NAPA —The final day of a music festival often starts with relaxed vibes. Attendees at BottleRock on Sunday laid out blankets and took advantage of the mild weather. Many wore Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirts, foreshadowing their big draw.

Sure enough, as the sun was setting, moments before the Chilis were to take the stage, the field in front of the JaM Cellars stage grew packed from front to back with fans eager to catch the rock heroes. Led by drummer Chad Smith, they emerged. When Smith banged the gong behind his drum kit, the show was officially on.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Bassist Flea and guitarist John Frusciante launched into an extended funk rock jam, providing instant electricity before frontman Anthony Kiedis even set foot on stage. The band’s dynamics were top-notch. Each musician had something different to offer, fused together to create a scintillating sound.

Finally, Kiedis appeared on stage for “Around the World” and “Universally Speaking.”

The performance was a solid mix of classic and songs from the Chili Peppers’ more recent work, like last year’s Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen.

“Thanks for sticking around to see us!” bassist Flea announced excitedly.

Fans sang along with the laid-back “Snow (Hey Oh),” which garnered a big response. As for Kiedis, he remains a captivating frontman. From clutching the mic stand at center stage to his energetic bouncing and headbanging along to the band, it was difficult to take your eyes off of him. The band mixed in jams throughout the set, showcasing its musical prowess.

“What can I tell you, anything? I’ll answer anything,” Kiedis said before responding to a screaming fan, “I love you.”

The Red Hot Chili Peppers then rolled through “Don’t Forget Me” from By the Way.Flea took a moment to shout out the Napa Valley community.

“I was over in Calistoga at the Junior High playing basketball and working on my jumper,” Flea said. “I’m even happier now playing music with my friends in California.”

Flea’s bass playing is still a focal point of the band’s sound. He added a solo doodle for good measure.

“Those orange lights over there look so fucking cool,” he said, looking to the illuminated VIP platforms that flank each side of the stage.

Kiedis and Flea would also have their moments of banter, tossing one-liners back and forth before moving on with the next song. Sometimes the comments seemed like inside jokes. But that wasn’t important. It drove home that the pair was enjoying its time on stage.

The Chilis kept the production fairly simple, other than two raised lighting rigs on each side of the stage and three projection screens. The band mixed in its Eddie Van Halen tribute track, “Eddie,” and “Soul to Squeeze,” the former from Return of the Dream Canteen.

Frusciante sang lead on a shortened rendition of “Danny’s Song” before the band shifted into the funky rhythms of “Tell Me Baby.” From the melodic choruses to the rhythmic funky verses, the track was a showcase of everything the band does well.

As the end approached, the Chili Peppers worked through a cover of Funkadelic’s “What is Soul?” and newer single “Black Sun,” and ramped up the hits, including “Californication,” “By the Way,” and a one-two punch of “Under the Bridge” and “Give it Away.”

Wu-Tang Clan

To begin Wu-Tang Clan’s set, RZA took the stage and sang parts of Cher’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” which was not not on our BottleRock bingo card. Then he broke into “Clan in the Front” and brought out GZA to finish it out, which was what everyone seems to have wanted.

What followed was a rundown of their 30-year career, right back to what they said was their very first song, “Protect Ya Neck.” And the capacity crowd loved every second of it.

Things were merely going well until, well into the set, Method Man took the stage to join in fan-favorite “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothing To Fuck With.” Not every Wu-Tang member makes every show, and due to his role in the Starz series “Power Book II: Ghost,” he hasn’t been available. But for BottleRock he apparently made an exception.

The first thing Method Man said after the song was over, showing that some things don’t change, was, “Is the weed good out here?”

The number of Red Hot Chili Peppers shirts in the crowd suggested the audience were fans but not diehards, and the reactions to the different songs reinforced that. Once they got to “C.R.E.A.M.,” for example, nearly the entire crowd was singing along to the chorus. The hook for “Gravel Pit” caught people’s attention. But for “Shame on a Nigga,” which didn’t sound quite the same without the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the chorus? It took some people longer to warm up to that.

