OTTAWA -- One lost peregrine falcon. Two hundred noise-complaint calls. Four wrestling-masked instrumentalists mocking Celine Dion ...

Oh, and the Matthew Good Band wrapped up last night's Fresh Festival finale with Good setting fire to a toy angel in mid-set.

Fear not, no one was hurt. It was just a little Good bad-boy prank used to exemplify his song Survivor Burn. After the angel was extinguished, the several thousand in attendance ignited with the greatest body-surfing-in-the-rain display witnessed in quite some time. Not even Our Lady Peace or the Tragically Hip garnered this much craziness.

Of course, the ensuing chaos also resulted in a few fainting spells and worries about injuries, especially given the number of casualties at a recent Pearl Jam concert. At least that point was not lost on Good and company.

"Dave, what's the word of the day?" Good queried his guitarist Dave Genn. "Well, Matt," Genn replied, "today's word is, would people jump up and down instead of forward, so that these pretty girls in front don't get hurt?"

That's a word of the day?

Musically, the Juno Award-winning B.C. group delivered an energized, even-keeled set, mixing the punchiness of Hello Time Bomb, Giant and Everything is Automatic with a (pardon the pun) good dose of melodrama in Apparitions and Let's Get It On. Nothing flashy, mind you, just an abrasive sonic wall for Good to wax his poetic meanderings over.

Until last night, not much had been heard from Toronto's Big Wreck, who preceded the Matthew Good Band. I'm told they're currently at work on a follow-up to In Loving Memory of... with an eye on a September release. Despite a decent gusto-filled set, equal parts new material and old faves, Ian Thornley and pals may want to learn a few more chords instead of rewriting new versions of That Song and The Oaf (My Love is Wasted).

There were other highlights.

Nashville quartet Los Straitjackets brought back the surf-guitar instrumental sounds of Dick Dale and those old Shadows records, albeit with a new twist: Four guys all dressed in black, donning Mexican wrestling face masks and offering the finest in-synch deadpan dances. While their leader spewed mock Spanish until the very end ("Many cars look alike. For your safety, be sure the one you're driving home is your own. Thank you!"), their Western-tinged rendition of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On goes down in history as the best dig against an overplayed Top-40 tune.

Emm Gryner offered the most melodic set on the Fresh stage. Rather than let the rain bother them, fans sought shelter near the stage.

Finally, the last word goes to the festival's executive director Mark Monahan who, despite rain, disappearing falcon, noise complaints and a weekend of other festivities, still managed to attract upwards of 15,000 for this first time event:

"It was an educational process for us as much as it was for the audience. We didn't want to bring in these one-song wonders. It's encouraging to offer something completely different and watch these young people have curious looks on their faces. You have to learn from and listen to what people have to say and make a few adjustments."

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5