On an unseasonably chilly Thursday afternoon / evening at Summerfest, the artists playing in support of headliner Lucinda Williams at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse did their best to provide some much-needed heat.

The display of musical pyrotechnics before the fireworks was impressive. Any one of the acts easily could have commanded a 10 p.m. slot.

Drive-By Truckers set the tone in mid-afternoon with a blazing set that pulled songs from its six albums of material and evoked memories of Skynryd and the Stones' "Exile on Main Street." Patterson Hood, regarded as the band's front man, growled his way through "The Righteous Path," a song that hits home during these rough economic times.

"I got a brand new car that drinks a bunch of gas
I got a house in a neighborhood that's fading fast
I got a dog and a cat that don't fight too much
I got a few hundred channels to keep me in touch
I got a beautiful wife and three tow-headed kids
I got a couple of big secrets I'd kill to keep hid
I don't know God but I fear his wrath
I'm trying to keep focused on the righteous path"

With three singer-songwriters, Hood shared the spotlight for much of the set with Mike Cooley, a sharp lyricist whose songs on the 19-track "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" represent the disc's highlights.

When Drive-By Truckers exited, Paul Thorn, a preacher's son and former boxer from Tupelo, Miss., carried on the theme of salvation and sin.

Thorn, who won over local fans with recent shows at Shank Hall and opening for John Hiatt at Alverno College, is one of the wittier lyricists working today. He can hold an audience with an acoustic guitar and his homespun stories, his tales of losers, deadbeats, strippers and defiant single moms translated well on the Roadhouse's big stage.

That the crowd grew throughout Thorn's set, which was a testament to both his prowess and the anticipation for the next act, Alejandro Escovedo.

The Texas roots-rocker, whose new CD "Real Animal" is generating early buzz as a candidate for album of the year, won over the crowd with his sunny single, "Always a Friend," and kept them rocking until the encore, a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden."

Mix in a fireworks show and a set by Williams and this was one of the stronger single-stage lineups in recent Summerfest memory.