Speaking of ODB, there were two half-songs in tribute. Wu-Tang Clan traded off a couple verses of “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and sang a couple rounds of the chorus of “Got Your Money,” his two biggest hits. Unsurprisingly those got the most people dancing. When “Got Your Money” started, an older woman walking by stopped in her tracks to dance. Nobody blamed her.

Lil Nas X

If you’re familiar with Lil Nas X post-“Old Town Road” but haven’t seen him live, picture in your head what that show might look like. It would probably have about eight dancers, right? A gold chestplate and white fur chaps? A giant metal snake?

Well, all that came in the first 10 minutes, and it just kept going from there. And it was fantastic.

Lil Nas—different than regular Nas, who’s on tour with Lil Nas’ preceding act Wu-Tang Clan but did not appear at the festival, making everything much more confusing—is a spectacular performer and showman. The set was short for a headliner, but there wasn’t a wasted moment.

He opened with his hit single “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name),” which is an interesting choice. While “Old Town Road” was obviously his biggest hit, “Montero” seems closer to what he wants to be as his career evolves. It’s the sort of song artists tend to save until the end. Leading with it was bold and took some of the late arrivals to the stage by surprise.

From there, he went to “Batty Boy,” which has yet to be officially released. He just started performing it a couple months ago. From there, it was on to “SCOOP,” “DEAD RIGHT NOW” and “DON’T WANT IT,” all from his 2021 album, MONTERO.

Things were starting to get predictable, and that couldn’t stand, so the stage went dark until he rolled back out on a giant, long-haired horse sculpture to perform an extended version of “Old Town Road,” which included parts of Ginuwine’s “Pony” and a couple lines of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way,” among other songs. It was nearly impossible to adequately describe, but it was great to watch.

After a giant bird puppet and an interlude for the dancers to individually show off their shockingly good gymnastics skills, Lil Nas X came back in a new costume: A blue loincloth with a glossy blue cow skull on the front, spiked blue collar, blue knee pads and knee-high blue fur boots. In that he performed “Down Souf Hoes” and “THATS WHAT I WANT” before the minotaur arrived.

You read that right. There was an 8-foot-tall minotaur on the stage during “THATS WHAT I WANT.” The song ended with Lil Nas X kissing one of his male dancers. If everything to that point wouldn’t make the set illegal in Florida or Tennessee, that would definitely cross the line, which is of course to its credit.

From there, they went to “LOST IN THE CITADEL.” The dancers changed to armor with spiky helmets, and danced to a snippet of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” as a lead-in to their closer, “INDUSTRY BABY.”

As long as everyone else also saw that minotaur, it was a great show.

The National

Cincinnati quintet The National brought a dose of high-energy indie rock to the JaM Cellars stage. Vocalist Matt Berninger strolled onto the stage wearing a suit, beverage in hand, as his bandmates picked up their instruments to launch into opening track “Tropic Morning News.” 

The stage featured multicolored lighted squares in front of a projection screen with banks of lights at the front. The band kept the energy high for much of the 75-minute set, with Berninger moving from side to side, shouting to the crowd off-mic in between lyrics. He seemed to have a moment of frustration in dedicating a song to friends who’d traveled for the festival.

“This song goes out to two longtime friends of mine from Ohio,” he said, scanning the side stage ahead of “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” before finally locating them. “Are they talking? They aren’t even paying attention.”

The setlist was made up primarily of selections from just-released album First Two Pages of Frankenstein and critically-lauded High Violet.

“We’ve been having a ton of fun here—maybe too much,” guitarist Aaron Dessner said.

The band tapped into Boxer to play “Mistaken For Strangers” before moving into “Grease in Your Hair” and “Alien.” Berninger then talked about overcoming concerns about his hair from earlier in the day.

“I used too much conditioner, and it was all floofy,” he joked, adding drummer Bryan Davendorf came through with the save. “It’s really working for me.”

Berninger had a captivating presence, clutching the microphone, arching back and singing to the sky. His voice was crisp throughout.

