The Trucks | Sound Transit Stage (formerly the Rhythm Stage)

These cute little ladies from Bellingham, Wash., opened our day. They have pixieish voices, and their cute little crowd was filled with relatives and boyfriends and big fans that sang along to all their songs. However, their songs, which sound electronic and poppy generally, are some of the raunchiest songs I have ever heard.."Why the fuck won't you go down on me?" is the lyrics to "Why the...," or "What makes you think we can fuck just because you put your tongue in my mouth and you twisted my titties, baby?" on "Titties." They are not just a novelty act out to shock, but great musicians. Their live show is intended to entertain, and everyone was.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | Main Stage

They put on a typical rock show. The lead singer, Pete Hayes, thanked everyone for getting up so early (it was 1:30). They had both smoke and lights (which seems a little silly in the daylight). They got the meager afternoon crowd on their feet—well, at least the front half of the stadium. They are accomplished performers, and I was glad to hear that they can recreate all of the sounds from their albums.

Kings of Leon | Main Stage

Like BRMC, KOL put on a typical rock show. However, they have cut their hair and beards, so they put out a little more polish than previously. The crowd had swelled considerably for these guys—not as big as The Shins, but still big. People were generally standing, bouncing along to the songs. It made me a little sad when they asked people to sing along to "Holy Roller Novocain"—which is, in my opinion, not really a sing-along song (on the album, it is 12:00 long). Oh well, those crazy rock stars get an idea in their head....

Stars of Track and Field | Sound Transit Stage

I saw this Portland-based trio a few years ago at Bumbershoot, and they became a pet peeve. At the time, I thought I was listening to Belle & Sebastian. Since they took their name from a B&S song, that is not too surprising, but I thought, "That will only take them so far..." Then I heard some of their songs around and I kept thinking that B&S had another album out or something....but it was always them! I kept ranting at people about this, and mostly the reaction was "Uh, yeah..."

Then I heard a song by them that didn't sound anything like B&S...and another. I thought, "Hmmm...maybe I'll check them out live and see what they are like." So I did, and I was impressed. Their sound seemed to have changed pretty significantly. They were pretty straightforward with their music—well, straightforward in a no-bass-player-electronic-but-still-organic kind of way. I also thought that there was a female singer and lots of instruments—but there wasn't. In fact, they sounded nothing like B&S—so all my ranting suddenly felt really stupid.

The Apples in Stereo | Sound Transit Stage

These guys do not look like rock stars—more like the staff of a tech office who put on a great skit at the company BBQ. Well, except for the mutton chops and paisley on keyboard/tambourine player #1...and the space-age costume on keyboard/tambourine player #2. They surprised me with how much I loved them. They had fun on stage, smiling easily with each other and the crowd. Their poppy songs were without much embellishment, which I mean as a compliment.

Art Brut | Sound Transit Stage

The boys (and girl) from across the pond have been getting quite the buzz for the last year. Seeing Eddie Argos do his talking/singing thing with the rocky background of the rest of the band was quite a treat. Does he think that he is cooler than us? Yes. But isn't that all part of the shtick? Yep.

The fun is that they don't really take themselves too seriously; they only pretend to. Every comment could be construed in a couple ways, much like the name of their band, a French term for "outsider art" or "raw art," which means art created outside the boundaries of official culture. Their music has a very pop/rock sound, yet their singer sings with a heavy English accent...oh, the irony!

This sensibility is very much part of their live show. Literally every song began with a "Ready, Art Brut?" declaration from Eddie to the band. Like a good running joke on The Simpsons, this just got more amusing each time.

Not to mention they are a really fun band. Their music is surprising danceable, and it is fun to sing along with other people who are all winking and in the joke. Brilliant.

Andrew Bird | Starbucks Stage

This past year, I got a bunch of this prolific songwriter's music from the public library. I had heard a couple of his songs from his most recent album, Armchair Apocrypha—and then I discovered he had released nine albums in the past ten years, ranging in style from swing to the difficult to categorize "indie folk." He plays guitar, whistles, mandolin, and violin. His violin playing is pretty impressive and unique.

Since I had been so enamored with him for the past several months, gobbling up all of his albums at once, I was not sure what to expect live. However, his live show was very much limited to his work of the past few years, during which he seemed to distance himself from the swing music with which he started.

With a drummer, a guitarist, and some live sampling, Bird created impressively haunting atmospheric music that is very difficult to define and describe. Unlike many of the acts that we saw this weekend, his music departed from his albums, remained recognizable and singable, and yet was not "jammy." On Sunday, he played an extremely mellow set live on KEXP—which, like that of Gogol Bordello, displayed the amazing musical prowess that not every band effectively pulls off. You never know what to expect with a musician like Bird, except that it will be interesting.

Devendra Banhardt | Sound Transit Stage

I was only able to check out this "freak folkie" for a couple songs. I saw a stick thin tall guy capering around, his body wavering like his warbley voice. He seemed to genuinely like the band members, rather than just display an amorous affect due to a combo of ganja and 'shrooms...but wait, that probably had something to do with that, too.

Zap Mama | Esurance Stage

I hadn't planned on seeing these folks, and I wasn't even sure what to expect. A friend recommended them, so I thought I would swing by on my way out for the day.

Whoa!

These ladies, especially the African lead singer, blew me away. They danced in unison, giving praise to the musical gods. Their music had a strong African sound, but it also bounced around a number of styles: rock, funk, blues, hip-hop, folk, it was all there. The strong backup singers, who also played instruments, complemented the lead singer's powerful voice. The crowd was all there, shaking their groove thing to the night right along with them.