Orange County’s Spare The Air was the music festival that made bus passes cool. Held at the Fullerton Transportation Center, headliners included SoCal rockers Saosin, Lit, Death By Stereo and Sugarcult, alongside Utah’s The Used and Seattle’s Aiden. The event aimed to introduce the generation next demographic to the delights of public transportation. Entry was a very reasonable $10.67 or was free with a flash of a bus pass.

Things got seriously rockin’ around 2.30 pm when Street Drum Corps hit the stage, though somehow we doubt they used the 721 bus to transport themselves and the assortment of drums, oil barrels and power tools they use to make noise. (We’ll give ‘em a free pass in this regard since the express LA to Fullerton OCTA service doesn’t run on weekends.) Having just signed to Interscope, the collective have had a plethora of writing teams coming up with material for their first major label release. The process is starting to pay off, and their set showed improvement when compared to earlier recordings posted on their MySpace page. The boys also deserve major props for using and abusing a theremin, which added geek power to their otherwise testosterone-driven antics.

Aiden were the next band to rock our world, with lead singer wiL Francis indulging in, and orchestrating some extreme audience sports while delivering a rock solid show. But the day belonged to the most local of bands, Lit. They had no need to utilize public transportation to cover the distance from the Transport Center adjacent Slidebar, which serves as their second home and is co-owned by guitarist Jeremy Popoff, to the main stage at the other side of the parking lot-cum-venue.

Lit are going through a particularly tough time right now due to drummer Allen Shellenberger’s recent brain cancer diagnosis. Sadly he’s suffering from the same type of vicious malignant glioma that struck Senator Edward M. Kennedy. But while fighting bravely on with double-doses of chemo, Shellenberger and his fellow band mates continue to play the gigs that are important to them. Pal Adrian Young (from No Doubt) was on hand to take over the drumming duties when exhaustion got the better of Shellenberger. On a couple songs they made a powerful team, playing in tandem on kits set up side by side. Fellow No Doubter Tony Kanal came out to show support, as had much of the crowd. Our love and best wishes go out to Shellenberger and his family.

Though the South Coast Air Management District-sponsored festival won't be able to repair the systematic damage done to our public transportation system by oil-loving corporations overnight, the event did achieve its objective: to raise awareness for the need for public transportation. And as the patrons of the local bars staggered out after what was a very long and thirst-making day, one can hope they didn’t reach for their car keys for more reasons than one.