Craig Hlavaty: "The two-day concert reminded us of a fun-size Austin City Limits Festival, with the best bits of Westheimer Block Parties of yore thrown in for good measure, with sprinkles of Houston's best and brightest personalities sprinkled throughout. The biggest treat was the seemingly vegetarian crowd, meaning there was no beef.

"The norm for Houston festivals in the past has been a tornado of male angst and posturing. Hugs and smiles abounded as old friends became reacquainted or people bonded together over beers, body paint, sweat, and music...

"All told, Houston shone Saturday and Sunday. With each passing hour, smiles got bigger and expectations for next year's event began to grow."

Adam P. Newton: "Simply put, the weekend was all about the music, and the bands that played dealt a rather hearty blow to the naysayers' arguments.

"Free Press Summerfest displayed to the doubters and non-believers inside and outside our fair city that Houston most assuredly does have an active, thriving, imaginative music scene. To say otherwise means you haven't been paying much attention to the strides many of our most talented local acts have taken in the past 18 months.

"Both days found Eleanor Tinsley Park teeming with teenagers, twentysomethings and a surprising number of families all coming together to have a great time with great local bands, celebrating some of the best music our city has to offer. Moreover, Aftermath thought it was wonderful to be able to interact with several bands before and after their sets, as many members of several notable acts were present for both days of the Festival, lending the event a family-picnic feel to the whole event."