Mind: blown.
Ohhhh. Emmm. Geeeee, you guys. Seriously. Like anyone else who’s devoted to her favorite festival, I have been waiting for this morning for quite some time. (Perhaps since last June?) Why? Because that’s when BottleRock Napa Valley was set to announce this year’s lineup. And announce it they did. I knew that Dave Grohl had said back in 2013 that if the festival made it another year, the Foo Fighters would play it, so it’s exciting to see that they’re making good on that promise. In addition, I’m looking forward to catching Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers again (who I saw a few years ago at Outside Lands), as well as Maroon 5, who I haven’t seen live since the Songs About Jane era. And those are just the headliners.
I admit, I was so impressed with this year’s lineup that I counted the number of acts I have to see this time around: twenty! Far more than ever before, and that’s not even taking into consideration other bands/artists I’d like to fit in if I have time. For example, I chose to miss Macklemore & Ryan Lewis back in 2013 because my beloved Golden State Warriors were in the playoffs (at the time, this was not a regular occurrence), and then again the following year at Outside Lands because I was at the aforementioned Tom Petty set. This year, there’s no way I’m going to miss their set! I’m also looking forward to Fitz & the Tantrums, Gavin DeGraw, Ani DiFranco, The Helmets (who were an unexpected smash last year), and so many more…
In particular, there are some songs I’m really looking forward to hearing live for the first time. I decided to put them up for you here so you can sing along now and get excited with me! In no particular order…
House of Pain, “Jump Around”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZaz7OqyTHQ
888, “Critical Mistakes”
Band of Horses, “No One’s Gonna Love You” (and I’m hoping for “St. Augustine,” too, if I’m lucky!)
The Strumbellas, “Spirits”
Bishop Briggs, “River”
Saint Motel, “Move”
The Hunna, “You & Me”
Ok, ok, I’ll stop posting videos. You get the idea… and, seriously: this is just a taste of what’s to come this year, and takes into account none of the phenomenal offerings of food, wine & beer that can always be found at BottleRock. I think it’s safe to say that nothing makes me quite as proud of what my little town has become than each successful year at this festival, and the growth each year brings hasn’t yet failed to impress or inspire. I have to say…this makes me feel like 2017’s off to a great start, and I for one was really in need of something positive to look forward to! As always, the festival will be held at the Napa Valley Expo, and this year the dates are May 26-28. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Jan. 4) at 10am PST. For more info, go here. I’ll see you there!
Listen to BottleRock’s official playlist of this year’s lineup.
(This review originally published by Spinning Platters – thanks for sharing!)
