From the way you weaved between the diverse array of music/stages to the way you had no trouble weaving between the sparse crowd, many things about the first day of SoundTown reminded me of both the 10,000 Lakes Festival and the final year of Taste of Minnesota. The main difference was: Both of those defunct and financially drained Minnesota music fests actually drew bigger crowds than SoundTown did on Friday.

I don't want to overstate how vacant the venue was Friday in Somerset, Wis., especially since the article for tomorrow's newspaper already reports it. But if the Flaming Lips were a big enough band to have their own jet, they could land it right the on the SoundTown grounds before their headlining set Saturday. The crowd at its peak was probably around 2,500. The large VIP seated section in front of the main stage never had more than a dozen people in it, because the general admission space in front of the stage was half-empty anyway.

Of course, on a completely selfish level, the slim attendance made for a rather pleasant fest-going experience for those of us who did show up. There was never a wait to use the new, permanent restrooms (yes, the kind that flush; automatic flush, no less!). Had I not had to drive home afterward, I never would've waited for the fairly priced ($5) Summit beer, either. I just prayed nobody else at the show was driving home, because those beers certainly were a-flowing.

Above all else, the performers all still showed up for work. Heck, 2,500 is a bigger-than-normal crowd size for all the acts who played Friday (obviously part of the fest's problem). But we all know popularity is no gage of musical worth. Here are the highlights along the Apple River:

BIGGEST SPLASH: Minneapolis rapper Sims performed in the Summit Tent but clearly should have been on the main stage, earning probably the best reception of the night. A big chunk of the crowd knew the Doomtree crew member's songs, especially "Burn It Down." Even the songs that weren't so familiar had the tent ablaze, especially "Weight." And this is all despite Sims showing off his hopeless dance moves. Yeesh.

WASHED UP: Texas electro-metal-rave-up duo Ghostland Observatory wheeled out enough lasers to supply Ronald Reagan's old Star Wars space-defense program, but their music was about as substantive as one of Reagan's old movies. Nothing but annoyingly monotone mega-beats, vacant synth riffs and grating, Freddie Mercury-wannabe vocals. Anybody who says otherwise is on drugs. No really, I mean it: They must've been on drugs.

Doomtree rapper Sims heated up the Summit Tent at the SoundTown fest Friday. / Photos by Kyndell Harkness

STEADIEST FLOW: From start to finish, California alt-rockers the Delta Spirit played a full-steaming, all-in set that proved they are one band the Current should be playing a lot more of. Or at least more than the Wombats. The quintet threw in a strong new song, "Tear It Up" (vaguely Kings of Leon-ish, in a good way) and then encored with a cover of the trad-country standard "Doin' My Time" -- done up in hard-rocking gusto. Even their operatic version of "Happy Birthday" for guitarist Will McLaren was fun.

TROUBLED WATERS: Way more disappointing than the absence of Neko Case from New Pornographers' lineup (now more the norm), Twin Cities eclectic soul/folk/neo-twang ensemble Roma di Luna performed without one of its two co-leaders, Alexei Casselle. Sadly, his absence apparently signaled a personal split in the husband/wife-led band. I'm not sure if the band members had any other choice, but it should choose to never perform that way again. Their set didn't just feel awkward; it made their tender, personal music ring hollow.

MORE TROUBLED WATERS: Who's the genius who put the Roe Family Singers on a stage about 100 yards from a live, large (and quite electrifying) hip-hop band, More Than Lights? The poor Roe clan couldn't even hear each other play, much less be heard by the crowd. When More Than Lights left the stage, things brightened up – for about 30 seconds, until the Delta Spirit took the main stage and drowned them out again.

But hey, at least the Roe Family (eight members) made a noticeable difference in the crowd size.