WAYNE'S WORLD Flaming Lips singer was in his element.

Kuyahoga audience members witnessed history being made as Cleveland was given its very first (and hopefully annual) indie music festival, comprising an impressive collection of 15 bands that gathered for this unique one-day event organized by the House of Blues, K-Rock 92.3 FM and the Grog Shop. It was a baby Bonnaroo, Coachella's stepchild and SXSW's seedling. Kuyahoga was for us.

Main stage headliners, the Flaming Lips turned the world upside down like a snow globe, as confetti, balloons and psychedelic video footage introduced "Race for the Prize" from 1999's The Soft Bulletin. Sexy alien chicks and a gang of motley Santa Clauses danced along the sidelines as lead singer Wayne Coyne brought his bizarre dream world to life through "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots," "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" (off the latest album At War with the Mystics) and "Do You Realize?" Fans surely would have drunk Coyne's cosmic Kool-Aid during the majestic performance of "The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)," but instead gorged themselves on the divine visual and auditory pleasures when Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" was covered. Death Cab for Cutie captivated the O.C. generation with its sweet pop collection and collaborated with Coyne and Lips' bassist Michael Ivins to perform R.E.M.'s "Cuyahoga." Sonic Youth was mesmerizing. While focused on the new album, Rather Ripped, guitar and bass mega-force Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon rummaged through their 25-year history with guitarist Lee Ranaldo and drummer Steve Shelley to perform "Mote," "100%" and "Shaking Hell."

Kuyahoga held something for everyone. The Hold Steady earned its spot warming up the main stage as the rambunctious go-go funkadelic rapture of England's Go! Team energized the mid-size Scion stage. She Wants Revenge seduced the art- school kids, Wolfmother's stoner rock supplied some good shit, the electric instrumentals of Akron/Kent stars The Six Parts Seven glistened from the trees and Sybris grabbed early attendees who stopped at the Grog Shop stage. Coyne's intuitions were right: When he saw the line-up for Kuyahoga, he said he thought, "Fuck, that's gonna be the greatest festival anyone can put on."

Billy Idol

House of Blues

Wednesday, August 2

When Billy Idol was added to the previously scheduled Gary Numan show, ticket prices more than doubled. Initially, the pairing of these two British artists seemed odd but when considering Idol and Numan share the same spandex bind that forever ties them to the '80s, it oddly seemed right. Opening with the 2005 tune, "Super Overdrive," followed by powerhouse hits "Dancing With Myself," "Flesh For Fantasy" and "White Wedding," Idol quickly proved he could still heat up a room. Snarling his lip and signing autographs, Idol worked up a sweat by relentlessly raising the fists that have become his signature pose. Changing clothes as often as Steve Stevens switched guitars, the duo's flash remained intact. The vocals and guitar riffs were spot- on, but the pace of the show left a lot to be desired. The new acoustic arrangement of "Eyes Without a Face" lacked the edge of the original and it was here that the show began to lose momentum. When covers of Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime" and Van Halen's "Jump" followed, it hardly mattered that the Doors "L.A. Woman" worked, because by this point the karaoke session had gone too far. Stripping off his shirt for "Rebel Yell," Idol and the band did pull it back together for the "Hot In The City" and "Mony Mony" closer.

Gary Numan was more focused, delivering sharp, synthesized songs carefully selected from both his past and present. Newer numbers like "Pure," "Slave" and "Halo" had every bit as much power as the beloved "Cars" or "Are Friends Electric?" Sadly, the latter came off with some technical difficulties, robbing the audience of a Numan favorite. Blame it on his raccoon eyes, the Jesus Of Nazareth T-shirt or the way in which he seduced his microphone, but Numan's stage presence came off both alienating and commanding. The four light columns that beamed throughout his set provided more than a futuristic illusion. In Numan's world, it's a way to illuminate a catalog of songs that remain ageless. — Karen Laney

The Red Krayola

Parish Hall Cleveland

Saturday, August 5

Parish Hall Cleveland doubles as art space and music venue. With a stage that may remind you of high-school talent shows, the large auditorium has a high ceiling and no air conditioning, just a box fan set up off to the side of the room. As the evening began, locals sifted in from the parking lot that also served as a smoking facility for the 70-plus attendees. BLKTYGR opened the evening up with howled poems and the assistance of video experiments. Home and Garden, sporting former members of Pere Ubu offered its inspired shtick while covering a few classics. It was a good night for the percussionists of the evening. BLKTYGR thumped out intense rhythms, while former Pere Ubu drummer Scott Krauss propelled Home and Garden.

On drums for the Red Krayola was John McEntire. During the late '80s, McEntire entered the Oberlin College percussion program, but soon realized the future of music was in electronics and shifted his focus. Although he didn't finish his studies, he moved to Chicago and performed with Tortoise as well as The Sea and Cake. This night, though, found him spastically playing along with a group whose members, apart from their bassist, all had been playing music at the time of his birth. Mayo Thompson continues to lead Krayola though a fifth decade and shows no signs of becoming weary. Throughout the group's set, his intensity was matched only by that of the crowd, which looked on intently but moved only sparingly. Most of the evening was spent exposing the audience to newer material from Introduction. There were points when the band seemed to be as strong as any other that has come through Cleveland recently. The frantic tempo changes on "Psy Ops" were clearly as entertaining for the musicians to play as for the crowd to watch. "Bling," with its questionable name, was created and performed to be a bit difficult to digest. It was. Most of the evening with Krayola went off well as the band was tight and well-rehearsed. — Dave Cantor

The Raconteurs

House of Blues

Sunday, August 6

Playing alongside Detroit singer-songwriter Brendan Benson and the Greenhornes' rhythm section (bassist "Little Jack" Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler), the Raconteurs provide White Stripes singer-guitarist Jack White with a big-band sound and an opportunity for fans to see him in a different light. White was red-hot from the start of this sold-out show as the Raconteurs unleashed "Intimate Secretary." The performance started innocently by showcasing Benson's Beatlesque voice until the tables flipped and an intense musical barrage exploded. The song, quite charming and quaint on the band's debut album, took a crazy turn toward another dimension. Drenched in sweat, White further fueled the blazing fire with "Level," as he drove his guitar to the limits until it screamed.

The anguish in White's voice during "Steady, As She Goes" stuck pins in your heart during the broken love song. Benson and White slowed it all down by playing their instruments off one another. The two shared vocals and spiraled together in the most unique way, which led into "Together" where Benson's bedroom tone held its ground against White's pained and quaky pleading. The delicate moment gave the crowd a chance to collect itself before the Raconteurs dished out another helping of its ass-shaking, groin-aching and knee-trembling raunchy blues. Lawrence's strong rhythm thumped through the amps and gave White and Benson something to lean against during the '60s prog-rock-inspired "Store Bought Bones." White led the band through Nancy Sinatra's bewitching "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" before the boys pulled out their own "Blue Veins." The show ended with a three-song encore that left fans in a state of euphoria. — Shelly Greenberg