By Lauren Bishop
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Megyn Norbut (left) watches friend Devin Berling, both of Wyoming, play air guitar as the rock group Silvertide performs Friday night at Jammin' on Main. The Cincinnati Enquirer/JEFF SWINGER

Threatening skies ushered in the 10th year of Jammin' on Main Friday night, but it didn't stop anyone from showing up to see some of their favorite bands.

Amelia resident Noah Allen, 19, and friend Jana Barnett of Anderson Township, 20, were waiting at one of the Main Street entrances to the music festival a half-hour before the gates opened.

Allen said he was mainly there to see alternative Christian rock group Switchfoot at 9:30 p.m., but that he also wanted to check out some acts he wasn't familiar with. He said he also planned to see early '80s arena rockers REO Speedwagon, one of Friday night's headliners. "It'll be a nice blast from the past," he said.

JAMMIN' EVENTS

• Jammin' on Main 2004 lineup

The two-night music festival features 27 national and local acts playing on three stages set up on and around three blocks of Main Street.Music Event Management Inc., a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, put on this year's event, which benefits the orchestra.

Organizers hoped 10,000 to 15,000 people would attend each night. Crowds weren't very large or lively for Friday's opening acts, and a brief rainstorm sent people scurrying for cover. But no one showed signs of leaving , and people steadily filed into the gates.

Two couples, Khalif and Crystal Morris of Walnut Hills and Justin and Tania Jones of the West End, said they came to spend time with each other and to check out the bands, most of which they hadn't heard of.

If the festival had more variety - maybe featuring a gospel rapper or two - it would draw a more diverse audience, 22-year-old Khalif Morris said. But all four said they were willing to give it a chance. "If nothing else," 22-year-old Crystal Morris said, "we all like food."

E-mail lbishop@enquirer.com