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Alan Sheckter Photo | profile | all galleries >> Music photos May 2008 - to present >> BottleRock Napa Fest, Napa, CA May 8-12, 2013 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

BottleRock Napa Fest, Napa, CA May 8-12, 2013

For the Chico News & Review: BottleRock Napa Festival, Napa, Calif., May 8-12, 2013. (www.newsreview.com/chico/festive-days-ahead/content?oid=10024834)

A mantra of “build a festival and they will come” rang true earlier this month (May 9-12) as the inaugural, five-day BottleRock Napa Festival ignited the North State’s festival season by drawing up to 35,000 spectators a day to the Napa Valley Expo Fairgrounds. Anchored by a monster 70-foot-high main stage, the fest’s promoters held nothing back, offering a full-tilt extravaganza of music, food, wine, comedy and beer.

Music was at the top of most people’s agendas, and the roster was eclectic and rich with bands young and old: The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers, Primus, The Flaming Lips, Charlie Musselwhite and Macklamore and Ryan Lewis to name a few. And with so many major acts from multiple genres, strolling the grounds was a surreal experience at times as bands like Jackson Browne and Jane’s Addiction would be playing at the same time on different stages. At one point, Richard Thompson, a 45-year member of British-rock royalty spoke eloquently in the media tent about his days with Fairport Convention but paused as several yards away, Joan Jett took the stage and amplified one of her old hits, belting out “I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation!”

The vibe was kind of an upscale tailgate party, with good-ol’ Budweiser devotees harmoniously sharing festival territory with trendy youth and chic fashionistas. The two major stages projected crystal clear, über-powerful audio, augmented by big-screen video.

But what made this fest decidedly Napa were the gourmet-food offerings from top local purveyors, and a staggering 42 wineries on hand. A sectioned-off food market, that included umbrella-ed picnic tables, outdoor patio heaters, and a main-stage video simulcast, included everything from wood-fired pizza and halibut ceviche to pork-belly tacos, and barbecued oysters.

First-year wrinkles? There were a few, like an oversold VIP area, gates opening late, confusion about in-and-out privileges and the logistics of shuttling tens of thousands of folks to parking lots on the outskirts of town. But those relatively minor glitches aside, the North State’s answer to Coachella kicked of the summer’s festival season in grand fashion.

*Note: This gallery is for editorial purposes only and these images are not for sale.
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Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves band member
Kacey Musgraves band member
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves
Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave
Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave
Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave fan
Rogue Wave fan
Rogue Wave fans
Rogue Wave fans
Train in the media tent
Train in the media tent
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
 Bubble in the sun
Bubble in the sun
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti fan
Michael Franti fan
Michael Franti fan
Michael Franti fan
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti fans
Michael Franti fans
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti and lots of children onstage
Michael Franti and lots of children onstage
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle and the Secret Sisters
Brandi Carlisle and the Secret Sisters
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle and the Secret Sisters
Brandi Carlisle and the Secret Sisters
Brandi Carlisle
Brandi Carlisle
Three hip BottleRockers
Three hip BottleRockers
Michael Franti in the media tent
Michael Franti in the media tent
Michael Franti in the media tent, taking questions therapy-style, from the couch
Michael Franti in the media tent, taking questions therapy-style, from the couch
Michael Franti in the media tent
Michael Franti in the media tent
Stylin'!
Stylin'!
Michael Franti and sculpture artist in media tent
Michael Franti and sculpture artist in media tent
Zac Brown Band in the media tent
Zac Brown Band in the media tent
Zac Brown in the media tent
Zac Brown in the media tent
Zac Brown Band in the media tent
Zac Brown Band in the media tent
Slightly surreal crowd shot
Slightly surreal crowd shot
Slightly surreal crowd shot
Slightly surreal crowd shot
John McCrea, Cake
John McCrea, Cake
Cake fans (and sisters on the left)
Cake fans (and sisters on the left)
John McCrea, Cake
John McCrea, Cake
Alan & Donna
Alan & Donna
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