They turned up the testosterone on the third and final day.

Gary Allan was the replacement for Willie Nelson. And this modern-day honytonker from LA played snarling music that matched the permanent scowl on his face. Yes, I know his wife committed suicide a few years ago and he’s sorta retreated into a shell, opening up in song and a lone interview with Oprah.

Some of the song titles he sang tell much of the story: Life Aint Always Beautiful, Tough All Over, Just Back From Hell. As he and his black T-shirt-clad band passed a bottle of Jack Daniels among one another, he ignited a late-afternoon crowd witha searing and smokin’ set. Besides his hits, he delivered a smoldering reading of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown.”

Trace Adkins moved into Willie’s scheduled pre-headliner slot and charmed with his imposing presence. Heck, having him and Toby Keith back to back prompted visions of a WWE tag team. Of course, the crowd partied in third gear to Adkins’ signature hit, Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, a novelty tune on steroids befitting the singer’s physical stature.

Then Toby kicked the party into overdrive. He did three numbers from his new “Big Dog Daddy” CD and a slew of hits. Before doing Beer for My Horses, he acknowledged that Willie didn’t make the We Fest as planned and dedicated the song to “the coolest fricking 74 year old on the planet.” Willie joined in via video on the Jumbotron screens.

Toby was the only artist of We Fest to mention Detroit Lakes; all the others just inserted “We Fest” into their songs. Of course, Toby proved to be a chauvinist in both senses of the term. Telling the throng not to be embarrassed to be patriotic, he encored with American Soldier and Courtesy of the Red White and Blue, during which he had six or seven Marines in uniform spontaneously jump on the lip of the stage, rocking righteously to the delight of Toby and the We Fest nation.

Speaking of machismo, a record was set at the Watermelon Patch. You recall, that’s where they spike watermelons with various liquors on Day 1 and then have a ceremonial feast on the final day. Slices of32 melons were consumed in a record 25 minutes. More than 300 people showed up, and the Watermelon patch gang even had security.

“We’ll have 35 [melons] next year for our 15th year,” Mick Jacobsen promised me around a late-night campfire.

In keeping with the theme of the day, I had dinner with two Vikings cheerleaders who showed up at We Fest to promote their calendar-for-charity and to listen to country music. Sarah and Krisandra (cheerleaders have no last names in public) grew up in Hillsboro, ND and attended We Fest several times in the ’90s. Krisandra, who participated on the TV show Fear Factor, is cheerier than a rack full of Hallmark cards. Both she and Sarah (they’re sisters, 11 months apart) insist the Vikings are going to have a great season and they even had up-to-the-minute info from training camp.

I can’t decide what was the high point of the dinner: When their h.s. phy ed teacher came over to give a hug “to the two girls who took my son to the prom” (same dude but different years; “we were just friends” the girls insist) or when Krisandra served me the night’s dessert — a slice of cheesecake smothered with chocolate sauce.

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