Compared to past festival experiences, this was the Ritz. Open spaces for relaxing in between sets. Tons of vendors placed all around the venue. More porta potties than I’ve ever seen in one place (which added up to no wait time for the bathroom). Sure, the beers were $8 — but they were really big beers. Tables, air conditioned tents, side shows, inflated chairs and cell phone floats for people at large to rest on, and the ability to bring in your own bottled water. The Brits did it right. The stages were far enough apart not to encroach on each other’s sound, but not so far that we were ever at risk of missing a set because of a long hike. Richard Branson himself was there, as was Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. McDreamy — though the only DCist lucky enough to see him was Kyle, and he didn’t appreciate the encounter quite the same way I would have.

But enough about the set up! What we all really went there for were the bands. It was an impressive lineup that spanned of-the-minute buzz bands, veteran DJs, seasoned touring acts and classic rock icons. Several DCists were in tow on Saturday, so we scattered to the wind to bring you our thoughts on the best and the worst the day had to offer. Because of the nature of festivals — people catching portions of sets, seeing and hearing different things depending on where they’re planeted in the crowd — we decided to take advantage of our numbers and give individual responses to bands. That’s why you’ll see more than one DCist’s review of a couple of bands — we wanted to make it as inclusive as we could. If you caught any acts we missed, or have any other thoughts to share, let us know in the comments.

All photos by Kyle Gustafson. More photos and coverage here.