
presumably hopefully the sold at least one ticket, because I
think as an event organizer, you'd like to kind of
move that off zero.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
But I don't think he's got a location or so.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
The prices range from four hundred and ninety nine US
to seven nine hundred and ninety nine, but he doesn't
know where it's going to be, or when it's going
to be, or who's playing. Sort of digging into the
Wall Street Journal article that the sort of latest news
updates culled from there is the factoid that he began
planning the second incarnation of Fire Festival after being released
(05:40):
from jail this year. So he went to jail for
the failure of the event, but his city devised it
during a stint and solitary confinement. So whether that will
improve or make Fire Festival worse is very hard to say.
It's hard to see any way of making this event
more of a spectacular failure. But I think that the
(06:01):
legacy of Fire Festival might be that some chump, maybe
Billy McFarland himself, thinks that he can monetize the curiosity
and can it happen again? Like people will people people
will pay to post themselves from a train wreck. That
might be the operating model. I mean it is, this
(06:24):
has taking place in an environment where you know we're
about to enter the summer music festival seas announcement, like
you know, Rhythm and Vines and Rhythm and Alps announcements
are out for New Zealand. But it's an incredibly tough
environment for music festivals. And I know it sounds like
crimea river in Australia, which has a much more cluttered
festival landscape than we do. A National Body Creative Australia
(06:46):
Commission to report that was published earlier this year that
showed that more than one third of festivals lose money
lost money in the last year and only half of
them are profitable. So it's a pretty It feels like
the industry, the festival industry is at a very delicate moment.
I don't know if Fire Too is going to be
on the right side of it.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I just say it's it's like the gift that keeps
on giving. It's like the festival that just keeps on giving, right.
And I just say start rolling the cameras now because
it'll make another I just have a feeling it'll wake up.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Maybe Billy McFarland's is himself rolling the cameras right now,
and that's how this thing works. But but Valan said,
people said people would be hard pressed to trust him
for a second. Go at Fire Festival failed. I think
we might just leave it there.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Anyone trusts him now, they're idiots anyway. The film that
we spoke about Netflix Action Troller. It is Rebel regg
If you're looking for something to watch this evening. Thank
you so much, Steve.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And joining me now to talk entertainment is a Steve Newell,
editor at Flix, stock Code own secod morning, Good morning.
Can I just say the cast for this, I've only
seen the first step. I've got to have a sneak
peek at the first step of celebrity. It looks like
it's going to be such a good season if you
enjoy your reality TV. It looks like she's going to
be feisty. But have you seen any of that?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Because I'm stuck in the double wammy of intellectual or
maybe shall we say the abilities of comedians getting tested
and Taskmaster Simonton spelling Bee there in that world right now. Yeah,
I'll get up doors shortly.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You'll be switching soon. Let's talk about the Netflix action
thriller Rebel Redge that I was really looking forward to seeing.
So I sat down this afternoon. Yeah, no, no, no,
I really I really enjoyed it. I thought maybe plot
wise we went in a couple of circles. Who was
(01:07):
the lead actor? I loved him?
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yes, So the lead actor in Rebel Ridges, Aaron Pierre
they've definitely uncovered a modern action star in the making here.
He's a British Thespian, which you wouldn't believe, so little
narrative circle back rebel roadge. This is an action thriller,
kind of cut from the First Blood mold, that sort
of old Western archetype of dude, rides into town, runs
(01:31):
a fowl of the local corrupt cops. Turns out he's
got a bit more resilience and you know, a Liamnis
and a certain set of skills, upper sleeves, and it
all kind of goes pear shaped, very very reminiscent of
the first Rainbow film, but bring a lot of new
stuff to the table, and particularly the dynamics of racial
policing and sort of over militarization of modern US police forces. Yeah,
(01:56):
he's great. I don't know necessarily where they found him.
He was the lead in Barry Jenkins Underground Railroad series.
Is it a couple of like sort of like bubbling
under rolls in the States. Here's such screen presence. I
loved this film, Francesca, like this is. I've been hanging
out to see it and it did not disappoint me
at all. It's from the writer director of Green Room
(02:16):
and Blue Ruin, which two of them like superior action thrillers,
and in particular, the sort of style of action that
we're talking here is quite grounded in reality. Is It's not.
It isn't Sevesto Slone, It isn't Ott. I found it funny, thrilling,
and maybe I do kind of know what you mean.
