MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--On paper, the inaugural Area: One Festival appeared to be the strongest package tour of the summer. The headline acts--including Moby [ tickets ], Incubus, OutKast [ tickets ], Roots, Nelly Furtado and New Order [ tickets ]--were diverse and intriguing.

The tour also promised a second stage where big-name DJs such as Derrick May and Paul Oakenfold would hold court on the turntables. While most all-day festivals mine just one particular genre, here was one tour that promised a true cornucopia of talents and tunes.

But there were legitimate concerns. Would the Incubus fan who loves moshing to funk-metal tracks also be open to listening to house-music pioneer Oakenfold's mighty grooves? Could the guy with the peg-leg jeans, in the house to hear New Order's "Blue Monday," handle the raucous raps of Atlanta hip-hop heroes OutKast? Would the tour find synergy and cohesion through its disparate parts, or would it simply be a scattered showcase of modern music?

On Tuesday (7/31), Area: One passed every test with flying colors. Some may complain that Nelly Furtado and Incubus weren't on the Shoreline bill. But, as it turned out, they weren't really needed for a diverse mix.

The 25,000-capacity venue was packed with smiling teens waving glow sticks and dancing to each and every beat. The twirling masses accepted everything that came their way, latching on to the raps and spins with equal joy. The main stage performances were all solid and kept getting better as the concert progressed.

As tour organizer and the show's headline act, Moby was without a doubt the star of the eight-hour festival. The enormously talented musician put on a consuming show that combined the euphoria of rave music with the passion of arena rock. Although filed as an electronic artist at the record stores, Moby is all rock on stage. Bouncing about the stage with the energy of a Tasmanian devil on a case of Red Bull, Moby beat the drums, stroked the electric guitar and handled much of the vocal work.

Mostly, though, he enjoyed seeing his dream come to fruition. After destroying the audience with the big, booming "Bodyrock" from 1999's exceptional "Play," Moby smiled, looked out at the sea of full seats, and summed up his mood: "I feel like the luckiest little festival organizer in the world," he exclaimed.

Fronting a big band that included a DJ, bassist, drummer, percussionist, female vocalist and a trio of string players, the star shook the shed with numerous "Play" tracks such as "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and "South Side" as well as huge by-the-books rave anthems from his early days. Simply put, Moby put on one of the most exhilarating performances of the year.

Moby made good on the difficult task of following OutKast's Antwan "Big Boi" Patton and Andre "Dre 3000" Benjamin. The Atlanta duo took the crowd on a roller coaster ride through "Stankonia," delivering manic versions of album tracks like "Humble Mumble" and "So Fresh, So Clean." OutKast's hour-long set ended with a delicious double-shot of "Ms Jackson" and "B.O.B." The crowd sang along to every line of the tender, yet defiant, "Ms Jackson."

New Order, with a solid set of classics that have held up surprisingly well through the years, proved to be more than a New Wave novelty act. Plus, these synthesizer-driven masterpieces carried a rock edge on Tuesday night that they certainly didn't have back in the '80s. Blame it on former Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan, who is playing guitar for the band on this tour. Corgan seemed happier than ever, leaving the pressure of fronting one of the biggest bands in the world behind for the less stressful job of a sideman. New Order revved through hits such as "Bizarre Love Triangle" and, of course, "Blue Monday," and also gave the crowd a few tantalizing tastes of an album of new material that is due out in October.

It just goes to show that sometimes things are what they seem. In this case, Area: One was indeed the strongest package tour of the summer.

Click here for more tour information.