May 11, 2007
See You at the DC101 Chili Cook-Off
This Saturday, DC 101 is once again hosting its annual Chili Cook-Off, that popular concert, food and drink festival of gong show proportions that benefits the National Kidney Foundation. Tickets are sold-out, but for those of you who already got yours or are willing to brave the wilds of craigslist to score some, be sure to stop by the judging area and say hello to myself and DCist Food Editor Adam Bailey. Adam will be judging the International Chili Society sanctioned Red Chili contest starting at 2 p.m., because he knows actual stuff about food. I'll be judging the 1 p.m. "Bring Your Own Chili", anything-goes freestyle competition, because all I bring to the table is a willingness to be poisoned by strangers.
The full line-up of bands playing at the Cook-Off can be found here, which includes Silversun Pickups and The Bravery. Gates open at 11 a.m. at 11th and New York Ave. NW, and the event will keep on going until 8 p.m. for anyone still standing after a day of constant chili and beer consumption.
To be honest, we've never been to one of these before, so you've gotta help us out: What should we expect? Any tips you can offer us (and your fellow readers) would be most appreciated.
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You can expect a healthy mix of rednecks and kickballers. I recommend checking out breaking benjamin and 3 days grace, they're both "amazing."
The bands are usually pretty tight. I was surpised Chuck Brown isn't in the lineup, then I realized DC101 is sponsoring. The chili's usually pretty weak; sorta Cincinatti ground with too much hotsauce and beans. Can't recall a single decent bowl of Texas red, but it's for a good cause and there should be plenty of beer so who cares?
Also, bring LOTS of water, unless you're into dehydration and shelling out $5 for a 12oz bottle of CVS's Finest Bottled Tap Water.
you can expect to see me flipping the hell out, because on the panel that adam and i will be on is also a former contestant of america's next top model. chili, beer, the silversun pickups and pop culture flotsam - saturday can literally get no better.
It's basically a frat party on steroids.
can you post about stuff like this before tickets sell out? i hate getting reminded of stuff like this only to find out that i can't go. i'm sure the people with tickets
Went a couple of years ago , watched the health code inspectors shut down a few vendors, saw a couple of women beat the hell out of each other and the whole place smelled of chili and Manassas. Left after ten minutes and got drunk at Jaleo on sangria.
expect lots of sweaty hairy backs, 5 jocks "ruling" the mosh pit, and puddles of vomit and piss all over the place. so basically you'll know what hell looks like. have fun!
:/
it's definitely a meat-fest--- like of chugging contests, etc...
however, the line-up of bands (save a few) is far more impressive than i remember in previous years. for that reason, i might be heading down for a bit. that is, until i get puked on.
........waitaminit, nevermind the chili. DC101 still exists? It didn't die with Greaseman ages ago? I figured a cloud of raw entropy would have sucked DC101 into some kind of void long ago. I love this city, but the radio scene is so, so sad. .....now. back to the chili.
Expect to drink a lot to justify paying so much for so little fun.
The Greaseman didn't die.. waddle doodle! I'm still on 1160 AM, Gaithersburg, Maryland! Bone dry!
I just walked by the space, and they've only got about 1/3 of the lot fenced off. I sure hope they enlarge the "corral" or folks are going to be smushed up in there like..well, cattle. Sweaty, drunk, chili-eatin' cattle.
The chili cook-off episode is my favorite Simpsons episode of all time. I'd go for that reason alone if I could get tickets.
Cop week just started down the street from the cook-off. Can't wait till drunk kids interact with drunk (and armed) police. Oh...the fine print in the metro crime section on sunday!
I like all kinds of music. Even metal rock but as a pot bellied almost boomer I have to pull out the tired " kids these days" cliche.I mean I listened to some of the bands and was thinking how a rock festival with so many people could conspicuously avoid musical acts with something meaningful to say about the war or even tuneful positive music. It's male dominated thump thump war party music. Could this genre even produce a "Gimme Shelter", "All You Need is Love" or even Edwin Starr's "War". It's all good, youth is about pure energy and joie de vivre for it's own sake but I just wanted to put it out there. I guess I am as boring as their self-absorbed boomer parents so I am going to either get blown off or blow back. Rock on DUDE :)
Well....we survived it....
I work at the s'bux across the street from the lot. While several customers attending the concert were nice, normal rockers....the rest of them....were...scary...we were jammed elbow to elbow all day with kids mostly ordering frappuchinos...kids asking for free water......after a while they started to look alike...
I left after my shift and shook it off. I saw all the damage the next day. Heard from a friend that at closing, some tried to pound the doors. there was some marker doodling on our doors and i was trying to scrub sticker residue from a table.
The art walk across the street was also worse for the wear, grafitti on an art walk support and someone cut the word "Penis" into the astroturf. yeah, real mature.....
I like rock, i like dc 101, but this was insanity.