So I checked the time while I was watching this film,
which is usually a really bad sign, but I was
(02:38):
having a great time, and I was like, oh, wonder
much longer this has got to go, and had over
an hour to go at that stage, and I was
thrilled because I just felt like I'm getting all this
bonus movie.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I didn't think I was gonna, Yeah, you're going to
get Maybe that's just what happened. I just thought, okay, Cangle,
I thought we kind of were wrapping this up here.
Oh no, we're back into again, and.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Maybe it's a slightly unconventional structure and that you kind
of feel like your third act is about to get underway,
and it kind of has a couple of those.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, but you know what, I also thought this one
that should have been at cinemas would have been great
on a big screen. I think if it was on
a big green I wouldn't. I can get very easily
distracted at home, Steve, this probably won't surprise you, but
you know, you suddenly go, oh, God, make a cuppa,
so you pause it and you go make a cuppa,
and that's not a good way to watch. So it's
probably my viewing. No, I really enjoyed it. I just
thought I really loved it, and then I just sort
(03:21):
of waned a little bit near the end that.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, I mean worth catching. Maybe the kind of the
evidence for me for for why it worked so well
was I watched a screener of this, like a watermarked
screener on my laptop, and I couldn't look away. So
not you know, I'd fight tooth and nail for the
ability to see this film in a cinema, but it
still worked on that format, and that kind of that
(03:44):
kind of tells you something. Also, should briefly mention that
Don Johnson is a fantastic corrupt small police chief. I'm
so great to watch. Yeah, look, I felt this was
a very very interesting and efficient film that kind of
updated that kind of archetypal.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Should I get that, No, so definitely worth a watch.
That's Rebel Ridge on Netflix. I can't believe this news.
So years ago you and I had a bit of
a chuckle over the Fire Festival, and everybody will remember
that this was this luxury music experience that was going
to take place on this posh private island and it
(04:23):
failed spectacularly, like it was just such a disaster. And
they made a documentary about it called Fire, which I
think it probably was on Netflix.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
I think, yeah, so that there's two documentaries about this,
and I think the one on Netflix is Fire the
Oh I can't remember the full title.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Sorry, yeah, no, no, no. So there's a couple and
they're definitely worth watching because what happened here was it
was it was a spectacular fail.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
And what do I.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
See in the news this week? Oh yeah, hey, we're
back run by the same cocky entrepreneur that went to
jail for it last time.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah. But the thing is when he's come up with
Fire II, which tickets, Well, tickets are on sale, so
presumably hopefully the sold at least one ticket, because I
think as an event organizer, you'd like to kind of
move that off zero.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
But I don't think he's got a location or so.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
The prices range from four hundred and ninety nine US
to seven nine hundred and ninety nine, but he doesn't
know where it's going to be, or when it's going
to be, or who's playing. Sort of digging into the
Wall Street Journal article that the sort of latest news
updates culled from there is the factoid that he began
planning the second incarnation of Fire Festival after being released
(05:40):
from jail this year. So he went to jail for
the failure of the event, but his city devised it
during a stint and solitary confinement. So whether that will
improve or make Fire Festival worse is very hard to say.
It's hard to see any way of making this event
more of a spectacular failure. But I think that the
(06:01):
legacy of Fire Festival might be that some chump, maybe
Billy McFarland himself, thinks that he can monetize the curiosity
and can it happen again? Like people will people people
will pay to post themselves from a train wreck. That
might be the operating model. I mean it is, this
(06:24):
has taking place in an environment where you know we're
about to enter the summer music festival seas announcement, like
you know, Rhythm and Vines and Rhythm and Alps announcements
are out for New Zealand. But it's an incredibly tough
environment for music festivals. And I know it sounds like
crimea river in Australia, which has a much more cluttered
festival landscape than we do. A National Body Creative Australia
(06:46):
Commission to report that was published earlier this year that
showed that more than one third of festivals lose money
lost money in the last year and only half of
them are profitable. So it's a pretty It feels like
the industry, the festival industry is at a very delicate moment.
I don't know if Fire Too is going to be
on the right side of it.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I just say it's it's like the gift that keeps
on giving. It's like the festival that just keeps on giving, right.
And I just say start rolling the cameras now because
it'll make another I just have a feeling it'll wake up.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Maybe Billy McFarland's is himself rolling the cameras right now,
and that's how this thing works. But but Valan said,
people said people would be hard pressed to trust him
for a second. Go at Fire Festival failed. I think
we might just leave it there.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Anyone trusts him now, they're idiots anyway. The film that
we spoke about Netflix Action Troller. It is Rebel regg
If you're looking for something to watch this evening. Thank
you so much, Steve.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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