A few closing notes from Sunday at the Junction

Despite appearances, Sunset Junction wasn't only about hawking Red Bull, free beer, crazy attendees (hello, 60-year-old woman in sparkly bikini) or contentious gate borders. With three music stages, many of the people who paid the $20 entrance fee came for the beloved noise. But even that was a bit maligned.

By the time 7:05 rolled around (yep, that’s 20 minutes behind schedule), Nic Offer, lead singer of the dance-punk band !!!, had shimmied his way onto the stage, to the delight of the (already) inebriated audience. Shannon Funchess, !!!’s touring cohort, joined Offer for a highly spirited set including “Must Be the Moon,” “Heart of Hearts” and “A New Name.” With abundant charismatic dancing, goofy pouts and stage climbing, Offer was a spectacle to watch, but it was not enough to fill the void missing by vocalist and drummer John Pugh, who left !!! in 2007. The set, which included two new songs, was not amazing; it lacked some pizazz that could have turned it into a memorable show. However, the crowd of 16-year-olds drinking out of brown paper bags, patrons swimming through clouds of smoke and boys endlessly crowd-surfing didn’t seem to mind — they just wanted to party.

Sound problems (specifically very low vocals) dampened the sets of both !!! and Sunday headliner the Black Keys, from Akron, Ohio. At one point during the Keys’ set, a section of the crowd chanted, “TURN UP THE VOLUME!” Seeing Dan Auerbach shred the guitar and Patrick Carney beat his drums into oblivion at dusk made up for the fact that it drowned out Auerbach’s singing. Crowd favorite “Strange Times,” from this year's “Attack & Release,” and a delightful Captain Beefheart cover of “I’m Glad” were a perfect way to end this two-day fest — drama-filled or otherwise.

-- Vivian Lee

Photo of the Black Keys by Stefano Paltera/For The Times