Fans went more than 27 months between BottleRock Napa Valley festivals.
When they finally returned to the festival site in September it was for the first time since May 2019. For many music lovers, it felt even longer than that as the pandemic-fueled pause in live performances and large gatherings just stretched on and on.
Fortunately, fans didn’t have to wait long at all for the 2022 edition, which was moved back to its regular Memorial Day weekend spot and thus came just a little over eight months after the 2021 event.
To say that fans like that shorter wait better is a vast understatement. Judging by the number of happy faces, sunny singalongs and fist bumps/hugs witnessed on Day One (Friday, May 27) of the sold-out three-day festival, these fans absolutely adored being back at the Napa Valley Expo site so soon.
The only thing that seemed to outnumber the smiling faces was the huge amount of black Metallica T-shirts in the crowd.
Yes, the best-selling Bay Area band of all time was the biggest selling point of Day One. Yet, there were plenty of other good reasons for turning out as well, including Scottish synth-pop act Chvrches, South Carolina country-blues-soul rocker Marcus King, Oakland blues-R&B talent Fantastic Negrito, Norwegian DJ-producer Kygo and Los Angeles hard-rock band Dorothy.
Day One was definitely our pick for the most enticing day of the festival, largely because it marked Metallica’s debut at the festival but also because we’ve really been wanting to see Dorothy, King and Japanese psychedelic-rock act Kikagaku Moyo. We also liked how the Day One bill skewed a bit more to hard rock, with Greta Van Fleet, the Alive and Bastardane further adding to the headbanging mix.
Yet, we can also understand how some people would prefer Day 2 with Twenty One Pilots and Mount Westmore — featuring hip-hop legends Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort — topping the bill.
And the Day 3 closer is the most star-studded of the trio, with Pink, Luke Combs and Pitbull ready to greet the crowd.
But those who think of BottleRock in terms of just music are missing several parts to the overall equation. It’s also about taking advantage of all the Wine Country food and drink options, which are — to put it mildly — quite bountiful at the festival.
The best place to get in on the foodie fun is at the increasingly popular Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage, which pairs sports and music stars with celebrity chefs. It’s hosted by Liam “Foodie Chap” Mayclem and includes such famed participants as San Francisco 49er George Kittle, Oakland A’s legend Rickey Henderson, Day 3 mainstage headliner Pink and phenomenally popular country artist Luke Combs in 2022.
Day One got off to a strong start as Dorothy — the hard-rock act led by terrific vocalist Dorothy Martin — kicked off the festivities on the main JaM Cellars Stage right at noon.
“OK, BottleRock — you are about to have a (expletive) great day!” Martin said to the crowd.
Another distinct highlight was Marcus King, who lived up to the massive advance hype (and then some) as he delivered one amazing country-blues-soul-rock number after another.
His voice was stellar, while his guitar work even better and he fronted a phenomenal band. Besides showcasing his material from his own Grammy-nominated catalog, King also gave the crowd superb covers of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and Heart’s “Barracuda,” with sensational guest vocalist Hannah Wicklund handling Ann Wilson high-flying part on the latter.
For the uninitiated, please waste no time in climbing aboard the Marcus King bandwagon — because it’s already crowded and it’s only going to grow more so.
Metallica closed the day in triumphant fashion with an approximately 2 hour set that was filled with such classics as “Seek and Destroy,” “Fade to Black,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Sad but True.”
“Metallica is extremely grateful to be here after 41 years,” vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield told the crowd, which seemed to be split about equally between Metallica concert veterans and first-timers. “We don’t take it for granted.”
The quartet — Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich — closed the epic main set with a thundering version of “Master of Puppets,” only to then return for a three-song encore that finished up with “Enter Sandman.”
BottleRock Napa Valley continues through Sunday, May 29. Visit bottlerocknapavalley.com for details.
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