The best of Soundset '10, set by set

Here are some high points (pun intended) of Sunday's Soundset festival at Canterbury Park:

Best set overall: P.O.S. with his punk/noise band Building Better Bombs and DJ Plain Ole Bill as backers. This was the same live configuration Stef Alexander put together for the Coachella fest, bringing extra weight to songs such as "Optimist," "Purexed" and especially "Drumroll."

Second best: Method Man & Redman really were a hoot, serving some of the best cuts off last year's "Blackout 2" and just enough classics, including "4:20" and the finale "C.R.E.A.M."

Best guest spot: When Brother Ali joined Freeway and Jake One to rip up "The Truth."

Best newcomer: Alabama buzz kid Yelawolf won me over. With his punky hair and white tee, he came off as an indie-rap answer to Andrew W.K. -- over-the-top, hyper and a little hokey but hard to resist.

Worst noise spillover: The music between the stages did not bleed together all day until Method Man & Redman took the main stage (did they turn the sound up for them?), as Dessa was finishing off the second stage with Aby Wolf singing some of her soulful new material. A total clash of vibes. Good thing Dessa had all her Doomtree cohorts to crank it up in the end with "Low Light."

Smokiest set: We knew Method Man & Redman would have a song or two or 10 about lighting up, but Wiz Khalifa wound up being the most pro-cannabis performer of the day. Lyrics included, "Everything is better when you're high," and "Wake up, bake up." (I smelled and saw less weed in the crowd at this fest, though, than I usually see at most metal shows or especially jam-band fests like 10,000 Lakes.)

Biggest misuse of a song called "Freedom": Fashawn's. This one was about lighting up, too. At a fest where some other rappers were rhyming about social injustices in Africa and inner-city America, it seemed rather petty. Plus, it simply wasn't a good song.

Sweetest crowd-rousing line: "Louder! My mom's here!" (P.O.S.)

Crudest crowd-rousing line: "Ladies, if your [hoo-hoo] is clean, let me hear you scream!" (Method Man & Redman)

Dumbest shout-outs: "Make some noise if you like oral sex ... vegetables ... pizza ... etc." (Prof & Rahzwell)

Atmosphere's return: Aside from the new songs, which were all pretty unique and kind of quirky, there wasn't much different between this year's and last year's Atmosphere set. Slug and Ant had the same live band, and -- with only an hour to play -- they could squeeze in only their standard fare. The one surprise was "Date With Divinity."

Most gratuitious question of the day: "Who's coming back next year?" (Eyedea)

• Chris Riemenschneider

Taste of Minnesota hip-hop

Next up, Atmosphere and P.O.S. will headline opening night of Taste of Minnesota, July 2, on Harriet Island in St. Paul. Their names were kept off the schedule until Soundset so as not to hinder ticket sales to Sunday's event. This is a pretty major booking for Taste of Minnesota's new owners/operators, who made it a point to turn over the long-held policy of not booking hip-hop. It's also the first locally reared Taste headliner in quite a few years. Plus, it will only be Atmosphere's second show of the year, and it could be one of P.O.S.' last gigs in the tour cycle for his "Never Better." July 2 was the day that was also supposed to feature R&B newcomer Janelle Monae at Taste, but she had to cancel. The rest of the lineup on July 2 includes other Current-buoyed acts such as the Walkmen, Minus the Bear, Dawes and Justin Townes Earle. Alt-country and indie-rap on the same night ... Who's in?

• Chris Riemenschneider

Positively 9th Street

Maybe they're feeling left out of all that Twins synergy down on 1st Avenue? Whatever the reason, the restaurants and bars along S. 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis have banded together to better promote themselves. On Wednesday, the so-called 9th Street Experience hosts a "neighborhood open house" and free scavenger hunt. The hunt, 5-7 p.m., begins at the Campbell Mithun Atrium, where scavengers will be given maps of the participating restaurants (Hell's Kitchen, Manny's, D'Amico Kitchen, Palomino and others). Raffle tickets will be awarded along the way for prizes that include a $500 J.B. Hudson gift card and a free night at the W Minneapolis. An after-party follows on Solera's rooftop. More info on Facebook.

• Tom Horgen

Real fireworks

Bedlam, you had me at "fire whips." The offbeat West Bank theater is back again with its annual hot-hot-hot fire show. The mythic-themed production changes every year but it always showcases a bevy of flaming devices, including whips, wings, costumes and entire set pieces set ablaze. This time it's called "Persephone: Reign of Fire." Director Rah Kojis and her Infiammati Fire Circus have dreamed up a plot that is being described as "an innocent maiden's journey to the underworld, her rise to power as queen and her incandescent return to the living as harbinger of spring." Uh-huh. Most people will be coming for the fire -- and don't worry, there will be plenty. The spectacle (in Bedlam's parking lot) also will feature dance, stilting, puppetry and a musical score by Naomi Joy and Asylum Soundsystem. Sounds like a burning good time.

• Tom Horgen

Meritage plus street food equals crêpes

The rise of street food in downtown Minneapolis is overshadowing a must-visit venture in downtown St. Paul. It's a crêpe stand on the sidewalk outside Meritage that chef/co-owner Russell Klein sets up every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. "It's funny, because Minneapolis is where the street food explosion is going on," said Klein. "But the irony is that the city of St. Paul is so much easier to deal with." The menu is simple: one sweet, one savory (both are $4), made to order, and the selection changes daily (announced on Meritage's Twitter feed, twitter.com/meritage_stpaul).

• Rick Nelson