The smell of fried foods from street vendors and the sounds of mic checks filled the air as 80/35 kicked off its second day, July 7, 2012. 

One of those mic checks came from Derek Lambert and the Prairie Fires, the first band to play in the day’s line up of Ames-connected acts.

Lambert and the Prairie Fires opened the Kum and Go stage, while on the opposite side Ladysoal opened the Hy-Vee Triathlon stage.

Ladysoal went straight into its heavy blues set, which Sharika Soal’s voice could be heard from nearly a block away. Lambert and the Prairie Fires put on a high-energy act marked by Chris Ford breaking a drum stick during the first song.

Both sets remained relaxed in the crowd, however, as festival goers sought relief from the heat and sun directly overhead, leaning on buildings and wetting towels to drape over themselves. The heat even led birds to seek the shade of window sills.

Little Ruckus began prepping for his set with the help of Lane Weaver and Mickey Davis of Olsen Twinns after Soal wailed her last note.

They worked quickly, taping cardboard constructs together and placing a drum on a wheeled platform in the middle of where the crowd would soon gather.

Dom Rabalais of Little Ruckus grabbed a mic and walked to the center of the crowd while the Sandwich Eating Crew assembled on stage.

Rabalais called the crowd to gather around him, to add them to his Sandwich Eating Crew and lead a breakdown to kick off his set.

Little Ruckus did not live down the reputation of his wild shows. He began running through the crowd singing, as people on stage began kissing and Davis played the drum they sat up earlier.

“Thank you so f*cking much,” Rabalais said to the crowd. “It’s an honor to be here with so many members of the Sandwich Eating Crew.”

This address set the tone for the audience participation to ensue through the Little Ruckus performance.

The crowd doubled shortly after the address.

The last big surprise for the crowd helped cool them off after dancing to Little Ruckus’ blend of punk and electronic music. The crowd gathered in a circle once more, this time to toss water balloons at each other.

“It’s an honor to rock ‘n roll with people as hard as you,” Rabalais said.

Chris Ford, lead singer of Christopher the Conquered, and his Black Gold Brass Band took the main stage as Little Ruckus continued on the Hy-Vee stage.

The Black Gold Brass Band sported new uniforms comprised of all black trousers and shirts with gold ties bearing the letters “BGBB.”

The main stage area quickly filled as Christopher the Conquered began its set. Ford then addressed the crowd about playing and attending 80/35.

“It’s because we’re a community, and we’re going to do this all the f*cking time,” Ford said.

The audience began cheering as Ford moved in front of the Black Gold Brass Band, directing the band in to the intro of “Free to Try.” Ford then returned to his piano, as the crowd began “cruising” by miming steering a car.

Christopher the Conquered unveiled a new song throwing off the sing-alongs, titled “I’m Giving Up On Rock ‘n Roll.” Afterwards, all but Ford left the stage to lead the audience in another sing-along.

Soon, the band returned on stage, this time with 40 additional people in white t-shirts for yet another sing-along. The audience and stage began singing the Lesbian Poetry song “Do You Believe In Angels,” at the end of the Chirstopher the Conquered set.

A crowd began filling the street in front of the Hy-Vee stage in anticipation for the Mumford’s set. The audience rivaled the size of the main stage crowd before the mic check even began.

The band began playing the opening notes of “Sold” and the newest member of the band, Rabalais, began hyping the audience as frontman Nate Logsdon sprinted on stage rapping the lyrics.

“We’ve been playing here for years, we love DSM, we love Iowa,” Logsdon said to the crowd. “It’s great Ames and Iowa throwing down together.”

The crowd, already catching some of the earlier acts, continued to dance and shout responses through the set, including people in the upper floor offices and skywalks of surrounding buildings.

Mumford’s brought on guests frequently, including Jordan Mayland, Elliot Burke, Adrien Daller, Soal and Poison Control Center’s Patrick Fleming and Devin Frank.

The horns blasted the opening notes to the Salt ‘n Pepa song “Push It” as Daller came on stage rapping alongside Logsdon, changing up the Mumford’s act.

The next surprise for the audience was a performance of the Poison Control Center song “It’s a Surprise” with Fleming and Frank.

Fleming and Frank kept pace with Mumford’s energetic act when Frank played guitar upside down and Fleming dove off the stage.

“The flirtation and back door hotel meetings have gone on for way too long,” Logsdon said. “It’s time for Des Moines and Ames to join in holy Iowa matrimony.”

“To have and to hold, and to shred and to slay as long as we shall live,” the audience said “For the love of Iowa, Ames and Des Moines, forever and ever.”

“We love each other because we are Iowa,” Logsdon said in reply.

Mumford’s finished their set with “Cooking Day” with guest singer Soal. Logsdon leaped from the stage and crowd surfed as the audience shouted, “Something’s cooking in the bathtub.”

The next act with Ames connections to take the stage while drawing a large crowd was Mantis Pincers. The crowd continued to grow as Mantis Pincers began playing its more popular song, which frontman Frank introduced as “a song about a little town in Germany called Berlin.”

Mantis Pincers jammed as the crowd kept growing, in anticipation for the final Ames act Leslie and Ly’s.

Mantis Pincers wasn’t afraid to party, playing as long as the band possibly could for its last song, lasting more than five minutes.

Festival goers took pictures next to The Mobile Museum of Gem Sweaters, Leslie and the Ly’s tour van, during the set change.

The crowd began dancing when Leslie and the Ly’s took the stage. The scene was one of a kind, with the band in its spandex uniforms and bright, glittery props.

Drummer Lambert twirled and tossed a doll of Leslie Hall on stage while the band played and Hall rapped the song “Gold Pants.”

“I’m really disappointed I couldn’t bring my cat,” Hall said to the audience.

Then, a giant prop cat, nearly seven-feet-tall, was wheeled through crowd. The Ames set ended with Hall leading the crowd in dancing and on-stage oddity.