Hello from Napa! The weather has been gorgeous in these parts lately – blue skies, few clouds, gorgeous breezes, birds singing… this must be what the powers-that-be behind BottleRock call the “first taste of summer!” Indeed, it’s time again for this year’s festival, and as usual, I was ready with bells on!
Day One kicked off warm and sunny. I started my day at the Prudential Stage to catch kiwi quartet The Beths. They were just the kind of band I love to see in the first half of a multi-day music festival: easy breezy indie pop-rock vibes with harmonies. It’s a great way to kick off your day, and BottleRock is great about finding just the right acts to start the day. (Fun fact: I knew not to miss The Beths thanks to Spinning Platter’s annual Top Albums of the Year 2025. They were nominated by another writer, and while they didn’t make the final Top 15, I remembered that I enjoyed listening to them while making my way through all the nominations.)
A little while later I stopped by the T-Mobile stage to check out Natasha Bedingfield. What a beauty she was, and with a voice to match. While I didn’t manage to catch her biggest hits, I did enjoy “Love Like This,” and I heard the singer give her brother (Daniel Bedingfield) a shout-out, mentioning that he was there for her performance. And someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d swear I heard the music from Daniel’s hit song “Gotta Get Thru This.” Not sure if she covered the song or if maybe it was just playing for his sake… At any rate, Ms. Bedingfield kept the chill, early-festival vibes going strong.
Later, I headed back to the Pru stage for Del Water Gap. For those unfamiliar, Del Water Gap is the solo project of Brooklyn-based S. Holden Jaffe. I discovered DWG on Alt Nation, one of several SiriuxXM stations I frequent, so I knew not to miss this act. Jaffe did not disappoint! I particularly enjoyed “Better Than I Know Myself.”
If there’s one thing I know about festivals, it’s not to miss the legends when they appear. So I was front and center when the one and only Chaka Khan graced the Prudential Stage. She is the ultimate, original diva, and she did not disappoint. Now, I know I’m not supposed to talk about a lady’s age, but in this instance, it’s a must: at 73 years old, Khan is still really bringing all the energy you could ask for: her voice sounds great, she looks good, and she’s still dancing! I’m thrilled to have seen her.
Next up was the phenomenal Teddy Swims, who was one of the artists I was most excited to see. I’ve been hooked on that luscious voice since the first time I heard it a few years back with “Lose Control.” Born Jaten Collin Dimsdale, Swims fashioned his stage name from internet slang (SWIMS = “someone who isn’t me sometimes”). He opened his set with “The Door,” which is one of my favorite of his songs, and I was more than happy to sit back and let that velvet voice wash over me for as long as he wanted to share it with me (and once more in the next set, too)! Highlights included the aforementioned set-opener, as well as “Bad Dreams” and a cover of Van Halen’s “Jump.”
Back over at the T-Mobile stage, I couldn’t wait for Papa Roach’s set. While I don’t know any of the band members, I still “go way back” with this band in that they’re almost local to us (they’re from Vacaville, which is between Napa and Sacramento) and that I’ve been a fan since Infest in 2000. (That album is still my favorite when I want something to crash out to – I only skip one song!) Somehow, in all these years, I never managed to catch this band, so this performance was one I’ve been waiting for for a long time. In fact, I made a point to keep this part of my day clear so I could watch the entire set. The set was carefully crafted to feature songs from the band’s nearly-30 year career, and even featured frontman Jacoby Shaddix’s son Brixton on “BRAINDEAD.” My faves from this set included opening song “Even if it Kills Me,” “Leave a Light On” (which began with an incredibly-touching intro from Shaddix, who spoke to the importance of suicide awareness and prevention and made me cry), “Between Angels and Insects,” “Scars” (which is already one of my favorite of the band’s songs, but featuring Teddy Swims put it way over the top), and set closer “Last Resort,” which was everything I wanted it to be and more.
Somehow, there was still more day one to enjoy. I caught up with my hubby and found a good spot for viewing headliner Lorde at the Pru stage. I was hoping for a set packed with hits from her first album, as it’s definitely my favorite of hers. Her second song was “Royals,” and did not disappoint, and we were treated to “Team” later as well. The rest of her set featured more of her recent work including energetic highlights like “Solar Power” and “What Was That.” Overall, I enjoyed what I saw of her set, and the crowd certainly seemed to be having a great time, too.
The last set of the night was Men at Work on the HelloFresh stage. I mostly know this band from their 80s hits, so I was hoping to catch one or two of those. Colin Hay and his band of merry men (and women!) were a fantastic, fun way to end the day. In particular, “Overkill” was a joy to behold.
That’s it for day one! We headed home tired, sore, and happy. And we’ll be back tomorrow (and Sunday) to do it all again! See you there!
