Thirty minutes into their set, the fast-jamming bluegrass act Trampled by Turtles seemingly offered a challenge to the fans gathered by the Jagermeister second stage. Can you dance to a beat made without drums? (The Minnesota band featured a mandolin, banjo, fiddle, acoustic bass and guitar, but no percussion.)
The crowd of mostly college-aged and 20-somethings did their best to keep up -- some half-jokingly and others in earnest. Most just smiled while bopping up and down -- like a case of the happy jitters. The ones really into it hopped on one foot and spun. With its at-times furious playing, the band simply forced the crowd to keep up.
When Trampled By Turtles slowed things down for a couple of understated ballads, their appeal as songwriters crystallized. A couple rows in front of the stage were fully engaged, but more treated the set like pleasant background music.
Multipart vocal harmonies play a major role in a Trampled By Turtles' live set, and the group was locked in on Saturday afternoon. Lead singer Dave Simonett -- in a 9:30 Club black T-shirt and a Minnesota Twins cap -- kept the between-song banter to a minimum.
The set wasn't exactly a party-starter, but it seemed like an appropriate setting for casual beer drinking under a hot sun.