BottleRock Napa Valley kicked off year 10 in a big way on Friday (May 26), throwing a party for 40,000 music lovers and delivering a soundtrack that included current hitmakers like Post Malone, classic acts such as the Smashing Pumpkins and too many up-and-coming artists to even try and mention in this already unwieldly opening sentence.
Attendees rejoiced in the relatively mild weather as they took in some 10 hours of music on a half dozen stages, while eating and drinking to their hearts’ content from dozens upon dozens of vendors onsite at the Napa Valley Expo in downtown Napa.
The festival, which got its start in 2013 and has taken place every year except for 2020 (due to the COVID-19), continues through Sunday with such big-name talents as Wu-Tang Clan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, Lil Nas X and the National.
The crowd’s focus on Day One was squarely on Post Malone, the multiplatinum-selling pop artist known for “Rockstar,” “Circles” and so many tremendously popular songs over the last eight years.
Malone wouldn’t disappoint his legion of fans during his headlining set on the festival’s big JaM Cellar Stage, running through hit after hit and selling the concert more with personality than showmanship and special effects.
“BottleRock — who’s drunk tonight?” Malone asked from the stage. “Because you’re going to have to be to make in through this set.”
Actually, Malone’s approximately 90-minute show turned out to be a real crowd-pleaser — for both who were imbibing Napa’s legendary wine offerings and those who weren’t — as the star stalked the stage while singing along to pre-recorded vocals and trying to set the record for dropping the most expletives during a single BottleRock set. (He likely had the record by about 15 minutes into his set.)
Friday’s gig was Malone’s first show back in the U.S. after recently completing a lengthy tour of Europe.
“I’m so (expletive) happy to be home,” he said.
The star — whose upcoming fifth album, “Austin,” is due out in July — also joyfully noted that it happened to be daughter’s first birthday.
“Tonight is a very special day,” he remarked.
As per usual, the promoters did a nice job diversifying the headline offerings on Friday night, giving folks the choice between Malone’s mainstream pop, the Smashing Pumpkins’ ’90s alt-rock and War’s classic hits. Of course, given how easy it is to make it from stage to stage at BottleRock’s comparatively intimate festival footprint, fans could’ve decided to divide up their time and actually check out all three of those acts.
The Pumpkins, who also performed a sold-out BottleRock Afterdark show at the 650-capacity JaM Cellars Ballroom in Napa on May 25, rocked a large crowd at the Verizon Stage with such favorites as “Today” and even included their deconstructed, industrial-rock cover of the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.”
War had their fans smiling as they cruised through “Lowrider” and other classics at the Allianz Stage.
Yet, the finest sets of the day came courtesy of lesser-known artists on smaller stages.
Notably, the Los Angeles act Starcrawler delivered a thrilling gig, showing plenty of retro-Sunset Strip swagger as powerful vocalist Arrow de Wilde — who, yes, might just have the best rock ‘n’ roll name in the business — led the band in a Whisky a Go Go-soaked mix of glam-metal, alt-rock and honky-tonk on the comparatively small Truly Stage.
KennyHoopla was just as good, exhibiting an amazing amount of energy as he rocked the crowd (also at the Truly Stage) with his terrific blend of ’90s alt-rock and early 2000s emo sounds. The last two songs of the set — “Estella” and “How Will I Rest in Peace if I’m Buried by a Highway?” — were absolutely phenomenal, with the latter number punctuated by a bit of crowd-surfing by the star of the show.
“Are you going to catch me?” he asked fans. “Let’s go!”
Mike Campbell, the brilliant guitarist who was enshrined as a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, delivered another winning set with his Dirty Knobs band — who had just rocked an Afterdark show at the Uptown Theatre in Napa one day earlier.
He played a mixture of Dirty Knobs originals, Heartbreaker material and covers, all the while showcasing the type of riffs and runs that have made him a legend. It was an added treat to get to see Campbell once again backed by fellow Heartbreaker Steve Ferrone, who is behind the drum kit on this Dirty Knobs tour.
Over at the William Sonoma Culinary Stage, Liam “Foodie Chap” Mayclem –perhaps the best emcee in the business — spent the day hosting an impressive array of celebrity chefs, rock stars, famous athletes and others. The roll call for the day included Raiders legend Charles Woodson, Olympian Jonny Moseley, rockers Bastille (who also performed a set on the JaM Cellars Stage) and chef Aaron Sanchez.
For more information, visit bottlerocknapavalley.com.
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