Sep 7

Sep 7 G-Eazy, Polo G, Big Freedia and More Take the Stage Opening Day at BottleRock Napa Valley

BottleRock returned to the Napa Valley Expo over Labor Day weekend! Bringing over 80+ bands, upscale culinary options, with wine-country hospitality to the Napa Valley.

The fest, which typically takes place over Memorial Day Weekend, once again brought the best of the best to wine country. The choice to host BottleRock wasn’t an easy decision as many protocols were put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout many hurdles such as providing a negative COVID test within 72 hours of arrival or proof of vaccination, festival-goers eagerly lined up each and every day right at opening time. Needless to say, attendees REALLY missed live events and music festivals and gained a sense of normalcy while adjusting to the “new normal”.

The Highwomen were a last minute addition due to Chris Stapleton canceling due to a "non-COVID related illness." Photo Courtesy of BottleRock Napa Valley.

BottleRock brought a pretty stacked lineup spanning across many genres. G-Eazy, Big Freedia, Polo G, Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and more took the stage Friday.

Photo Courtesy of BottleRock Napa Valley.

The day was filled with many breath-taking moments. Big Freedia, “the Queen of Bounce,” brought bounce music front and center shortly before legendary Brandi Carlile took over and brought a sense of nostalgia. “I missed this with every little piece of my heart. I’d forgotten what this feels like!” Brandi Carlile proclaimed during her solo set Friday before returning to the JaM Cellars Stage as a last-minute headliner with her country supergroup, the Highwomen, (who stepped in on short-notice to bring the opening night to a close.)

East-Bay area rapper, G-Eazy, was elated to take the stage again. The rapper played old hits and premiered new music from his forthcoming album “These Things Happen Too,” during his high energy performance. “This is my purpose,” he told his fans. “This is my identity. This is the love of my life. Thank you so much for putting me back on this stage.”

Fans were in for a surprise as G-Eazy premiered his latest single, “Faithful,” featuring Bassy, that got fans swooning. “You’re hearing it here first, ladies and gentlemen,” G-Eazy said. Shortly into the fresh track, however, G-Eazy admittedly got lost in the excitement and forgot some of the lyrics. “I don’t even know the words, it’s so new,” he said with a laugh as he fumbled a verse.

“I love coming home to the Bay. There’s nothing like this feeling,” he said. “But I couldn’t do this s— alone. I had to bring the gang with me.” Another highlight of the performance was when he called his mother, Suzanne Olmsted, who was his “last special guest,” of the evening. Pulling out his iPhone he facetimed his mother since she wasn’t able to attend the fest in-person and told her, “I just wanted to show you this crowd today so they could say hi to you.”