A juicy enough Roast

If anything can burn off June gloom and kick off the biggest blitz of summer tours in years, it’s the musical mishmash known as the KROQ Weenie Roast. As always, the annual gathering, held Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, assembled the radio station’s current flavors of the month, old faves and soon-to-be-craved, not to mention obligatory surprise guests.

But this year’s even more miscellaneous than usual lineup seemed less a cohesive gathering than a sonic sampler of what’s to come in the next months on the Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Summer Sanitarium and Lollapalooza.

Two side stages showcased early performances by most-likely-to-succeed acts ranging from emo pop-punk (Thrice, the Ataris) to rootsy rock (Pete Yorn) to big-riffed ragers (Finch, Chevelle). But it was the main stage sets starting in the late afternoon that filled the place and truly got the show rolling.

Evanescence canceled because of illness, moving side-stage closer the Used up to the main arena, an opportunity it took full advantage of with a sweaty set of stirring anthems and profanity-filled repartee.

Brit-pop innovator Blur (which headlines the Wiltern tonight) followed, offering a more sophisticated presentation layered with soulful backup vocals and rich percussion.

The fest reached a furious fever pitch with the Transplants (featuring Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Rancid’s Tim Armstrong), who attacked the stage like a gang of tattooed pirates, spewing noisy versions of their hip-hop-flavored stomps and serving up two of the day’s biggest surprises.

Pop princess Pink joined the thrashers on stage for the band’s bouncy “Weigh on My Mind.” And the singer’s scratchy croon filled out the chorus and added a zip of feline attitude to an already feisty cut. But a revved-up rendition of her “Get the Party Started” felt forced.

Armstrong’s Rancid bandmates then traded places with Barker and company for some chaotic hell-raising, pumping out new material and old rousers such as “Time Bomb” and hyping the band’s coming Warped Tour dates.

Judging from the crowd’s enthusiasm, Saturday’s most anticipated segments were the back-to-back sets by Staind and the White Stripes. Interestingly, the Stripes’ newer tunes got the biggest reaction, while Staind was better received when it pulled cuts from 2001’s “Break the Cycle” rather than its new “14 Shades of Grey.”

These two, and to a lesser extent Deftones, offered the tightest, most volatile and heartfelt performances of the nearly eight-hour show. They were hard acts to follow, but Jane’s Addiction, making an unannounced appearance, did so with charismatic ease, if less precision.

The reunited rockers came onstage with no fanfare or introduction, punching into new tunes as well as older numbers, including “Stop” and “The Ocean.” Though Perry Ferrell’s vocals seemed strained at times, Jane’s robust-as-ever rhythm section and still-gleaming star power made the short set a real treat. Not to mention a huge tease for their headlining slot at Ferrell’s reanimated Lollapalooza fest in August.