The scrolling marquee welcoming fans to the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse concurred with the Big Gig's line-up guide that had been mass-distributed weeks ago. The stage's Saturday 10 p.m. act was advertised as Counting Crows, the popular American rock band fronted by the sometimes eccentric but always identifiable Adam Duritz. Late crowd rumblings suggested the seven-person band would also be joined by Augustana, a group that leapt onto the singles ("Boston," "All the Stars and Boulevards") scene much more recently and also accompanied The Crows last year during the verbosely-titled "The Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show" tour.

Only those who'd ventured to the Counting Crows Web site, pre-concert, or those aware of Duritz's affinity for the previous year's style of show could have anticipated musical-melding that was in store for them. Contrary to its campaign, this was not a two-hour set list of Counting Crows' greatest hits or even a half hour of Augustana with the remainder filled by Duritz and company. And because it deviated from the so-called script, many of the thousands that packed the Roadhouse's rows left confused or ambivalent. Still others left the opening night of the now shorter titled "Traveling Circus & Medicine Show" content and enlightened. It was that kind of polarizing event.

Duritz's brain trust was to exchange the standard opening act/headliner routine for a type of musical free-for-all. So when the big-top curtain lifted a little before 10 p.m., it revealed more than a dozen musicians collaborating on Van Morrison's "Caravan" - a song with the foreshadowing lyric, "And the caravan has all my friends. It will stay with me until the end."

From that moment on, artists substituted in and out of performances like hockey players making line changes - only less organized. The first few songs were some of Counting Crows' more well-known tunes ("Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" and "Omaha") including the obscenely popular "Mr. Jones," which is occasionally left out when the band plays alone. But just as the crowd was feeling the familiarity of that catalogue, ring master Duritz rolled out a surprise guest in (Mike) Notar -- an MC signed by Duritz's label, Tyrannosaurus Records. The Brooklyn native is a skilled rapper, and his performances included strong beats and captivating hooks. His contributions, however, significantly juxtaposed the other groups' styles. He seemed to leave the crowd intrigued but also relieved when he disappeared back stage.

If Duritz has toned down his own on-stage eccentricity, then Augustana front man Dan Layus has scooped up the leftovers - sporting a tight gray three piece suit from the early 1900's and channeling Daniel Day Louis' character in the film "There Will Be Blood." Their songs were well-received, especially the catchy "Boston" played at an upright piano and their new single "Fire," which Layus revealed was his attempt at a love song. But there were less than a handful of other Augustana exclusives which may have left their fans wanting more. Particularly when their departure made room for Notar to freestyle his way back onto the stage.

The Counting Crows' dreadlocked front man has said the intention of this unusual grouping is to deviate from the norm. To shake up the typical concert scene and introduce his audience to some new sounds. That ambition should be appreciated particularly in the "same as it ever was" style of abridged concerts on side stages at the Fest. But there's a reason artists often stick to the script of playing their chart-topping, memory-lane inducing, most recognizable stuff: because it works. The audience leaves at least mostly-satisfied because they've sufficiently clapped, swayed and sung along to (insert artist name here)'s hits and likely also heard a few other obscure melodies.

On Friday, Duritz admitted via Twitter that the groups were still "gloriously unprepared" for Saturday's show and that was apparent on occasion. But considering Milwaukee was the first night of this experiment, the chemistry will get better as the collaborations become more cohesive and the transitions become more seamless (at one point, Layus completely blanked on the words to "Hanginaround" only to have Duritz half-jokingly ask what he had been doing all day instead of memorizing lyrics). The most enjoyable performances of the evening were the numbers that engaged nearly all members of Augustana and Counting Crows: Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman," Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" and the Crow's "Rain King."

The bands involved deserve credit for tackling a challenge. Learning and effectively contributing to other artists' tunes and then performing on said tunes is certainly daunting. The groups put on enjoyable performances individually even if the sum of the parts was a little clumsy. And there is definitely a place for this type of synergistic set as music fans are generally insatiable when it comes to variations on their favorites. But the compellation concert has to be promoted as such and in the case of this show, it was misrepresented - likely by no fault of the bands involved. The difference between what was advertised and what was actually offered is why Saturday's so-called Counting Crows show underwhelmed when simply the presence of excess acts should have helped it exceed expectations.