Those that know me know I love a good music festival. Be it Reggae (Cali Roots), Country (StageCoach), or a mix of all genres (Outside Lands), I'm there!
I recently hit up #BottleRock2017 at the tail end of May for an epic weekend. The festival is 3 days, took place in Napa Valley, California, and was comprised of some amazing artists across all types of genres. Tom Petty's dusty old ass showed up and rocked the house! Macklemore and RL also rocked the stage while wearing some (provocative) crazy getup to mock the stereotype! Other headliners like Foo Fighters, Maroon 5, and Dirty Heads showed up and crank the speakers to 11.
So what was it like?
Hot as fuck and stupid crowded!
I'm the goofy asshole in the lower right.
As hot and crowded as it was, it wasn't too hard finding a place to lay down a blanket or two, share a couple a beers (and maybe the occasional joint), and make some new friends. Everyone was incredibly nice. I met a nice couple from Seattle in the beer line and they ended up buying me a beer after getting to know them for a few minutes while we waiting! So if that's the kind of crowded I have to deal with, then I'm in!
The food was also amazing! There was over 50 something unique food vendors alone. From 2-foot long hot dogs to friend calamari drizzled in what I could only imagine as The nectar of the gods, I think I gained like 5lbs from eating alone!
I found some gyros on day 2. This thing was so damn good {I had to sit down for 10 minutes just to contemplate quitting my job and starting my own food truck.}
The only downside (which was expected) was the alcohol. The beer selection, while fairly large for a festival, was too small for too large a price. $16 dollars for a 16 ounce beer hurt. The crafted drinks were amazing to drink, and refreshing I might add, but were equally as pricey. By day 2 we started sneaking in our own flasks and bottles through..ahem...methods
All in all it was a great trip! The music was awesome (despite them cutting off Foo Fighters on their last song of the night on the last day!), the venue was great, the people were friendly as shit, and the food made me fat and happy.
Next year VIP might be in the cards! As nice as it was in the weeds with the Common Folk! I could appreciate some extra space by the end of it!
While we were lucky enough to stay for free at a friends epic lake house near Lake Barryessa, it was 45 minute drive each way. However, the morning views were hard to beat! Have to go back next year!
Thanks for reading!