The National powered through the remainder of its set, with Berninger at one point jumping into the crowd and walking down the center aisle to get up close and personal with the audience.

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow pulled in one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. At one point, the crowd was swelling so big that security had to keep new arrivers away from the main stage. Crow put on a master class, breaking out a greatest hits set full of bluesy rock favorites.

Wearing a pink Wonder Woman T-shirt and matching pink sunglasses, she strapped on a Telecaster for opener “If It Makes You Happy.”

“I just wanna know if you’re drinking a lot of wine today,” Crow asked early on. ”Are you drinking some good beer? Smoking some good weed?”

Sheryl Crow obviously has a deep songbook, but to hear the hits in succession really drove home the career she’s led. The band was tight, keeping the bluesy rhythms going as Crow’s signature raspy voice shined. From “All I Wanna Do” to “A Change Would Do You Good,” she kept building momentum.

“This one is for all you little kids,” said Crow before launching into “Real Gone” from the original Cars Soundtrack.

Crow was a perfect fit for BottleRock’s demographic. But what was a surprise was the generational quality to the crowd. Young music fans, middle-aged and older folks all showed enthusiasm.

“This is a song written by Cat Stevens, made famous by Rod Stewart, and then by me,” she said before launching into “The First Cut Is the Deepest.” It elicited the loudest singalong of the set.

Despite just a little bit of light rain, Crow did her best to clear the skies with the bouncy “Soak Up the Sun,” before closing out her set with “Everyday is a Winding Road” with an extended jam.

The Struts

The Struts captured their audience’s attention, opening with an air raid siren, a guitar solo and a Mick-Jagger-like strut around the stage by frontman Luke Spiller. They didn’t let up.

“Primadonna Like Me” and “Body Talks” set a blistering pace. The Struts made their name as a glam rock band but Spiller, in a shiny gold shirt and blue eyeshadow, seemingly stepped right out of 1973. His attitude and swagger channeled the greats and the band’s music backed it up.

The first pause came when Spiller said the next song was “brand spankin’ new,” they’d only played once before, and would be their next single. The song, “Too Good at Raising Hell,” had enough of an AC/DC flavor to be perfect for a festival stage. It’s always a good sign when you can get the crowd singing along to a song it’s never heard before.

The only point the pace of the music slowed down was for the piano intro to “One Night Only,” and the rest was nonstop rock and roll. “Fire,” “Dirty Sexy Money” and “Fallin’ With Me” were exactly the kind of audio assault one would hope for from that sort of band.

“Are you witnessing The Struts?” Spiller asked late in the set.

Never has a more glam rock sentence been uttered, and that summed up their show.

Quinn XCII

Quinn XCII (pronounced “Quinn 92”) made a surprise appearance at BottleRock this year. That’s not to say he wasn’t scheduled—he was from the start—but just a few days ago, he canceled two shows on his doctor’s advice due to vocal cord issues.

“I wasn’t supposed to be here,” he said early in his set. “I fucked up my voice, but somehow it felt good today.”

That’s good news for his fans and the festival, but specifically good news for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. A regular attendee, Kittle has shown up all weekend with some of his teammates and was front and center for Quinn XCII’s performance. Mr. XCII noticed.

“I see George Kittle here,” he said. “What up, George?”

Quinn opened with “Common,” “A Letter To My Younger Self” and “Georgia Peach.” Two of the three included trumpet solos, which is not especially common in pop music but was very well executed by the trumpeter and keyboard player introduced as Nathan.

Some of the highlights were his song introductions. Quinn XCII dedicated “Straightjacket,” for example, to his high school girlfriend, because he believes to advance as a person you need shitty people in your life.

“I don’t think she is, but if she’s here, go fuck yourself,” he said.

The other highlight wasn’t Quinn at all, but Kittle. He was brought on stage mid-show to sing an appropriately Auto-Tuned rendition of Cher’s 1998 song “Believe.” Though he assured the crowd multiple times that he was heavily assisted by the voice modulator, if this whole football thing doesn’t work out he has a future in a Cher cover band.

