Hot on the heels of Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival, All Points West took place this past weekend. As grey clouds amassed over the week, one had to wonder what the weather had in store for the festival weekend, and if/how the show would be affected.

Held at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park, the festival featured two outdoor stages and a tent, each spaced a few hundred feet apart. Pavement was minimal, as were locations that offered some sort of shelter. When the sun was shining, this didn’t matter, but, well, that wasn’t always the case.

The weather can turn for the worse, and it sure did on Friday. What started off as a partly cloudy day eventually became a grey downpour, turning the grounds into a sea of mud, before abating just in time for the sunset. Many a lost shoe or sandal could be found partially sunk into the mud at the end of the day. Large sections of the paved walkways were flooded; by the next day there was a layer of hard-packed mud over stretches of it. As people rushed across the murky lawn, their feet sprayed mud upward, against their backs as well as anyone unfortunate enough to be close by.

Ra Ra Riot played a rousing set despite the ominous clouds that had formed. Surprisingly, given the sometimes murky mix found at some outdoor shows, their elegant indie rock came through with clarity. Both band and crowd giddily jumped around despite the gathering storm, although a few less giddy concert-goers might have harbored a kind of superstitious resentment; after singer Wes Mile said of the overcast sky, “This isn’t as bad as it could be, right?” I heard someone scornfully reply, “Thanks for jinxing it, asshole.” Ten minutes later it began to pour.

Fortunately, both Vampire Weekend and the National were undaunted by the rain. Playing a set similar to their headlining turn at Pitchfork, the National’s anthemic guitars and crescendos were stunning. Once again closing with “Mr. November,” Matt Berninger wandered the front of the crowd as fans’ shouted the along with him. Vampire Weekend, who went on during the worst of the rain, tossed in a few new songs as well as crowd pleasers like “A-Punk,” “Oxford Comma,” and closer “Walcott.” The crowd was huge and upbeat, regardless of how wet and muddy they got as they danced around.

By the time Yeah Yeah Yeahs came out, the rain had subsided completely. While her wild, beer-soaked days may be behind her, Karen O is still a captivating singer. She was all smiles as Nick Zinner and Brian Chase cranked out their dirty, riff-heavy jams to a rapturous crowd, alternately thrashing about and striking still poses with the microphone. Many tracks off It’s Blitz! like “Zero” and “Soft Shock” composed the majority of the set, although there was still room for older standouts such as “Black Tongue,” “Gold Lion,” and a heartbreaking acoustic rendition of “Maps.” They also threw in a cover of the  Cramps’ “Humany Fly” for good measure.

However, the single greatest moment from the night belonged to Jay-Z. With the Beastie Boys pulling out only a week prior (best wishes to MCA and family), he proved a worthy successor for the headlining slot. A giant clock on the screen behind the stage floor counted down the last few minutes before he took the stage; when it hit zero, Jay-Z and his backing band came out blaring, not one of his own hits, but a pitch-perfect rendition of the Beasties’ “No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn.”

The huge crowd that had assembled ate it up, as well as the slew of Jay’s own hits that followed. “Brooklyn, Go Hard,” “I Just Wanna Love U,” “99 Problems,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” they just kept on coming. Jay handled the mic with absolute authority, demanding attention with every verse.

All in all, a strong day, rain be damned.

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