BottleRock Music Festival
Saturday May 11, 2013 // Napa Valley, CA
Photos and Review by Daniel DeSlover
Bad Religion brought old-school, American punk to the main stage at BottleRock. Vocalist Greg Gaffin noted, “We have a new album. It took us 15 attempts but we finally made a good one.” Their fast-paced set instigated the first mosh pit at BottleRock, on the general admission side of the stage right in front of the rail. The dust wafted gently over to the VIP section, prompting attendees on that side of the fence to cover their wine glasses in fear of adding an additional earthy component to their Merlot.
One of the best vocal performances of Saturday belonged to Allen Stone. His smooth vocals coupled with jazz-infused music meshed perfectly with the sun-drenched festival atmosphere. Stone’s soulful delivery and vibrant stage presence easily draws new fans at each show. “Sleep” and “Satisfaction” stayed fixed in my mind as I continued to bounce between stages well after Stone left the stage.
Mix one part Pearl Jam (bassist Jeff Ament) with singer/songwriter Fastbacks’ drummer, Richard Stuverud, and you get RNDM. Dressed in orange jumpsuits they rocked songs from their debut album, “Acts.”
Jane’s Addiction took charge of the main stage for a late afternoon set. Perry Farrell looked like a kid in a candy store, known for taking hits straight from a wine bottle during performances, he grabbed a bottle and took a few long swigs then said, “Yeah, that’s a really good year.” He added, “By the way, Jane’s Addiction does not encourage throwing objects on stage, but if you have a soft joint then feel free to toss one up here.” Suffice to say, everybody was having a good time.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros always bring that chill vibe. Akin to a gypsy tribe with hippie overtones–based on their stage personas–the eight-piece band plays behind the vocal duo of Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos. Ebert was fighting a cold but showed no signs of vocal issues and even did his traditional sing-along while sitting on the rail with fans, even dipping into the crowd a couple times.
