It was a hot, dusty day at the Tucson Sports Park for the alt-rock music festival KFMA Day.

Despite the heat, concertgoers tempted possible dehydration and rocked out to the sounds of Chicago-based group Rise Against.

Lead singer Tim McIlrath did his best to summon a gut-wrenching mix between screaming and singing from a body that didn’t look like it could possibly contain such a voice.

The obligatory mosh pit was formed, though I’ve seen better ones in the past. Maybe they were wearied by the weather, but they all just bounced off each other like the most boring game of Pong ever played.

Despite the disappointing moshing, the antics of youthful exuberance continued with punk group AFI.

Judging by the makeup I’d say most of their budget goes toward feeding their eyeliner habit.

But nowadays they don’t make rock stars like they use to.

Perhaps there’s some unwritten law out there requiring that today’s rock stars must weigh less than 115 pounds and wear pants tighter than most of their groupies.

It makes one long for the days of the hair bands of the ’80s. The music may have been crap, but at least I could go to a concert without the somewhat embarrassing observation that the lead singer can fit into a pair of size four pants while I’m sucking it in for a pair of eights.

The Strokes followed next with their set, though it was strange to see them on a bill with a band like Rise Against.

But the music was good, and that’s all that matters.

As I stared out into the crowd, the desert sun having gone done a few hours earlier, the red and orange stage lights illuminated the still energetic crowd.

And then I saw it. Out of the darkness I spotted not one, not two but several dozens hands with their figures shaped and contorted into a familiar form.

They were throwing up the devil horns to The Strokes. Let me repeat that again. The Strokes.

Not that I dislike their music, but this isn’t the type of music that is devil-horns appropriate. They were pushing it when they did it for AFI, but The Strokes is a completely different matter.

I talked with a very articulate mohawked gentleman who noted the need for appropriate concert etiquette.

“”For a band like Rise Against, you expect to be knocked around,”” he said. “”But for something like Dave Matthews or The Strokes, the most you can do is just jump around.””

With which I completely agree.

But there they were, completely turning over the rock world order.

And they were moshing as well. To “”Be My Girl.””

If you listened really closely to the desert that night, you could hear Joey Ramone turning over in his grave.