I'm pretty accustomed to the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" vibe. I can count on it just about every winter in Rochester, and just about anytime three or more bands perform back-to-back on one stage.  But Thursday's "Party in the Park" must have forgotten to schedule the lamb and instead booked three bands -- each headliners in their own right -- that punched out gritty shuffles and distorted riffs all night long. And if the size of the crowd is any indication, I am certainly not alone in my thoughts.

First up was the White Devils, with City Newspaper's own Frank De Blase holding down one of the guitar seats. The band twisted its way through a set that had seemingly infinite variations on the blues, and rocked so hard that they may have actually caused a few tectonic plates to shift underneath the bandstand. Rob Filardo banged out a backbeat that set the groove and let Paulie Rocco drop a bit of twangy slide guitar in the gaps. Hound Dog Taylor would be proud.

Tumbao changed things up as they shifted musical gears to Latin-tinged arrangements of Marvin Gay's "What's Going On" and a few jazz standards. If anyone had any preconceived notions about what the saxophone could do, Quinn Lawrence managed to rip them apart as he honked out flurries of notes that came at the crowd like a runaway freight train. Tumbao pushed the howling melodies of the horn along with accents from the congas and timbales to create a relaxed groove that at the same time sort of taunted the listeners to get up and move.

Los Lobos rounded out the night with its anything-but-typical blend of rock and blues (and a few other styles). This is one of those bands that could probably sound great sleepwalking through the set, but the musicians dig into every note and put out such an intense vibe that the crowd is left with no other option than to get down to the tunes until the band calls it quits. And that's exactly what happened while the third "lion" was on stage.

Next Party in the Park concert: Thursday, July 17, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Black August.