Day 2 of the BottleRock music festival in Napa anchored itself in the comforting friction of powerhouse rock with the likes of Foo Fighters, Bush and The Warning, yet fans of all ages and backgrounds received a healthy dose of musical variety — from Zedd’s neon-drenched escapism to Paris Jackson’s soulful reflection to Saxsquatch’s cryptozoological funk.
The Foo Fighters took center stage on night two, kicking off their headlining set with “All My Life” and “Times Like These.” A steady barrage of crowd-pleasers—including “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly,” and “Monkey Wrench”— fueled an intense back-and-forth with the audience. They ultimately wrapped up the night with “Exhausted” and “Everlong.”
Earlier in the day, however, English alt-rock band Bush performed a high-energy set on the T-Mobile Stage — and it was by far the best performance of the day.
Bush delivered a masterclass in post-grunge survival that felt less like a trip down memory lane and more like a jolt of pure adrenaline. Frontman Gavin Rossdale and company took the stage as a band seemingly immune to the friction of time. Launching into the set with a ferocious rendition of “Machinehead,” the band instantly electrified the crowd. Rossdale, defying the typical wear-and-tear of a decades-long touring career, looked and sounded remarkably sharp, prompting a whisper or two in the crowd about a hidden fountain of rock youth.
Rossdale spent a significant portion of the set—which featured muscular airings of “Swallowed” and “Flowers on a Grave”— submerged in the crowd, trading the safety of the stage for raw, sweaty fan interaction.
The afternoon’s emotional centerpiece, however, arrived when the noise subsided. Left alone with just an electric guitar, Rossdale offered a stripped-down, deeply reflective solo performance of “Glycerine.” It was an intimate tribute to the very songwriting that originally rocketed the band to global success.
BottleRock fans also got a first taste of Monterrey rockers The Warning, who really should have been booked on one of the main stages. Nevertheless, the band members — all sisters who grew up rocking out from an early age — appeared grateful to be invited to the Napa festival for the first time. Fittingly, the crowd grew exponentially during their set.
The Villarreal sisters—Daniela (guitar/vocals), Paulina (drums/vocals), and Alejandra (bass)—treated the Napa crowd to the same explosive, precise energy that has previously captivated massive audiences at Sacramento’s Aftershock festival.
They did not waste any time and fired off new material for a new audience, including “Ego,” “Ritual” and “Kerosene.” Their well-oiled set featuring “Sick,” “Satisfied,” “Que mas quieres,” “Money,” and “Hell You Call A Dream” surely made many new fans for this band on the rise.
The Day 3 finale of BottleRock on Sunday will feature pop-nostalgia, hip-hop and sunny reggae-rock. The headliners include the Backstreet Boys and Ludacris, along with Sombr, Cut Copy and Slightly Stoopid.
Busta Rhymes
Paris Jackson on the T-Mobile State.
Saxsquatch performs along with an electronic funk mix.