Arrived at the Main Street Armory Friday night as Aussie duo An Horse pumped out a big sound a la Sleater-Kinney. Cage The Elephant followed with a frenetic strain of Kentucky-fried indie rock set to a kind of accelerated funk groove. Singer Matt Shultz raved about the stage, shaking his head incessantly as if he had a real bad case of swimmer's ear. The band was interesting and different with its controlled attack over songs where most bands would just plug in and peel out. It was a good set, but the band closed with a crummy version of The Stooges' "Now I Want To Be Your Dog."

Silversun Pickups headlined and harnessed a spectacular sonic pop wash. It's nice to hear pioneering bands take classic tones and not fall into retro traps.

Saturday night's 60's spectacular at The Auditorium got better as it went on. The New Rascals pulled off a loud, cluttered, and flat set with only the power of their hits to save them. The Turtles recreated their harmonies remarkably, with Flo and Eddie doing their best Hope & Crosby corn between numbers. Peter Noone still sounds like a teenager as he thrilled the crowd of roughly 1,400 that first discovered him when most of them were teens, too. For the most part the show was weak and kind of depressing. It's kind of the same reason I don't go to open-casket funerals; I want to remember them as they were. RIP.