The 2009 Sasquatch! Music Festival was sweltering hot and tremendously fun, a far cry from the stormy 2007 festival, during which Neko Case’s set was cut short by a nasty hailstorm.

Nine Inch Nails, Street Sweeper Social Club, the Decemberists, Jane’s Addiction, Kings of Leon, Of Montreal, Vince Mira, Blitzen Trapper and Erykah Badu were among the scheduled acts at the 2009 Memorial Day weekend festival at The Gorge.

Featured here are photos of NIN, Street Sweeper Social Club, Jane’s Addiction and Mira taken by Northwest photographer Steven Friederich.

Also, check out my colleague Travis Hay’s package of blogs and photos at earcandybeat.com.

Finally, here are a few short items from Seattle blogger Jen Stippich, who spent the entire weekend at the festival:

The Gorge is a beautiful backdrop for the Sasquatch! Music festival. The line-up was strong with well-loved bands and the next “I saw them when” groups, as well as a newer, improved comedy/ DJ dance area. The festival was very well-attended, almost too well-attended on Saturday, prices were festival prices, camping was daunting — and do not believe anything termed “premiere camping.” All in all though: great weather, good music and pretty mellow behavior overall for a festival of its size.

SATURDAY:

YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Returning to the Main Stage, I find a little perch behind the sound board to view the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The sun has gone down and the stage lights are in full effect. Karen O is wearing a new wave Dayglo with a nod to native American ponchos and green tights. There is a floating eyeball balloon behind her on the stage. The rock show has begun. Everything is very dialed in and sounds great. The new album, “It’s Blitz!,” is upbeat and fun and, well, you want to dance now that you’ve finally cooled down. Perfect band for the time slot. Mission accomplished. If only they were selling those “soon to be sported at dance clubs everywhere” ponchos, they would have made bank.

KINGS OF LEON
I’m kicked off the Main Stage for Kings of Leon because my five wristbands are not the specially stamped “Kings of Leon” wristbands. And that seems to foreshadow my impression that the band is in a late Elvis “bloating” period and I’ve missed that opportunity to connect. I do like Caleb’s voice and the songs (I mean, who doesn’t like “Sex on Fire”), but for the most part, I am still waiting to either fall deeply in love or truly dislike them, as most of my friends seem to be in one of the two camps. So it sounded good and the guys are hot, but I find myself still on the fence and wander up the hill near the end of the set.

SUNDAY:

NINE INCH NAILS & JANE’S ADDICTION
Other than Dave Navarro hanging on stage during TV on the Radio’s set and wandering the backstage looking like the stereotypical rocker in a leather vest and tight jeans with boots, in amidst the mostly alt- country and indie band members in T-shirts and jeans, I had sort of forgotten about the “epic” closers for today’s festival. The last time I saw NIN was in support of the “The Downward Spiral” album and Trent Reznor was a skinny, angry and venomous entity. Tonight’s Nine Inch Nails put on a loud, crowd-pleasing show. Reznor, now looking pretty beefy, played hits like “Pretty Hate Machine,” “Head like a Hole,” “Hand That Feeds” and encored with “Hurt.” After reading it might be the last tour for NIN, I don’t feel so bad that I stayed rather than hitting M83 and Of Montreal. Jane’s Addiction is a band that I’ve always enjoyed seeing live. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Perry Farrell as a DJ and with his recent side project, The Satellite Project, but Jane’s is where the magic always was. Farrell referenced Lollapalooza’s first incarnation at The Gorge and how beautiful it was, often referring to it being in “Seattle.” Oh, well. He also strayed into lots of conversations regarding his penis. But other than Navarro’s rock poses, it was a glorious reunion. Farrell’s festival vision really does live on with Sasquatch, Coachella, Pitchfork and the like.

MONDAY:

MONOTONIX
I had to run over to see a bit of the Israeli group Monotonix’s show before seeing Fleet Foxes. I love their crazy madcap antics and the garage-punk sound of their live show. The guys were pacing the stage in short shorts and headbands like some crazy B-level WWE wrestling tour, and as if the bell had been rung, they were diving off the stage and into the crowd. Garbage cans and their contents began to fly, as well as the band members and various pieces of equipment. Lead singer Ami Shalev soon pulled his pants down and rubbed his privates with his mike for optimal effect. These are hairy sweaty men with shock value galore, but they manage to play a great show as well.

FLEET FOXES

Last year, I thought the Fleet Foxes had their shining moment, filling in for the National when their car broke down. And although I still enjoy the beautiful harmonies, especially looking out over The Gorge on a beautiful sunny day, the magic wasn’t there today. Still think they are wonderful and really down to earth guys. This was just more of an observation in the difference from one year to the next in the trajectory of a band’s popularity. Note that the Fleet Foxes will probably be featured in Mojo in the coming months and are in no way slowing down.