After an incredible first two days, the final day of Napa’s BottleRock music festival was finally upon us. Friday and Saturday was chock-full of killer live music, tasty food, and more wine options than one could imagine – and Sunday was no different. Artists of all genres continued to bring their unique styles and sounds to BottleRock’s different stages for a blowout of a final day.
The early hours of the day saw pop singer MAX hype up the crowd at the Verizon Stage, while Canadian indie-pop band Valley brought their bouncy tunes to the Truly Stage. MAX’s live shows are known for having insane amounts of energy and he delivered just that; he’s been a part of the music industry for years and has a reputation as not only a hitmaker, but as someone who was born to be a performer. Up-and-comers Valley were incredible as well, as their lighthearted tunes are as fun and dancey as they are relatable.
Early afternoon also saw Donna Missal and her powerful voice command attention from the Jam Cellars Stage. She absolutely smashed her first couple of songs and then took a moment to speak out against Texas’ recent law that severely restricts access to abortions. The crowd cheered as she preached about the importance of women’s rights and having control over your body, and then promptly returned to singing her soulful-rock anthems. Not only was her voice powerful, but her message was too.
The day continued with rockers Jimmy Eat World, who have been a part of the musical zeitgeist for over two decades. Their 2001 album Bleed American is an certifiable classic, with songs like “The Middle” and “Sweetness” being among the band’s most recognizable songs. Jessie Reyez and her bold R&B was another standout, as her every emotion could be felt through her honest lyric and unique vocal timbre. Not long after, genre-blender Absofacto set was a non-stop exploration of electronic music. His music over the years has spanned alternative, pop, indie, and electronic, and seeing him focus more squarely on the electronic elements of his sound was an absolute blast.
Some absolutely huge artists came later in the day; rap newcomer Jack Harlow, multi-instrumentalist and singer Jon Batiste, and alternative-rockers Cage the Elephant all dominated their respective sets while showing the BottleRock crowd the diversity of genre that the festival has to offer. Before the headliners hit the stage, an eager crowd waited through technical difficulties for punk-rocker Mod Sun, who was undoubtedly worth the wait. He thanked the audience for their patience, and then proceeded to go hard with the crowd for the entirety of his set.
The final day was coming to a close, but some of the weekend’s most noteworthy acts were still to come. The mega-successful Foo Fighters with their arena rock anthems headlined the JaM Cellars Stage while Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion showed the Verizon Stage what a hot girl summer looks like. These artists might operate in very different genres, but their electric stage presence and memorable songs proved to be a winning combination for each act. Continually, after both Foo Fighters and Megan Thee Stallion had already hit the stage, provocative disco legends the Village People hit the Plaza Stage for a spectacle worthy of the final night. With the variety of music seen and heard throughout the weekend, we couldn’t think of a more apt way to close out BottleRock weekend. We are so happy live music is back, and BottleRock weekend was the return to form that so many craved. Check out some photos from BottleRock’s final day below!
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