Despite all the warnings, a few of us headed out to the DC101 Chili Cookoff on Saturday to take in a few bands and sample some chili, all for a good cause. The sun was out in full force, and so were the crowds. Adam and Sommer served as judges for the chili contest while I was down in the photo pit documenting the day’s musical offerings.

I missed local boys Minus One while I was tracking down my photo pass, but got sorted in time to catch the Silversun Pickups play a great set that really got the crowd going. They’re tailor made for the short set times at a festival like this. Their album has four or five standout tracks and they rip through those tunes and walk off the stage heroes. The Bravery, up next, chose to highlight new material from their upcoming album, but were smart enough to throw in “oldies” like “An Honest Mistake” and “Unconditional.” Lead singer Sam Endicott made a point of telling the crowd he and a few other guys in the band are local boys that grew up listening to DC101 and going to the Black Cat. Duly noted.

A recently reunited and retooled Buckcherry were more attitude than anything else, but they were good enough to get a guy in a wheelchair to crowd surf. Jet seemed a little bored at the start of their set, which was my cue to head home before I was completely sunburnt, but not before I ran into D.C. United’s Bobby Boswell and Clyde Simms, who seemed to be enjoying the team’s bye week.

No matter what you think of DC101, the bands or the crowd it draws, having a rock festival in downtown D.C. is a nice luxury. This year’s event was the biggest ever, which bodes well for next year. Did any of you make it out on Saturday? What did you think? We’ll update with the winners of the Chili Cook-Off just as soon as we get the names.