What began as a cool, dreary day was warmed only slightly, both temperately and musically, as Star 102.5 kicked off festival season with its debut effort ” Starfest.”

The Des Moines radio station broadcasted live from the Ankeny Airfield as concert-goers sparingly took to the muddy field.

“1979” by the Smashing Pumpkins blared across the empty space before the stage.

The closing lyrics, “as you can see, there’s no one around” described the scenario all too well.

The music ended, and Peter Stuart of Dog’s Eye View strolled onstage with his acoustic guitar.

Stuart’s performance was a soothing one, blending well with the sleepiness of his followers. Without his supporting band members, Stuart still shined in his solo effort.

He evoked some pent up emotions in his songs as he let loose some hefty wails and thumped on his guitar. He stirred the calm waters a little when he ended his performance with the groovy hit song “Falls Apart.”

Stuart’s between song banterings were a delight as he mused over such topics as never having played so early in the middle of a field, beer and his arch enemies, the Hanson brothers, gracing the front of his box of waffles.

Sister 7 and Soul Asylum

Following Peter Stuart was the Austin, Texas, quartet Sister 7. The group took the stage and woke the crowd up a little more.

Lead singer Patrice Pike held the mic in a death grip as she pelted the air with her upbeat singing. Sometimes brandishing a glossy red guitar and sometimes bouncing around the stage with just her mic, Pike left you with a feeling of wanting more.

Sister 7 played the likable tunes “This the Trip” and “Know What You Mean” with a much needed voracity. As bassist Darrell Phillips ripped out some twangy vibes, the rest of the band threw themselves into a jam session frenzy.

Pike started beating away on the bongos, carrying the beat faster and faster, and Phillips’s dreads were flying as the band came together for their final song.

Next up was the much awaited rockers Soul Asylum. Attendance at this point had grown from only 200 people to nearly 2,000. It was time to rock.

The band slid into their current radio hit, “I Will Still Be Laughing,” which received a good response, and then jumped right into “The Joker,” giving it a new twist with some heavy distortion and piano melodies.

Pirner pranced around stage with his long, scraggly hair swinging about. He looked disheveled and obviously drunk as he struggled to get the words out to his songs. He forgot some of the words to the hit “Black Gold” and turned away from the mic for awhile.

Next the wayward Pirner took it upon himself to teach everyone two chords on the guitar before playing “Please Don’t Leave Me To My Own Devices.”

Pirner then suggested that he and the band play the Glen Campbell favorite “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

The adults in attendance loved every minute of it as Pirner wandered around the stage stopping for some Elvis-like poses now and then.

Finally Soul Asylum answered the screams for their hit song “Runaway Train.” They were rocking pretty well, and Pirner was having a great time jumping around.

Suddenly they stopped in the middle of the song, Pirner strapped on his guitar, then got pissed and threw it down at the stage. He then started singing Wyclef Jean’s “Gone ‘Til November.”

Eventually the band regrouped long enough for Pirner to squeeze out “Misery” before they started back where they left off on “Runaway Train,” a very tacky move on their part.

Thankfully, after 16 songs, most of them not even Soul Asylum originals, the band left the stage and set-up began for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Joan Jett Rocks The Field

When Joan Jett and the Blackhearts took to the stage, the tone of Starfest changed. They came outfitted in black leather and tight pants, and Joan’s hair was almost all shaved off.

The group cranked into “Bad Reputation” and followed it with “Cherry Bomb,” ending the song with a loud explosion.

It played a very heated show, exuding mad energy and dirty songs like “Androgenous,” “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” and “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog.”

The group rocked out its overdriven version of the Mary Tyler Moore theme song before Joan blurted out a stern dictionary definition of the word “fetish.”

That was the group’s next song, and they played it with a ferociousness unlike anything seen thus far. All the group would have needed to make the show a hit would be some cages of people with some sado-masochism going on.

