Bottlerock Napa Valley Transcends Decades & Genres With Elevated Festival Experience [Review/Photos/Videos]

The morning fog hung low against Napa’s rolling hills as festivalgoers poured into the sold-out BottleRock Napa Valley 2023 on Friday, May 26th, kicking off the music and wine festival’s ten-year anniversary over Memorial Day Weekend at the Napa Valley Expo.

With multigenre headliners ranging from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, and The Smashing Pumpkins, to Lizzo, Duran Duran and Lil Nas X, plus 75+ artists playing across five stages for three days, there was something for everyone at BottleRock—drawing a diverse mix of TikToking GenZs, OG ’90s-rock Gen X’ers, and every demographic in between, with over 40,000 fans per day sprawling the well manicured festival grounds.

“This is a very nice festival,” remarked guitarist and founding member of The Smashing Pumpkins James Iha with a smirk. “It’s very clean, very beautiful. There’s a lot of wine. Compared to most rock festivals, this is top shelf.”

It’s true that BottleRock goes beyond your run-of-the-mill festival fare and setup, with dozens of food and wine vendors serving every cuisine you can think of, lush VIP suites galore, and a culinary stage with celebrity chefs. The flushable port-a-potties were well-maintained the entire weekend, with soap and paper towels fully stocked. Elevated cocktail experiences like Monkey Shoulder’s “Port-a-Party” speakeasy (with secret DJ sets by the likes of Trackstar, the DJ of Run the Jewels) took the experience to a different echelon. No Woodstock ‘99 or Fyre Festival faux pas to be found here: even with a GA pass, you felt VIP—this is Napa wine country, after all.

Each night of BottleRock culminated in a double headliner mashup of rock ‘n’ roll legends vs. contemporary superstars, with overlapping sets on the Jam Cellars and Verizon main stages. On Friday, it was The Smashing Pumpkins vs. Post Malone; on Saturday, Duran Duran vs. Lizzo; and on Sunday, Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. Lil Nas. One way or another, you had to make your alt-rock or mainstream allegiance known. Other notable acts included Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, Bastille, Thievery Corporation, The National, CAAMP, Leon Bridges, Wu-Tang Clan, Warren G, and The Struts.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the rock show,” exclaimed Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, donning a floor-length trench coat and signature white makeup and enigmatic black eyeliner. They wasted no time, pleasing the crowd with top tracks like “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”, “1979”, an acoustic rendition of “Tonight, Tonight”, and a dark cover of “Once In a Lifetime” by Talking Heads.

Backed by an all-female ensemble, pop phenomenon Lizzo started BottleRock’s biggest dance party Saturday as she took the stage opposite U.K. new wave icons, Duran Duran. Dancing through chart-topping hits like “Truth Hurts”, “About Damn Time”, and “Good As Hell”, she encouraged mindfulness while leading the audience in her “Bad B*tch” breathwork between songs.

Lizzo’s devotees were clearly among the most devoted fans at BottleRock, as they carried homemade signs and swarmed merch booths for her t-shirts. As BottleRock’s first Black female headliner, she put on a memorable show, marked with her usual themes of inclusivity, positivity, and self-expression.

The reign of the female pop stars continued with appearances from early 2010s one hit wonders Carly Rae Jepsen (“Call Me Maybe”) and Tove Lo (“Habits (Stay High)”). Newcomer Maude Latour brought a fresh indie-pop sensibility with haunting bubblegum vocals reminiscent of Lorde, as a loyal GenZ following flocked the stage mouthing the lyrics to her new singles.

Even with a surge of newer acts on the bill, disco was very much alive in the Napa Valley when Niles Rodgers & Chic took down the Jam Cellars stage with ’70s bangers on Saturday. Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records for top artists including David Bowie, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, and more. Opening with their definitive disco track “Le Freak” and continuing with feel-good favorites like “I’m Coming Out” (Diana Ross), a feeling of unity permeated the crowd.

A fan favorite and one of the most memorable sets of the weekend, ’90s cool-girl and new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Sheryl Crow lit up the stage Sunday while a light drizzle of rain fell, bringing the generations together as teens, millennials, and seniors all danced and sang along.

Rock legends Red Hot Chili Peppers closed it down in true Funky Monk fashion Sunday with their long-awaited BottleRock finale, bringing classics like “Around the World” and “Snow (Hey Oh)” plus new tracks “Black Summer” and “Eddie” off their 2022 double album. The Chili Peppers had originally been announced as headliners for the 2020 festival, which was canceled due to COVID. Taking the stage with guitarist John Frusciante, who rejoined the band in 2019 after a then-year hiatus, the group’s heightened energy and tight-knit dynamic was palpable. Despite literally being cast out of the spotlight for most of the show, Frusciante made his presence clearly known with laser-sharp precision, supersonic solos, and experimental riffs, including his solo cover of “Danny’s Song” by Loggins & Messina.

“I’m happy because I’m playing with my best friends in Northern California,” exclaimed RHCP bassist Flea. “Blissfully happy.”

This year for the first time, BottleRock brought an emphasis on wellness, including a Saturday morning ceremony/concert led by artist and producer East Forest, whose body of work includes a five-hour-long psilocybin soundtrack called Music For Mushrooms: A Soundtrack For the Psychedelic Practitioner.

“People are looking for a sense of authenticity and what it means to be alive,” East explained. “This is about creating opportunities for people to feel things and go inward. A little bit of intentionality goes a long way.”

Overall, BottleRock’s tenth annual event proved to be a multigenerational affair, celebrating a kaleidoscope of sound and catering to fans of all kinds, with plenty of fine wine and food to go around.

“It’s wine country, it’s beautiful out, not too many complaints,” said multi-instrumentalist Cautious Clay. “It’s beautiful to see you all coming together, listening to a variety of music.”

Click below to view fan-shot videos and photos from BottleRock Napa Valley 2023 courtesy of photographer Bahram Foroughi.

BottleRock 2023: Day 1 Highlights