The North Coast Music Festival featured a dizzying blend of DJs, electronic music, hip-hop, jam bands and rock, but, more than anything, it was, even more so than its debut last year, about dancing.

Concertgoers, who were as young as a group as you'll find at a fest of similar scope, packed the near west side park for three days over Labor Day weekend. They danced during sets at the fest's four stages. They danced moving from one stage to another. They danced in beer lines. They danced just handing out on their patch of grass. It wasn't hard to get into the spirit. Incessant beats filled the park. Even when a performance ended at one stage, you'd immediately hear thumping bass from another. Costumes weren't limited to the stage. The festival is a prime place for people watching. Girls dressed as fairies and other club characters were in abundance. So were tutus and fuzzy boots. Plenty of guys looked related to Will Ferrell in Semi-Pro and Jason Sudeikis in SNL's "What Up With That?" skit. Hula hoops and stuff animals on sticks could be spotted everywhere. You didn't need substances to get into the mood, though I'm sure many were taken.

I arrived in the afternoon on Sunday, the final day, without an agenda except to check out Gogol Bordello at night. Hardcore dance music isn't my thing. House, techno and dupstep just aren't my bag, but I wanted to sample the fest's offerings. With the big name acts that produce dance beats scheduled for later at night, I saw more traditional rock, soul and funk bands early in the day. Apparently, brass is "in" at the moment. Amazingly, I saw at least two horn players in five of the first six acts I watched.

I was greeted by Great Divide playing its final two songs. The local band consists of five members and was augmented by two horn players. I liked the soul found in its sound including that of its finale, "Hear My Train." Some diehards were clamoring for an encore and it would have been deserved, but that was a no-go. The festival admirably kept to a tight schedule. As soon as one act ended on one of the two main stages, the act on the other stage started. If you didn't mind not being real close to the bands, you could camp out between the main stages and watch the acts on both. It was easy to move around the park during the day before it filled at night.

The Soul Rebels Brass Band kicked some serious brass with six horn players and two drummers. Early in the set, a band member told festgoers, "The party's over here," and his crew made good on the boast. The funk outfit from New Orleans was tight enough to sound great and loose enough to have fun. It closed with a surprising, but effective choice, a cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." In mid-set, I sampled Lance Herbstrong. The stage contained two DJs, a guitarist, bassist and drummer. It was definitely a party there, too. You could have gotten high just by the secondhand cloud of smoke hanging over the jamming crowd. The music was fun in a short dose, but soon the repetitiveness of the beats became numbing.

A visit to the local stage produced a pleasant surprise. Midwest Hype played an interesting and fun mix of funk, rap, soul and rock. Frontman and lead guitarist George "Genrefree" Prellwitz used the forum to seemingly take a couple swipes at some of the fest's DJ and sample acts. "Go see every live band...who writes their own songs," Prellwitz said as the set wrapped. I like where he was coming from.

The Budos Band brought the Afro-Soul from Staten Island, N.Y. Its 10 members contained Thomas Brenneck, who used to play guitar for Sharon Jones' Dap Kings, and included five percussionists of varying sorts. The minor-key infused, all-instrumental set held the crowd's attention thanks in part to bassist Daniel Foder, who bounced enough dark sounds off the horns and percussionists to keep the music interesting.

It was the third time I've seen Van Ghost and this was the hardest the band has rocked its middle-of-the-road music. I don't know if it's the direction it's going in (I suspect so) or evidence that it's gotten better adapting to playing to a festival crowd, but "Modern Day Love Affair Romance" and the new "Messenger" were prime examples of a harder, louder and more aggressive plan of attack. The set featured Greg Marsh's big drums. Bassist Klem Hayes came out jacked and was very demonstrative. At first it was fun, but then his presence became distracting. An unknown, at least to this writer, female guest, was a nice addition. She complemented Jennifer Hartswick nicely with her singing and trombone. "Let You Soul Shine," which featured standout singing by frontman Michael Harrison Berg and Hartswick and a captivating guitar solo by Grant Tye, ended the set on a high note.

I saw the last part of Little Dragon's set. Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano is like a house music geisha. She has a presence about her. The hypnotic, sleepy beats were enticing. Then, from a distance, I watched Of Montreal. The brightly-dressed band fed a long snake of balloons into the crowd during the first two songs and the party was on. Oversized characters appeared onstage looking like they were hung over from a Flaming Lips show. The stage looked like an H.R. Pufnstuf episode on acid. Dancers with large wings and Mexican wrestlers appeared. Frontman Kevin Barnes surfed the crowd in a blowup boat. The set was like a dance show for kids of all ages.

The one act I made a point to see was Gogol Bordello, a self-described gypsy punk band. That's a perfect description. The group is from Lower Manhattan, but it certainly exudes a heavy European air about it. "Gogol" comes from Ukranian and Russian writer Nikolai Gogol and the "Bordello" means "brothel" in Italian. The group's stage show ignited immediately. A lot happens on its stage in a similar way to Arcade Fire and different members take turns taking center stage and singing like the Black Eyed Peas. They're a democratic band with different nationalities and sexes represented. I'm not sure what they were singing about, but it seemed very important. Gogol Bordello brought the energy and the crowd responded by turning the front of the stage into a mosh pit. Highlights included "Break the Spell" and "Start Wearing Purple." It was cool hearing an accordian and fiddle in a punk setting. It was more than a little challenging to take photos, but I managed to get some useable ones while keeping myself and my camera in one piece. The crowd wanted an encore, but the band was limited by the festival's tight schedule. Gogol Bordello is a must-see.

I gave headliners Bassnectar and Thievery Corporation cursory looks, but I didn't have much left after Gogol Bordello and the bands' hardcore dance muic wasn't doing it for me, though I was in a small minority there. Bassnectar in particular drew a big crowd at the main stage. Clearly those are the acts the majority of concertgoers came to experience. I chose to beat the crowd to the Ashland Green Line stop, with a little dance in my step along the way. 

Gogol Bordello setlist:

Ultimate

Not a Crime

Wonderlust King

My Companjera

Tribal Connection

Trans-Continental Hustle

Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher)

Break the Spell

When Universes Collide

Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)/Start Wearing Purple

Think Locally, Fuck Globally

Start: 7:30 p.m./Finish: 8:30 p.m.

Totals: 11 songs, one hour

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