Cheers to Bottle Rock Napa Valley, a new music, food and wine festival in Northern California, for a solid first year. While San Francisco hosts big events like Outside Lands and Treasure Island music festivals annually, it’s an exciting debut for the wine country, an area that already has a lot going for it. There were around 120,000 people there from May 8th to the 12th, and it will be back again this time next year.

Due to that pesky thing called work, it was tough to catch all five days of the festival; however, I was lucky enough to attend on Saturday and Sunday – and overall it was a great time. It was tough missing acts like Alabama Shakes, the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, and Macklemore & Lewis, among others, but so it goes. There are three stages, two of which have giant screens next to them (Willpower and Citi), and a smaller one that has a shaded cover overhead (Miner Family Winery stage). Although the event takes place on 26 acres at the Napa Valley Expo, it feels surprisingly small and easy to navigate. The downside, of course, is that there is some sound overlap between stages, and the density of the crowds feels more prominent as the day progresses.

The first band I saw was Best Coast, as the lyrics “You drive me crazy but I love you … you make me lazy but I love you” played near the fairgrounds entrance. Singer Bethany Cosentino apologized for being hungover, though it’s safe to say half the attendees were as well. Sharon Van Etten came next on a different stage, with her haunting voice, pleading “I want to get over you” (They should get a drink together and share some dating stories). Pumping up the volume was Allen Stone, with his soulful tunes and Timberlake-esque falsettos, who turned the field into a rollicking dance party, despite the soaring temperatures.

Donavon Frankenreiter kept the party going at the Miner stage at 4:00 p.m. He’s a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and has the same kind of feel-good surf music sound, though with higher energy. With a rumbling, wine-filled stomach, it was time to go and check out the delicious food options that Bottle Rocks offered – only in the bay area is “iron skillet cornbread with lavender honey” an option at a festival food booth – and I came back to an impossibly large crowd, shattering any hopes of seeing Jackson Browne play (you could heard a few songs while searching for a spot, but, alas, could not see much at all). I drowned my sorrows in another glass of wine (soooo good) and headed over to see Jane’s Addiction and Kings of Leon close out the night on the Willpower stage, which was an obscene amount of fun. Perry Farrell and company sounds the same as they did 15 years ago, and got people excited with their hits “Jane Says” and “Been Caught Stealing.” Then Caleb Followill and Kings of Leon churned out a great set of growling rock, which included “Sex On Fire,” “Knocked Up” and “Use Somebody.” Contrary to what I’ve heard, they sounded fantastic live; getting sober probably has something to do with it.

On Sunday, you could find a great spot at the Miner stage and could plant yourself there for most of the day, enjoying the shade, laziness and perfect view of the singers. Erin O’ Hara kicked off with a tame set, easing us into the day, and giving a shout-out to mothers on Mother’s Day. ”This is a good life,” said a guy near me, sprawled out on the grass; and looking around, taking it all in, I couldn’t have agreed more with that sentiment. Then came Charlie Musselwhite, with his plaid shirt, slicked-back hair and harmonica, rocking out to blues music and getting everyone going. Mavis Staples kept the energy up with her gospel showdown, and it never gets old hearing her cover “The Weight,” which is such a classic song (she performed it with Arcade Fire’s Win Butler at Outside Lands too.) After was Brandi Carlile, one of my favorite female vocalists and one of the most underrated ones around, who has a mesmerizing effect when she sings. She is so raw and powerful, and can rock a fedora with pride. It’s always extra fun to see a set when you know all the songs.

Time to move to another stage, so off I went to see Zac Brown Band finish off the festival. They were phenomenal; these are real, hardcore musicians, and I easily could have watched them play all night (Those vocals! That fiddle!). Not many bands can play both Dave Matthews Band’s “Ants Marching” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” convincingly. In a classy move, they brought up talented Kacey Musgraves to play “Follow Your Arrow” for a larger crowd than her daytime set allowed. It was a blast to see “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” live, with inferno-y images of them playing on screen, and strobe lights beaming out over the field. People left drunk and delighted.

Bottle Rock Napa Valley was a successful event, with excellent music, food and drinks. There are some kinks to iron out, which makes sense as it’s their first stab at it, but nothing that warrants too much whining. The “buy tokens to buy food” system over-complicates matters and adds time to waiting on line; big acts like Jackson Browne shouldn’t be playing on the smallest, most-congested stage; and an extra shuttle later than 10 a.m. would be much appreciated.

Having said that, this was lots of fun in the sun, and we are excited to see what Bottle Rock has in store for us next year.

-Lexi Feinberg

Black Crowes “Sting Me”:

Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” (Skip to 2-minute mark):

Jackson Browne “Running On Empty”:

The Black Keys: