This was the first year that I actually stayed through the entire set of most of the shows.

It's been a long time since I heard something as beautiful as Lou Reed's first strum of VU's "Sweet Jane."

Something more-than-worthwhile was playing somewhere across the mile-long festival grounds at any given point.

If Of Montreal is available to play your festival, you would be foolish not to book them.

Sometimes you encounter a band, in a random and unexpected way or place, and you think, "Where the hell has this music been all my life?"

70,000 or so fans, hippies and hipsters and frat boys, descend to live on the 700-acre farm outside Manchester for the four-day event, turning the flat land into a seething mass of humanity.

There were more than 80 acts spread out over three days, and I did my best to make it worth it. I saw 31 bands—and I have a few words on all of them.

The Steve Miller Band received unanimous approval, as enunciated by the adoration of its fans.

The Grates' singer Patience Hodgson has more stage presence and enthusiasm than quite possibly anyone I've ever seen.

CMJ is a place to see and be seen—by new fans, maybe an industry bigwig or two.

Needless to say, Force Field PR is definitely doing it.

There was plenty of dancing, singing and clapping along. Whenever a band interacted with the audience for their participation, they always got a unanimously enthusiastic response.

Man Man offers a visual feast with five members dressed in a variety of white clothing and their instruments (too many to mention here) tightly packed into the middle of the stage.

For the first time ever, the Hokey Pokey actually worked for me. I enjoyed spinning myself around and I really understood what it was all about.

Ghostland Observatory is as good as people say—and not as good.

I decided not to walk the mile to The National, one of the decisions I kind of kick myself for now, especially in light of the Boxer-heavy set.

You would have known just by looking up DeVotchka's stage diagram that their concert would be unique to the mostly guitar-driven, amp-fueled Lolla bands.

While The Kills may have made some new friends, I will not accept that any band came nearly as close as increasing their fanbase as Gogol Bordello did.