It wouldn’t have been a Joan Jett show without her signature “I Love Rock and Roll” echoing off the clouds and adding hope to the seemingly boring day.

After at least a 30-minute wait for Billie Myers and company to set up, she was ready to sing. She had a graceful and mildly exotic presence on stage. Her Jamaican/English accent was inviting, as was her sporty singing style.

Myers screamed out the first “Hello” in her current radio hit “Kiss the Rain,” and had to pause for the crowd’s cheers to die down. “Can you hear me?” she continued, pointing out into nowhere.

Myers’ supporting vocalist (we’ll call her tambourine girl) kept stealing the show from her as she pranced around like a slut shaking her tambourine and anything else attached to her. Tambourine Girl almost gave a better show than Myers herself.

However, Billie Myers kept herself intact for her short, but still amazing, performance. The music never stopped as she flowed from one song to the next, not giving in to the hot sun which had finally decided to show itself once and for all.

She ended with her rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which only proved that female vocalists should be banned from that song.

The best performance was given by Tonic, who continue to please fans with its growing talent. The group opened with the heavy-hitting “Open Up Your Eyes.”

“Look at all of you in that muddy shit. At least it’s not raining,” lead singer Emerson Hart said upon ending the song. He then dove into more songs from his group’s debut album, including the surreal “Celtic Aggression” and the dreamy and melodic “Lemon Parade.”

“You look like a shiny beetle,” Hart said to bassist Dan Lavery. Lavery and lead guitarist Jeff Russo were both wearing flashy shirts made out of some kind of space age fabric. This led them into “Flowerman” which was written for the upcoming “X-Files” soundtrack.

Tonic didn’t let up after that, as it shifted into a higher gear and rocked even harder on “Casual Affair,” which had the group jumping all over stage, but never missing a riff.

As Tonic played on, girls were being lifted onto shoulders and shirts were coming off. The security guards were edging them on, getting a real kick out of it.

“Hey Dan, I think you should show them yours,” Hart said.

The bassist followed his orders and stomped to the front of the stage to flash the girls back, which threw them into a crazed hormonal rage.

“Get off my stage, bitch,” Hart joked with Lavery.

Hart suddenly came to the realization that there was a interstate close by (I-35). He gave everyone in the audience directions to turn around and flip off a passing car on his cue. When he saw a car he didn’t like, he yelled “Go!” and more than 5,000 people were giving the finger to some unlucky person in transit.

Tonic closed its performance with its other big hit, “If You Could Only See,” which included new lyrics at the beginning of the song.

The final act of the day, Sister Hazel, took over the stage at around 7 p.m., nearly nine hours after StarFest began. Although the day was long, the band took care of everyone, Southern style.

“Is it alright if we throw a little Southern rock at ya’ll?” lead singer Ken Block asked, inviting a wallop of cheers. The group rocked through its current radio hit, “Happy,” before Block began reminiscing about old times, small crowds, touring in a van, and how happy he was to be where he is today.

Sister Hazel played a riveting version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Golddust Woman,” with Block including some Steven Tyler-like vocalizations in his own Southern flare.

During the group’s next song, a fight broke out in the crowd, which was quickly taken care of by security, but not without Block commenting on it.

“Somebody tell that guy you’re not allowed to fight if you’re wearing a tie-dyed shirt. Jerry’s turning over in his grave, man,” Block said, referring to the late Jerry Garcia.

After a few more fun-packed songs from “Somewhere More Familiar,” the group finally played what everyone had come to hear.

Their late 1997 hit, “All For You,” was superb, including the new beginning, and was a great way to end the festival.

StarFest went well, considering the mostly cloudy day combined with some mediocre bands. It was a good chance for fans to meet their favorite artists. Whether it be getting autographs and photos in the autograph tent, or talking to a band member waiting in line for a slice of pizza.

Star 102.5’s debut festival effort was a pretty fun experience for people of all ages. But it only proved that Dotfest won’t get here soon enough.