Friday
What is the perfect lineup to kick off BottleRock? For one of the most anticipated three-day events for millennials and teens alike, it’s important to go into the festival with as much knowledge as possible to make the most of your money. While the sun is ablaze throughout the day, get your summer vibes early with BORNS and find your “Electric Love” for the weekend. To transition and embrace the worldwide culture on offer, check out Men at Work, our favorite Australian band, and show love to the people from the land “Down Under.” When you’re done listening to people mumbling the lyrics (because nobody actually knows them), head over to the silent disco where words don’t matter. This will be the one time at BottleRock when you can sit in your own thoughts, so enjoy the ambient lighting and sway with people you only know from your Snap Map. Here you can vibe on your own, using the provided headphones to drown out that one buzz-kill friend you’re around, complaining about being thirsty. Just before the sun sets and the headliners come on, we have one more stop: Natasha Bedingfield, don’t leave her “Unwritten” on your watch list. Bedingfield will deliver her hits with just a “Pocket of Sunshine” left, and by the time the sun sets, you will have to choose between Lorde and Lil Wayne. Lorde will draw a massive crowd, especially the superfans pushed up front. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne will have aspiring rappers in the audience rapping along, hoping it will all ‘work out’ for them
Saturday
This is the day of house music. Moshing all day, dripping in sweat, and losing your voice. On Saturday, you should be looking to capitalize on your frat flicking, listening to DJs all day and being stuck in a constant mosh pit. Start it off with AJR, where you can expect them to race against time, running from backstage, through the crowd and onto the main stage. Now the moment you’ve always dreamed of is happening. This is your chance to get your photo with an artist. After getting your special moment, take a break and buy merch from Aviator Nation so you can blend in with every other Marin kid and mom, but right after, you’re back behind a DJ board all day. Back-to-back sets from DJ Umami and DJ Pauly D should leave you tired, but you can’t give in to the fatigue when you have to choose between the Foo Fighters, Zedd and LCD Soundsystem. In my opinion, Zedd should give you “Clarity” on the right choice for your night. The Foo Fighters playing ‘70s rock might give you a headache, so you can instead choose to listen to LCD Soundsystem taking you through electronic music from the ‘90s.
Sunday
By now, your voice is gone, your brain is screaming for sleep and you’re desperate to end this event in the best way possible. Luckily, today’s schedule fits that energy level perfectly, an easy way to relax while also catching the best music possible. The mid-morning begins with Mt. Joy bringing you the indie folk music you need to enjoy this final day. They can be your musical coffee in the morning and wake you up for the upcoming day. Shortly after, listen to Buffalo Traffic Jam and feel like you’re in the wilderness under the stars, truly helping you find your inner peace and reconnect with nature. Your energy might be petering out, but a listen to Good Neighbors will remind you that you’re almost “Home.” You can “Celebrate” this accomplishment with Kool & the Gang as you “Get Down On” into your final couple of sets for the weekend. If you’re looking for “The Largest,” end to BottleRock, BigXthaPlug is the perfect spot to be before closing out with one of three amazing headliners. The Backstreet Boys will make “I Want It That Way” echo across the festival as people reminisce on the past. However, Ludacris can give you the exact opposite, making sure you “Move,” — depending on how hard you sang over the last 72 hours. The last option, Sombr, serves as a perfect middle ground, providing faster-paced beats while still staying connected with your sad feelings. Follow this plan, and you’ll have the perfect Bottlerock weekend, ending with a completely new sleep schedule and exhaustion that lasts for the next two weeks. But if you decide to chart your own course in Napa, have confidence in your choices and enjoy the start of summer.
