So you’ve seen the Coachella lineup this year, right? This star-studded bill is headlined by Eminem, Beyonce and The Weeknd, but three-day passes are already sold out, and the tickets aren’t cheap for a potential excursion to the Coachella Valley. Fret not, Benicia music lovers! The BottleRock Napa Valley music festival just announced its lineup yesterday— and you only have to drive about 34 minutes to go to it.
Since its inaugural year in 2013, BottleRock has hosted three days of music, gourmet food, wine and craft beer in the heart of Napa Valley. Last year was headlined by Maroon 5, Foo Fighters and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, in what sadly turned out to be one of Petty’s final shows before his death from cardiac arrest in October. This year promises to carry on the tradition of bringing some of the biggest names in music to the Napa Valley.
The first headliner is Bruno Mars, who began his career as an Elvis Presley impersonator at the age of 3. He has since become one of the most dominant pop stars of the 2010s, having won multiple Grammys, scored five No. 1 hits as a lead artist and performed at two Super Bowl Halftime shows. Mars has performed everything from funk and disco throwbacks to piano ballads and laid-back acoustic numbers, so you can expect him to bring that variety to BottleRock.
Also headlining will be The Killers, the Las Vegas-based alternative rock band who have successfully mixed ‘80s new wave revival with modern garage rock since their 2004 debut “Hot Fuss,” scoring such hits as “Somebody Told Me,” “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young” along the way. Their fifth album, “Wonderful Wonderful,” was released in September and spawned the alternative hits “The Man” and “Run for Cover.”
The final major headliner is Muse, the English rock band who first made waves in the U.S. with their 2003 album “Absolution.” Since then, they have won two Grammys and sold out numerous stadiums with their brand of progressive rock incorporating operatic elements in the vein of Queen and dystopian themes. The band is working on its eighth album, and although no release date has been announced, its first single, “Dig Down,” was released in May and its second, “Thought Contagion,” is expected to drop within the next month.
The rest of the lineup features some of the biggest names in indie rock, hip, hop, electronica, soul and more. Among the acts on the bill are Earth Wind & Fire, Billy Idol, Snoop Dogg, Incubus, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, The Head & the Heart, Thievery Corporation, Phantogram, The Revivalists, Bleachers, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Vallejo’s own E-40, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, New Politics, Alice Merton, The Record Company, a DJ set by Mike D of the Beastie Boys and more. The lineup will also be a showcase for the offspring of legendary musicians, such as Willie Nelson’s son Lukas and his band Promise of the Real, and George Harrison’s son Dhani. The exact dates and set times for the bands have not been announced yet.
In addition to the music, the Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage will return to feature cooking demonstrations by a wide range of celebrities and chefs. This year’s lineup has not been announced but last year featured demonstrations by former Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson, musicians such as E-40 and Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt, and the one and only Martha Stewart.
The 2018 BottleRock Napa Valley festival will be held Friday, May 25 to Sunday, May 27 at the Napa Valley Expo, located at 575 3rd St. in Napa. Tickets will be on sale starting at 10 a.m. today and will start at $349 for three-day general admission, and $749 for three-day VIP passes. For more information, visit bottlerocknapavalley.com.
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