With temperatures in the frigid low 50s, Los Angeles rock station KROQ held its annual Almost Acoustic Christmas concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Studios Hollywood. With the harder rock bands (Linkin Park, Rise Against, Bad Religion) booked the first night, night two was a tad more on the softer side.

Having not listened to rock radio in the two years since hooking my iPod up in my automobile, I found it rather funny how the first two acts of the night are more known for their commercials than their radio hits. Spoon opened the show, and after that camera song, I found myself in the restroom and beer line. I couldn’t care less, nor could the rest of the crowd. Feist was not much better, playing her iPod-commercial jam and failing to get the crowd into her 25-minute set.

You could even say the show didn’t really begin until Los Angeles natives Silversun Pickups spun around on the rotating stage and launched into “Well Thought Out Twinkles” from their 2006 record, Carnavas. Other tracks from the record, such as “Future Foe Scenarios” and “Little Lovers So Polite,” brought the crowd running in from beer lines to admire their Christmas-lights-covered set. By the end of their 30-minute performance (which closed with the radio hit “Lazy Eye”) the band had the sold-out crowd on its feet for the first time. Frontman Brian Aubert took a walk through the crowd, exciting the band’s rabid hometown fans even more. Mark my words, in a few years this band will be headlining this annual show.

For years now, everyone from Queen Amidala to the jerk who makes my coffee at Starbucks have raved to me how the Shins are the greatest band in the world. They are pretty good, but hardly the greatest, as their mellow, moody indie rock did not follow Silversun’s fuzzed-out assault on the crowd. They also started a trend for the evening by not playing their biggest hit, “New Slang,” making 13-year-olds across the amphitheater cry for a refund.

I thought I had dodged a bullet earlier this year by missing the Killers at the KROQ Weenie Roast, as Brandon Flowers was sick. Surprise. With the crowd expecting Modest Mouse, the stage rotated and we were met with special surprise guests the Killers, who were surrounded by about 15 Christmas trees of all shapes and colors. The band played a quick four-song energy-filled set that included the hits “When You Were Young,” “Somebody Told Me” and a special duet with Santa (which may have been played by comedian Zach Galifianakis) that included an almost GWAResque moment with the crowd being hosed down with super soakers. I hate to say it, but the Killers were actually pretty good.

However, personal favorites Modest Mouse were next. Their set drew heavily from 2004’s Good News for People Who Love Bad News, with songs like “Bury Me With It” and “Satin in a Coffin.” While the 2007 hit “Dashboard” made the set, their biggest hit to date, “Float On,” was missing. Personally, while a huge Modest Mouse fan, the band seemed like it knew it had to be there, but didn’t really want to be.

The next band, Jimmy Eat World, were the one band who wanted to be there, but I wish they weren’t. They simply do nothing for me, and sitting through their set (while much better sounding than the last time I saw them in 2001 with Tenacious D and Weezer) was dreadful. I could not take enough bathroom and beer breaks, and was stuck watching the audience roller coaster with hits (”Pain,” “Bleed American,” “Sweetness”) and songs that were mellow and put most folks back into their $75 seats. The band did mention how it was thankful it didn’t have to follow headliners Muse.

Closing the five-hour charity concert, Muse played an hour-long set of songs mainly from their last two records, Absolution and Black Holes & Revelations. Opening with “Take a Bow,” the band (with drummer Dominic Howard dressed as Spider-man) was clearly who 95 percent of the crowd were there for. When the U.K. three-piece (supplemented by a keyboardist) was not inflicting songs such as “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Starlight” and “Supermassive Black Hole” upon the crowd, it was teasing riffs made famous by Jimi Hendrix, Rage Against the Machine and Led Zeppelin. The band closed the evening with “Knights of Cydonia,” leaving the satisfied fans to chant “No one’s going to take me alive …” as they walked across the giant Hollywood tourist trap on the way back to their cars, thankful for being able to see so many great bands on one stage in one night. And Jimmy Eat World.

Check out all of makeadeathwish’s uploads at yourhere.mtv.com…