by Jim Bennett
BottleRock took place at the Napa Valley Expo once again, on May 23-25 this year. Headliners were top notch A-list classic and new artists: Green Day, Justin Timberlake, Noah Kahan. Meanwhile, the other stages and earlier acts showcase the truly broad range of artists to appeal to the Napa crowd. There are always notable acts who’ve been playing for decades: This year, significantly, Robby Krieger of The Doors played a great set (with a Fender Rhodes electric piano that was from The Doors heydey being used by his keyboardist). DJ’s are all over, from Verizon stage headliner Kaskade and midday treat Sofi Tukker to a rotation of DJ’s playing in the silent disco, an indoor club running the whole time, a DJ duel that ends most nights on a smaller stage and even a makeshift roller rink w/ someone spinning tunes. Acoustic acts were everywhere as well, right up to headliner Noah Kahan and alternate sets by artists on the tiny JamPad stage. Khruangbin, Goose and Balthvs stretched out and took their audiences on a journey in the afternoon light. Bouncing and singing and dancing were everywhere: Sublime, Cage The Elephant, Ice Cube, Allen Stone, E-40, Rebelution, on and on.
A truly unique aspect of BottleRock is the integration of food & wine. The culinary stage pairs a notable chef with one or more pop culture icons (music, sports, acting) for some cooking adventures. MLB Hall Of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. joined chef Bobby Flay on stage to make steak and hot sauce, for instance. Flavor Flav of Public Enemy joined chef Aaron Sanchez another time. Wildly popular singer Noah Kahan joined wildly popular YouTube chef Joshua Weissman. Meanwhile around the grounds, notable and numerous wineries are pouring glasses (for sale) and the level of food prep at the booths is top notch. It’s an exceptional place to add some good tastes to your good music.
Benson Boone did a crazy set. He drew an enormous crowd eager to see him perform. Celebrities galore were on hand to watch. Folks in the audience held up signs for him. They sang with him. Benson did not disappoint, doing a flip to open his set and at least 3 more while singing and dancing to and with a rapturous audience. He was a huge hit.
The Saint Ceclia also stood out for their performance and their songwriting. Playing on the White Claw stage, this 4-piece from Costa Rica is booking major festivals on the strength of only 4 songs on Spotify; their album won’t be released for a little while yet but I won’t be surprised if it blows up. Anthemic rock mixed with ballads, I could easily picture arenas singing along in unison before long.
BottleRock is in a great place, at a great time of year for good weather, with a ton of fun music and delicious things on offer. It’s the all-singing, all-dancing party for adults that will delight you every time.
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