Black Lamb, 2 p.m.


This group of guys is probably lumped in with metal by default, even though Black Lamb's music is at least as much something else. What I saw was five guys kicking out hard rock with a little heavier-than-usual riffing and a tinge of psychedelia informing the solos. After a furious introductory song, wild-eyed frontman Brian Hagman said, "It can only get better from here," and they proceeded to prove that statement right. This band is always at least good, but this performance was tighter than I've seen them be in a long time and they seemed to be having fun. I knew the Lamb was doing something right when it was obvious that a number of women were in the audience and they weren't girlfriends of guys in the band.

Verdict: These guys always get called "stoner rock," but they've kind of evolved beyond that, and the Lamb kindly doesn't go in for fourteen-minute, doomy epics. Instead, they treat us to catchy, trippy and dark rock