10. Nothing Brings People Together Like a Downpour The deluge literally brought people together under any overhang available. Those who didn't make a break for their cars were left to cram into the vendor tents, (very sporadic) shelters and large umbrellas, where the moods remained festive. And this was an equal opportunity time-out -- many of the LouFest band members were jammed in with the fans. If you took refuge in the Euclid tent, you spent an hour hanging out with Cults. --KM
9. Best Food Option This year, the food all came from brick-and-mortar establishments rather than food trucks. The results were generally good with a few duds (yes to Plush's fries in a waffle cone; no to their chicken-fried bacon). But the way to go for both value and flavor was Local Harvest -- the vegan chili in particular, which put much of the nearby meat to shame. --KM
8. Muddy Conditions, Crisp Vocals Thirty minutes after Dr. Dog's 7 p.m. scheduled start time, the thunderstorm has passed overhead and after a live, on-stage soundcheck, and guitarist and co-frontman Scott McMicken sings in his Daniel Johnston-esque tenor "The rain is falling; it's after dark," the opening lines of "Shadow People," to a soggy audience squishing muddy ground. A moment later, it's all worth the wait as the refrain bursts in with soaring three-part vocal harmonies that the group is best known for followed by a display of Running-Man-style dance moves they may unfortunately also be known for. --BH
7. Shoddy Soviet Workmanship Are you tired of puns about Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin's name? I know the members of the band are. Sorry, then, about that headline. Anyway: the heroes of Springfield worked through some technical issues to deliver an hour of unassuming pop perfection. Among those technical issues was a drum rig not ready to take a beating, and all three of SSLYBY's rotating drummers managed to do things like send the kick precariously toward the edge of the riser, while the stage tech frantically tried to MacGyver an effective backstop. None of that hampered the set -- this is a band that thrives on all the little chaos beyond our control. --KM
