The third annual BottleRock Napa festival was a blast and went smoothly…well, for the most part. The same elements that made the festival so appealing to attend, to begin with, including a generally laid-back, down-to-earth crowd, top-notch food from local high-end establishments, and reasonable lines, made the three-day event well worth the trip (as if there aren’t enough excuses to head to Napa already).
The biggest crowd pleasers were, unsurprisingly, Robert Plant, Snoop Dogg, and No Doubt who had massive crowds singing along to every word of familiar hits from their expansive catalogues. The unexpected highlight came in the form of Silent Disco, a service that provides wireless headphones that stream a band or DJs music. The silence enhances the energy within the crowd and it created a unique, transcendent experience for the participants. Each night people could be found dancing blissfully to sounds only they could hear.
Enough about my experience, here are the photos you want to see.
The sound production was excellent, the lines to the shuttle buses were basically banished after close to four hour waits the previous year, and the festival sold out on the final day. I’ll be looking forward to see who the organizers select for next year’s installment. Dates for BottleRock 2016 have already been announced. It’ll be held over Memorial Day weekend and tickets can be purchased here. [Update: early bird tickets for next year are SOLD OUT].
UPDATE: it looks like No Doubt’s people didn’t want anyone too close in the photo pit. That’s too bad because they’re a really photogenic group.
