The fest is a study in contrasts, on and off the stage: an angry quartet of heavy metal Hessians tore through an adrenalized set at the same time as honeyed, enveloping indie rock troupe Blonde Redhead held court across the lawn.

In the crowd, naughty nurses canoodled with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, evil monks and about two-dozen Hunter S. Thompsons.

And then there was the dude dressed like a giant chicken.

"People seem to like it," said Brian Levvis, 20, of Denver, from inside his bright yellow-feathered costume. "It's pretty hot, though."

Posing for pictures next to him was a guy in leather chaps and British flag skivvies.

"You dress up in America, you have fun," said Rob Woodhead, who traveled to Vegoose from his native England. "You can talk to people here. In London, you can't just walk up and talk to somebody."

But Vegoose is defined by a loose, casual atmosphere, and this year, even the bands got in on the Halloween spirit.

The flame spittin' longhairs in Mastodon took the stage with members dressed as, among other things, a Satanic priest and Spider-Man.

"We come to please the wicked," frontman Brent Hinds announced, and the group did just that, churning out longwinded, topsy turvy metal with thunderclap drums and riffs as thick and tangled as a pit of pythons.

The band catalyzed what was perhaps the first ever mosh pit at Vegoose.

Boasting its most diverse lineup yet, Vegoose's first day was wonderfully eclectic.

There was the gypsy punk of Gogol Bordello, who opened the fest with accordion-driven jams and a frontman, Eugene Hütz, who danced with his knees high in the air, playfully kicked at his roadies, and boasted so much insistent energy, it was as if jet fuel was coursing through his veins.

Heady rockers Battles alternated between Zappa-inspired instrumental freak-outs and knotty, free-range funk, while rapper Lupe Fiasco added some torque to his normally nimble rhymes, bellowing through his set forcefully enough to add a few layers of muscle and sinew to his repertoire.

And that was just the fest's first couple of hours.

The carnivalesque atmosphere was further abetted by a towering ferris wheel, an impersonators' lounge where Ozzy Osbourne and Mr. T look-alikes hung out, a libidinous haunted house and a faux wedding chapel where it wasn't uncommon to see the groom in the bridal gown.

Concertgoers could buy lingerie at "The Naughty Shop" or tye-dyed socks from one of the many vendors in the Vegoose mainway.

There was a lot to see, and more to hear, with one culture clash after the next.

At the same time that politicized hip-hoppers Public Enemy led the crowd on an anti-George W. Bush chant, sensimilla-scented rappers Cypress Hill enjoined the audience to throw joints on the stage.

"We're gonna do some stuff to pump you up," Cypress Hill's Mc B-Real announced at one point, and it wouldn't be long before Vegoose was ready to burst.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0476.