Despite oft-overlapping acts, massive music festivals have a tendency to always reflect their surroundings. No matter if Coachella is being headlined by a holographic Tupac or a bill brimming with early-90s Britpop nostalgia, the festival is always going to to feel like an outgrowth of Los Angeles--and be very different from Chicago's Lollapalooza.
This necessary connection is precisely why the first ever BottleRock Napa Valley is so interesting.
(SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL LINEUP, PLAYLISTS AND VIDEO)
Scheduled for this May in downtown Napa, the heart of Northern California's wine country, the four-day festival promises to bring both the region's famed reputation for culinary and wine-making excellence with a slightly more adult sensibility to the Bay Area's standard music festival experience.
Headlined by former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir's band Furthur, poppy roots rockers Kings of Leon and Grammy-favorite blues rock duo The Black Keys, BottleRock features some 50 bands playing on three stages at the Napa Valley Expo, as well as a whole bevvy of evening music and comedy events.
The full lineup covers a wide-ranging swath of musical ground, but it was clearly selected with the Napa Valley aesthetic in mind, meaning there's no Skrillex on the bill, but--keep in mind--Les Claypool does have his own winery.
Speaking of which, festivalgoers will naturally be able to taste wine from over 40 local wineries.
"The Napa Valley has set such a high standard for wine, food and hospitality that we feel that the time is right to add an amazing music festival to the mix," said BottleRock co-founder Gabriel Meyers told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. "BRNV will be a different kind of music festival by virtue of its location in the Valley and Downtown Napa. Where else will you see winemakers, chefs and artists mingling with patrons before, during and after the music?"
Tickets are on sale now and start at $299 for a three-day pass. The festival runs May 8-12.
Check out the full lineup:
Wednesday (Preview)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Thursday
Furthur ft. Phil Lesh & Bob Weir
The Black Crowes
Primus
ALO
Cafe TacubaFriday
The Black Keys
The Flaming Lips
The Shins
Alabama Shakes
The Whiskey Sisters
Andrew Bird
Dirty Projectors
Allah-Las
Matt Nathanson
Blues Traveler
Justin Townes Earle
Tristan Prettyman
Vintage TroubleSaturday
Kings of Leon
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite
Jackson Browne
Tift Merritt
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Donovon Frankenreiter
Iron & Wine
Jane's Addiction
Bad Religion
RNDM
Best Coast
Dwight Yokam
Allen Stone
Sharon Van EttenSunday
Zac Brown Band
Train
Cake
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Kacey Musgraves
The Secret Sisters
The Wallflowers
Grouplove
Rogue Wave
Erin O'Hara
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Brandi Carlile
Mavis Staples
Girls & Boys
Check out this Spotify playlist featuring virtually all of the Bottle Rock artists:
Here's a slideshow of videos highlighting live performance by some of the acts we're most excited about seeing:
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