Mike DeWald
NAPA — BottleRock Napa Valley producers today unveiled the lineup for the seventh incarnation of their annual wine country festival, held at the Napa Valley Expo between May 24 and 26—Memorial Day weekend.
This year’s lineup features a new twist with the festival featuring dual headlining sets each night. Friday includes alt-rockers Imagine Dragons, and rapper Logic. Saturday has Neil Young and Promise of the Real, along with R&B superstar Pharrell Williams. Rootsy rock band Mumford & Sons and guitar virtuoso Santana will close out the festival on Sunday, May 26.
The lineup again features more than 80 artists over the three days.
“We’ve expanded the capability of the second stage,” BottleRock CEO Dave Graham said. “We wanted to be able to attract some major acts to play the second stage at the same time the main stage was playing, and that’s exactly what we did this year.”
The bill is rounded out by a slate of eclectic artists, including Sylvan Esso, Flogging Molly, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Cypress Hill, Tash Sultana, Lord Huron, Big Boi, Bishop Briggs, Jeff Goldbum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra and others.
Fans of OneRepublic will be excited about the band’s quick return to the Bay Area following Sunday’s cancellation of a planned concert in downtown San Jose for the College Football National Championship Game due to rain.
Graham said the addition of Young is particularly meaningful this year.
“Neil Young has not performed in the Bay Area, publicly, since the last Bridge School Benefit Concert back in 2016,” he said. “What an honor for us to have a legend like him up on our stage.”
BottleRock will again feature it’s culinary stage pairing celebrity chefs with musicians, actors and Bay Area luminaries cooking up unique dishes for festivalgoers, along with the festival’s focus on the region’s best food and wine. The culinary stage lineup will be announced in April.
“This year, BottleRock is also a part of the prize offerings for [TV show] Top Chef, so the winner will get an appearance on the Culinary Stage this year,” Graham said.
Last year, more than 120,000 camp out to see performances by Bruno Mars, The Killers, Muse and others.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the festival’s website. Prices range from $359 for a three-day general admission pass up to $1,599 for a three-day Skydeck and VIP Viewing passes. Platinum Passes for BottleRock, which cost upwards of $4,000, are sold out. One-day VIP tickets go on sale Jan. 10.
The full lineup is below:
Three-day ticket categories:
3-Day General Admission Pass: $359. Includes in-and-out privileges.
3-Day SkyDeck pass: $1,599. Access to an exclusive, elevated and shaded viewing platform within the VIP village. Skydeck pass holders also receive all-inclusive beer, cocktails and wines at Skydeck bars.
3-Day SPG and American Express VIP Suite Pass: $1,599. Available only to Starwood Preferred Guest and American Express Card members. Elevated views of the main stage, access to the VIP Village and all VIP viewing areas. Benefits include specially curated bites, signature dishes and wine tastings within the viewing suite. Pass holders also get all-inclusive beer, specialty cocktails and wines at the Marriott VIP Viewing Suite bar, chef and sommelier meet-and-greets. There is a dedicated VIP entrance with in-and-out privileges to the festival and access to premium restrooms. Card Members must show their wristband and Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express in order to gain access.
This story also appears at RIFFMagazine.com