WorldJam 2000 threw a world-class party for Cincinnati this weekend, but in the face of cool temperatures and stormy forecasts, Cincinnati stayed home.

        Saturday and Sunday, Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point was packed with live music on two stages. Some of the finest, most adventurous local musicians alternated with such top national and international artists as bluegrass boss Ricky Skaggs, Afro-pop star Angelique Kidjo and blues queen Koko Taylor.

        It was one of the best free fests in local memory, and almost no one saw it. With only a few thousand in attendance Saturday and barely a thousand on Sunday, WorldJam's second year drew less than one-third of its expected crowd, according to Bob Elias, executive director of Cincinnati Arts Festival Inc., producer of the event.

        Saturday night drew the biggest audience, as a couple thousand hardy blues fans and young Deadheads, drawn by Ms. Taylor and jam band Ekoostik Hookah, respectively.

        But Sunday, with cloudy skies and evening temperatures in the low 4os, far fewer braved the elements.

        Here's what you missed:

        Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder gamely closed the fest Sunday night, as a fierce wind whipped across Bicentennial Commons. Instruments went out of tune, microphones malfunctioned, but Mr. Skaggs and his seven-man band burned through warp-drive versions of such bluegrass classics as Bill Monroe's “Wheel Hoss,” the Stanely Brothers' “Pig in a Pen” and the fiddle breakdown “Fire on the Mountain.” The die-hard crowd of several hundred shouted requests as Mr. Skaggs dipped deeper into the bluegrass well for the sentimental “Mother's Not Dead (She's Only Sleeping)”and the gospel classic, “A Voice From on High.”

        He was preceded by the Funky Meters, the latest version of New Orleans' Seminal funk band. Led by keyboardist Art Neville and anchored by the other original member, bassist George Porter Jr., the band sounded like Booker T. & the MGs rolled in cayenne in an irresistibly funky set that included the Allmans' “Midnight Rider” and the Meters classic “Cissy Strut.”

        Ms. Kidjo was another impressive Sunday act, soulfully singing her blend of contemporary R&B and African pop music. It was exactly the sort of organic, global beat party that WorldJam promises.

        Saturday, Koko Taylor proved her “Queen of the Blues” title is no mere hype in an electrifying set at P&G Pavilion, the largest stage. In a star-spangled royal-purple gown, she was a regal presence, leading her four-man Blues Machine through a blistering set of Chicago blues. It was a Saturday night party that rocked out with everything from “Let the Good Times Roll” to her trademark anthem, “Wang Dang Doodle.” In 15 years of seeing her perform — in clubs, concerts and at the W.C. Handy Blues Awards in Memphis this was by far the best ever.

        Austin guitarslinger Chris Duarte warmed up the crowd for Ms. Taylor with an hour's worth of fretboard fireworks. He worked his Hendrix licks a bit too hard, but his edgy, over-the-top blues- rock kept the crowd on its feet and cheering.

        Chantal Kreviazuk preceded him, sitting alone onstage at her grand piano. She faced the few dozen onlookers and played as if to a full house, delivering an assured, emotional set. She briefly joked about the "brisk” weather before displaying her powerful, fluid voice, occasionally reminiscent of a more in-control Sinead O'Connor. Her two-handed piano playing was just as strong, sounding like the young Elton John. This woman is a superstar waiting to happen.

        The locals were nearly as good. Dave Hawkins & Celtic Core opened Saturday's main stage with a mellow, aged-in-the-barrel set of original and traditional Irish music. Mohenjo Daro sat on the floor of the Yeatman's Cove Stage, but their delicate musical masala was battered by Saturday's high winds and their acoustic instruments could barely be heard.

        The two electric local bands on that day's stage fared better. Lucky & the Zionites mixed original ska with Steely Dan covers for a potent party mix, while Pike 27 energetically served up its grits-and-gravy brand of country rock.

        Sunday's locals did an even better job of getting their small crowds moving. At P&G Pavilion, Greg Schaber & High Street delivered their usual varied set of top-shelf blues, including an especially potent “Jim Beam Blues” that found Mr. Schaber shouting the blues like a man possessed.

        Meanwhile, back-to-back sets by Ricky Nye's Swingin' Mudbugs and Robin Lacy & DeZydeco transformed a gloomy Sunday at Yeatman's Cove into Fat Tuesday on Jackson Square.

        Saturday's show ended in a different dance, as Ekoostik Hookah filled the P&G Pavilion area with twirling hippies. The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, the other jam band on the festival, was less successful at getting its crowd moving. The acid-jazz trio was the only group to play both days, but its cerebral mix of funk and free jazz left dancers quizzically searching for the beat.

        At the P&G Pavilion area, the beat was easy to find, in the Drumbeat Village tent. Hundreds of Worldjammers played in drum circles there throughout the weekend, killing time between acts on the main stage. “This has been great,” drum circle organizer Don Davidson said Sunday. “People around here aren't shy at all.”

        If only more hadn't been shy about coming.

        But WorldJam director Mr. Elias promises to build it one more time in hopes that, next year, Cincinnati will come. For now, plans are proceeding for WorldJam 2001.

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