There wasn't much funk or soul at Virgin FreeFest, except in such denatured forms as house music and dance-punk, and what was probably the only reggae riddim was played by Patti Smith and her band. But the day began and (nearly) ended with the blues. The first band to play was Alberta Cross, a London-bred, New York-based quintet that melded country-blues and stoner-rock for a small crowd at the West Stage.

About nine hours later, the Black Keys drew a spillover crowd to the covered amphitheater, the largest of the fest's three venues. Singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney's wiry sound was both more traditional and more modern than Albert Cross', even when the duo added two more players for the second part of the set. Rather than the woozy style of '70s blues-rock, the Keys favor a clipped, urgent style that evokes both first-generation punk and the days when recorded songs rarely topped 2:30. The band couldn't play arena-rock if it tried, but it held the rapt attention of some 25,000 listeners. When Keys finished, Deadmau5 and Ghostland Observatory were just getting started, but if felt like the show was over.

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9 Best Moments of Virgin Mobile FreeFest

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