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Moby, My Morning Jacket Honor Lou Reed

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An assortment of music celebs star-studded enough to comfortably fill out an HBO special (think My Morning Jacket to Moby — and that’s just the M’s!) gathered to pay tribute to Lou Reed at the Levi’s/Fader Fort Thursday afternoon, coming on the heels of Reed’s keynote address that morning.

Arizona’s What Laura Says Thinks and Feels kicked things off with a harmonica-tastic take on “Run, Run, Run,” providing a caffeinated jolt for a crowd who had paid their line-waiting dues in order to secure entry to the Lou-apalooza. Following an upbeat cover of “Sunday Morning” by Austin’s Oh No! Oh My!, babyfaced Ezra Furman and the Harpoons frontman Ezra Furman took his tribute to a dedicatedly ranty degree — introducing “Heroin” with a “SXSW is too commercial” themed monologue.

Signaling a switch to the big guns, Velvet Underground impersonators Yo La Tengo (who portrayed the group in the ’90s flick I Shot Andy Warhol) followed close behind, accessorizing “She’s My Best Friend” with a screechingly sublime guitar solo. Dr. Dog was up next, backed by a seal of approval from Reed himself, who gave the Philadelphia outfit an endorsement in his morning address as one of the bands he’s currently digging. The “chosen ones” stuck to a solar-centric theme, delivering a one-two punch with energetic takes on “Who Loves the Sun” and “Ride Into the Sun.”

Thurston Moore delivered a standout performance on “I’m Not a Young Man Anymore,” refuting the song’s claim by jumping into the audience midway through and knocking over mic stands as his grand finale. With the locals mighty restless, Moby came to the stage to finish the job, eventually joined by the guest of honor himself, who capped off the night with a duet of “Walk on the Wild Side.” “I love punk rock,” Reed concluded after the audience finally stopped clapping. “And I was the first one.”

Lou Reed and Moby

Thurston Moore

My Morning Jacket’s Jim James

Dr. Dog