The moment passed and the band kicked it back into gear, but the disappointment still hasn’t.

While waiting for Queens of the Stone Age to take the main stage, M.I.A. could be heard, but it just came across as uninteresting noise. There were so many gunshot effects I wouldn’t have been surprised if Ted Nugent had been on stage. At one point, she claimed to be high and was later rapping over a sample from New Order’s “Blue Monday,” the only good sounds to come from her set. I caught four songs by QOTSA, including their two biggest hits from Songs for the Deaf, as they rocked into the night, but they would be upstaged, as everyone else was, by the oldest guys performing.

The Stooges delivered the goods and made Saturday their own, first running through the entire Fun House album before offering up other hits. Iggy Pop remains one of the most compelling lead singers. You can’t look away because you know you will miss something. He threw himself into the performance in his usual style, jerking his body this way and that, destroying mics, humping amps, and finally calling up the audience on stage during “No Fun.” I am not sure if it was planned, but they appeared finished after their encore. The crowd dissipated, but The Stooges came back roaring back for more.

After their set, there was time to make it back to the big stage before Daft Punk came out. Throughout the day, other bands were seen setting up, but a black curtain hid Daft Punk’s preparation. The five-note signature greeting from Close Encounters of the Third Kind signaled their arrival as the costumed duo performed from a pyramid, bracketed by a light-effects display that looked right at home in Vegas. They were the only band performing so they naturally drew a huge crowd, almost all of which was dancing their entire hour-long set, which was impressive after the long day. Upon reflection, they had to have made the loudest music of the two days.

The festival is taper friendly. Sets available online from Saturday’s line-up include:

Battles

Sound Tribe Sector 9

Atmosphere

Public Enemy

Daft Punk

The Shins 

Blonde Redhead

Cypress Hill 

The Stooges 

Mastadon

Queens of the Stone Age

Jump to Vegoose - Day Two - 10/28/07 to see coverage of the rest of the festival.