The third time is the charm! BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival sells out for its first time ever since its inception!
BottleRock is a 3-day music festival held in Napa Valley, California that encompasses the best of the best. This years festival incorporated gourmet bites from culinary chefs worldwide, fine wines as well as craft brews mixed with top-tier music acts such as: Snoop Dogg, No Doubt,Passion Pit and much more.
Over 100,000 attendees flocked to Napa Valley Expo in order to take in the brilliance that BottleRock had to offer. Where it is vines, snap chat, endless selfies social media was at an all time high this past weekend in Napa! All in all it can be without a doubt confirmed that everyone had a great and unforgettable time!
When the festival first set foot on Napa Valley soil, spectators did not know what to expect. Through trial and error the festival has moved from a 5-day festival to a jam packed 3 day festival. The changes have made an immense difference in the flow, structure, and all around efficiency of the festival.
Guests from previous years knew to expect the best foods and drinks you can imagine, however there were a few adjustments as well as additions. Additions this year was the Williams-Sonoma Celebrity Culinary Stage which delivered a unique culinary mashup with renowned chefs, sommeliers, and more. A festival favorite was seeing Snoop Dogg and sushi chef Morimoto create magic in the kitchen. Also joining in on the culinary experience were Wavy Gravy, Dario and Valentina featuring Michael Franti and Zella Day, The Mowgli's with Mei Lin, or Ben Mickee [Imagine Dragons] with Rick Moonen also gave their best in the 'kitchen'.
The 'Family Zone' created an oasis for families to retreat during the craziness of the weekend while the 'recharge' station allowed guests to keep their electronic devices powered throughout the experience, both new additions to BottleRock and not to mention very useful!
Day one of the festival kicked off with Pion 2 Zion and Zella Day which created an overall chill vibe for opening day. Cage the Elephant hit the stage mid day and quickly changed that! From walking on the crowd to bouncing around the stage, Cage the Elephant put on an electrifying performance that, to me, set the tone for the weekend ahead. Closing was Foster the People who put on a very 'perfect' set with minimal audience interaction and Imagine Dragons which never ever disappoints. "This is a great festival", exclaimed frontman of Imagine Dragons Dan Reynolds while giving praise to his 2 year-old daughter that 'taught him how to feel', "This is everything!" Reynolds exclaimed his excitement throughout the night and continued to go into an explosive hard-hitting set filled with oldies as well as a few new singles from their new album Smoke + Mirrors.
Top acts from day two of the festival was Young the Giant, Capital Cities, Robert Plant, and Passion Pit. Young the Giants' lead singer Sameer Gadhia put on one heck of a performance. His energy is contagious and the passion is envious, Young the Giant flawlessly performed favorites such as: "My Body", "Cough Syrup", and not to mention a newer single "Mind Over Matter". Snapchat officially was quickly drowned with snappers capturing every moment with Young The Giant which added to the many memories of the weekend. Capital Cities, a high energy duo complete with a very impressive trumpet player played at the Jam Cellars stage. The 'garage rockers' hit the stage with so much to offer and with so much style that seemed almost effortless. "Safe and Sound", "Kangaroo Court", and a few others were played from their album, In a Tidal Wave of Mystery. Closing out with Madonnas' "Holiday", what was not to love about Capital Cities?!
Robert Plant was a big 'up' this year! The former Led Zepplin frontman-simply a classic! Need I say more?! Last but certainly not 'least' for day two was Passion Pit who played opposite Robert Plant on another stage, but still garnishing quite the audience. Guests got 'carried away' as the band played a constant medley of hits from their albums Gossamer and Manners. Bubbles, floating blow up dinosaurs and all Passion Pit was a great way to end day two!
Hard to believe day three of the festival arrived so quickly. Guests woke up to the news that BottleRock had officially sold out, which may have put an extra 'pep' in your step. Echosmith, American Authors, Trampled by Turtles, were just a couple of the early afternoon acts. Keeping it in the family was Echosmith, a band composed of all siblings and managed by the parents. This sweet and undeniably talented group won over the hearts of attendees by singing their positive and relatable hit singles such as "Bright" and "Cool Kids", and many other songs from their album Talking Dreams.
Snoop Dogg, of course had the crowd going! Paying homage to Biggie, by performing "Hypnotize" and House of Pain's "Jump Around" during his set at BottleRock. He also performed staples of his own such as "Nothing But a G Thang," "California Girls", "Gangsta Party" and Young, Wild, and Free".
"BottleRock, we love you more than you'll ever know," Awolnations' frontman Aaron Bruno later professed. Attendees were in a tranze as Awolnation belted 'Sail' which is a classic favorite that hit No.17 on billboards Top 100.
Closing out the festival weekend with No Doubt was without a doubt brilliant. It's hard to imagine their debut album Tragic Kingdom was released a mere 20 years ago! Now at age 45 and a mother, lead singer and sheer beaut Gwen Stefani led the crowd to singing their hearts out and going out with an 'electrifying' bang! Singing songs such as "Hey Baby", "It's My Life", "Hella Good" and more No Doubt is perfect! Although No Doubt has not released a new album since their last album Push and Shove which was released in 2012. I can honestly say this was the least of everyones concerns. "When I sing these songs, it's like I'm transformed right back into the moment," Stefani exclaimed as she continued the set. Just seeing the band come together and start touring was EVERYTHING!
Move over Outsidelands and Coachella, theres a new fest in town! BottleRock is giving the other festivals in California a run for their money! Now that the pavement is officially 'concrete', I can genuinely say that I feel BottleRock is taking the title!
Special thanks to all of the sponsors in assisting to make this year a success: Intel, Acura, Napa Chamber of Commerce: Community Foundation, Geico, Uber, Camelbak, Pandora, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Anchor Brewing, Williams-Sonoma, Milagro Tequila, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, City Winery: Napa, Tullamore Dew: Irish Whiskey, Hendrick's Gin, Miner Family Winery, Jam Cellars, 7UP, Coco Libre, RedBull, Kind, Krave Jerky, Whole Foods, Feast it Forward,
Billboard, Alice @ 97.3, Live 105, Napa Valley Life, Downtown Napa, and many more.
BottleRock announced the dates for the festival just moments after Stefani shut it down. The dates are May 27-29th, which is Memorial Day Weekend!
A limited number of three-day passes are currently on sale. Packages start at $225 for general admission; $525 for VIP; and $2,500 for platinum. For more information, visitwww.bottlerocknapavalley.com.
*Photo Courtesy of BottleRock Napa Valley
