G. Love & Special Sauce | These funky dudes kept the grooves going and added a humorous element to the jam band sound. Great harmonica playing and intriguing vocals.

The Mars Volta | This headliner act had a massive crowd pressed to the stage. As it was night by this point, the haze and the lights gave the whole festival an otherworldly glow, adding to the power of having these guys cranked up loud. Their tunes were built around tight unison, funky blues riffs that locked in with the drums. The drummer is bad-ass and the singer has an incredible range. They had a lot of presence and control of the stage.

Manu Chao | A renowned crowd pleaser delivered a full blast of his unique mixture of world music, afro-pop, reggae, Latin and techno dance music. There was no standing still for this! And no, I do not have any idea what he was saying.

Bavu Blakes & the Extra Plairs | A stage full of talent laid out some hip-hop combined with rock with live drums and a great bass player, keys and three backup singers. They came out hittin', playing "Cult of Personality" wearing Hillary and Obama masks. Bavu is a commanding and charismatic MC and has taken great care in putting together a strong band of straight-up talented musicians to back up his rap.

The Lee Boys | Amazing family of gospel music. All solid musicians, but the pedal steel player was one of the most amazing things I have heard in a long, long time. It is rare enough to hear some on ripping like that with a slide guitar, but to hear Roosevelt Collier play with such authority and expression on a pedal steel guitar was truly astounding. You don't often hear a lot of wailing guitar playing in gospel outfits, but he was adding a sound kind of like Jeff Healy weaving in and out with the vocalists.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings | Tina Turner old-school R&B, great set of tunes even had the baritone sax in the horn section. All of her rhythm section and band were seasoned musicians backing her up in style as she belted out the vocals with a touch of the Aretha attitude.

Back Door Slam | British blues rock with the warm tube sound reminiscent of Cream with Jack Bruce. Great tones coming out of the old amps and they paid attention to the authenticity of the era.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears | This band can really put on a show! Big fat horn section, enthusiastic and soulful vocals, and Joe up front, telling it like it is. It all lends to their great showmanship.

Erykah Badu  | High tech pop diva, beautiful, talented, big hair, big voice

Les Frères Guissé | Modern folk music from Senegal played on acoustic guitars and drums. Fun-loving music that bridges borders with smiles all around.

John Fogerty | I didn't know it, but I actually needed to hear some CCR at an outside festival. It is a part of the American experience for the people of our time. He is still sounding great and even has his guitar chops up! Along with tunes from his solo career, he played hit after hit, giving the people just what they wanted to hear.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss | They reworked versions of some of the great tunes from throughout his career, but also brought out some new material. My favorite tunes of the night had to be the extremely understated version of "Black Dog" and then, of course, the acoustic masterpiece "Battle of Evermore." The instruments and overall tone of the band gives a lot more room to breath for the expression of the vocals. Kraus has an amazing voice and her violin playing is as beautiful as she is; I can see why Plant chose to work with her.

Beck | Always a groove-filled good time! But I just can't get the Futurama episode out of my mind

Elizabeth Wills | Beautiful voice and soul searching songs. A very talented and appealing up-and-coming singer songwriter.

Big Don | Somebody had to do it, and Big Don has done it right. He has created kid-friendly hip-hop by composing new and modified versions of nursery school rhymes and lessons for kids. He started off with a great rap talking about manners and how to act as a kid growing up. The project is genius in his simple, straightforward flow, as well as the logic and catchiness of the melody. His amiable personality and bigger-than-life smile drew in the kids and had them singing along and dancing even as they were learning the alphabet.

River City Christianettes | This gospel group got everybody's hands in the air with a lot of energy and charisma from the four singers up front. It was a nonstop spirit-lifting experience.

Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet featuring Béla Fleck | The virtuoso master jazz bluegrass banjo player has combined forces with acclaimed violinist Casey Drissen and cellist Ben Sollee to back up this wonderfully imaginative singer. Her voice is perfectly suited to the instrumentation and she draws on musical styles as diverse and far reaching as Chinese folk music and early 20th-century atonalism combined with a healthy dose of bluegrass. They even did a great cover of "Eleanor Rigby." Bela Fleck's playing as accompanist was jaw dropping and he played a solo piece that was awe inspiring; he even dabbled a little bit into his recently released Christmas album.

Scott Biram | One of the few that made me ask WTF? One guy cranking out with an electric guitar and a kick drum. I gotta hand it to him though; he did it with enthusiasm.

Nakia & His Southern Cousins | An incredibly powerful southern rock experience along the lines of the Black Crowes. He has a strong and emotional voice to lead the soulful yet heavy-hitting rhythm section. Their sound was full and complete with a couple of dancing backup singers and enthusiastic keyboard player jamming on the classic Hammond B-3 organ sound.

Octopus Project | The type of atmospheric, pulsating, rave-club music filled with crazy sounds that would definitely be better trippin'...unless, of course, you're already literate in whale speak.

Flyleaf | A unique-sounding modern metal group with a female vocalist. They were tight and rockin', fer sure, but I think they would have benefited from a time slot later in the day or at night.

Mike Farris featuring the Roseland Rhythm Revue | This dude has a great stage presence to go along with a distinctive voice. He led the band through a range of dynamics, rockin' through funky soul tunes with a twist of a southern gospel.

Joe Bonamassa | My chance to hear some good guitar playing. Matter of fact, one of the best players that I've heard to come on the scene in a long while. Along with fiery solos during the tunes, he also played a rowdy acoustic solo piece with a fast rhythmic riff. Some of his tunes wandered into some great classic guitar riffs such as those by Deep Purple Zep and ZZ top. Great voice and stage presence, but it was definitely his guitar playing that stood out. It was so refreshing to hear an accomplished soloist like him at the festival.

Neko Case | A great atmosphere for her beautiful voice to be displayed in a more natural setting of country stylings than her previous punk-pop work. Definitely will be hearing more of her.

Blues Traveler | They were sounding a good as ever. There is just something about their sound that just jams. Always fun, funky and friendly to moving the feet. John Popper's harmonica playing sometimes freaks me out as almost being inhuman, and yet he just seems to just get better. They played some material from their new studio album that got the crowd moving as much as hits from their past. They did a killer version of "Mulling It Over" and "Crash Burn," but also threw in a few surprises like a cover of "I Want You to Want Me." Good times, my friends. | Derek Lauer

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