COOKED VEGOOSE

It's not easy being a demon pirate in the sun.

This became self-evident as the second day of Vegoose got under way, and the high temperatures engendered the sticky feel of a costume party held in a blast furnace.

"Somebody should have told me not to wear my black Jesus T-shirt," lamented Aaron Behrens, singer/guitarist for electro rockers Ghostland Observatory, struggling with the heat in a dark shirt and jeans.

The crowd seemed a little punch-drunk, or just plain drunk, as Vegoose eased back to life after a long night of shows and after-parties that stretched into the early morning hours.

Some early arrivals nursed their hangovers with screwdrivers and football in the Vegoose sports lounge, while others had their own remedies.

"I'm actually surprised I have this much energy," said a 20-year-old dreadhead from Austin, Texas, named Dylan, who smoked a blunt in the sun and marveled at how he was able to make it through such a marathon of music on Saturday. "I had lots of drugs in me. That helped."

Vegoose benefited from a climactic conclusion on Saturday, which may have been the best single day of music that the fest, now in its third year, has seen yet.

Punk forebears The Stooges lunged at the audience with airtight, clenched-fist jams that sucked the air out the crowd's lungs. Frontman Iggy Pop shrieked and wailed like a banshee passing a kidney stone, sexy and savage, a rock 'n' roll caveman with granite abs and a Doberman's snarl.

He invited the crowd on stage at one point, dancing along impishly with throngs of beaming fans.

That glorious melee was followed by Parisian electronica duo Daft Punk, who dazzled with a spine-numbing light show that practically branded itself on the crowd's retinas.

"I'm deaf from the Daft Punk show, and I got the crap beat out of me at The Stooges," said 15-year-old Las Vegan Jacob Rubeck, reflecting on Saturday's headliners and steeling himself for another long day.

But whereas Saturday was flush with hip-hop and hard rock acts, Sunday featured more electronic-minded groups and the kind of improv-friendly jam bands that once formed the heart of the Vegoose lineup.

Rootsy rockers such as Umphrey's McGee and moe. fostered a loose, easygoing vibe that soothed the frazzled nerves from the night before.

Vegoose has benefited from a more diverse lineup this year, as a sizable crowd filled Star Nursery Field at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Though final numbers aren't in yet, there seemed to be a significant increase in attendance from Vegoose's first day last year.

This bodes well for the future of Vegoose, if not for the livers of the thousands who throng here.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0476.