Caamp

Ohio folk quartet Caamp brought intimacy to the main stage. Watching the band felt like being a fly on the wall of their studio or garage. The musical connection between the members was electric as they cranked out memorable folk songs heavy on harmony.

“How we doing, wine drinkers?” asked lead vocalist Taylor Meier, who wore a white floral button-up shirt. The crowd voiced its approval.

It was mostly all about the music, Meier wasting little time in keeping the momentum moving. The band eased into the performance, starting with raw, melodic material and slowly gaining steam to the more upbeat, electric songs.

With songs like “The Otter” and “Apple Tree Blues,” the group showcased its organic side, built on acoustic guitars, a banjo and stand-up bass. As the sun once again shone through the clouds, Meier recognized Caamp’s fortunate placement on the bill.

“I can’t tell you what an honor it is for everyone on this stage to play after Sheryl [Crow],” he said. “I only hope I can still sing like that when I’m up here.”

The group briskly moved through “Hey Joe” and bouncy, banjo-laden beats of “Common Man.”

Toward the end of the set, Meier hopped behind the drums for a spirited jam with the band, while still singing harmony.

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Christone Ingram, better known as Kingfish, may be the best living blues guitarist. He may be the best living guitarist overall. If you disagree, you probably didn’t see his set, or it would have changed your mind.

It was an absolute master class in the blues. His guitar was obviously the star—he’s primarily known as a guitar prodigy, making TV appearances at age 11 and performing for Michelle Obama at 15—but it was also a showcase for his songwriting and his seriously underrated singing voice.

He opened with “She Calls Me Kingfish,” from his most recent album, 2021’s 662. Perhaps a bit on the nose as an introduction, but if anyone cared, that ended at the guitar solo. Most festival crowds have groups of people having conversations, but this one spent the length of each song in rapt silence, the trance only breaking with the raucous applause at the end of each song.

While the early part of the set was traditional blues, Kingfish wasn’t afraid to have a message. “Another Life Goes By” was a plea to stop racist violence, and the emotion in his voice shone through and showed his range.

He’s been playing a long time, but with each of his two albums so far, he’s moved closer to the mainstream. This year, he played on the small Allianz stage, but if he comes back, the stage will likely be bigger.

Half*Alive

Just when you thought you had Half*Alive pinned down, the Long Beach indie rock trio quickly shifted to something very different. The band opened with “Tip Toes” and “The Fall.” The music was upbeat and energetic with frontman Josh Taylor playing things cool. He showed off his skills on guitar and keys.

The performance evolved with the band adding layer after layer. A pair of interpretive dancers joined the band on songs like “Brighton” and ‘80s pop-inspired tune “Back Around.”

“We passed this church on the way in, I think it was the Napa Valley church or something,” Taylor said. “All I could think is that communion must go OFF there.”

Taylor joined in on the choreography as the dancers stacked crates on the stage, changing their shape from song to song, offering a place for the band to play or the dancers to use as a platform. It was interesting watching Taylor casually stroll the stage, hands in pockets on one song and then launching into a fairly complicated choreography on the next. “What’s Wrong” culminated with him pulling off a backflip with the help of the dancers.

There was a drum solo/instrumental breakdown/ dance interlude with drummer Brett Kramer and bassist J Tyler Johnson joining in.

Thunderstorm Artis

Thunderstorm Artis—That’s the name of the singer-songwriter, not the band. As he explained, “My parents thought I was going to be twins and were going to name us Thunder and Storm, but I was just a fat baby.”

Artis opened the day at the Verizon stage. Best known as a finalist on “The Voice,” he leaned into that angle with a variety of covers, not just songs he performed on the show like his audition song “Blackbird” but Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” From his own catalog, he ranged from his first post-”Voice” single, “Surprise,” to his most recent, the Biblically inspired “Stand Up Eight.” Thunderstorm Artis also continued the “as seen on TV” trend with “Stronger,” a song he performed on the “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Wu-Tang Clan with Warren G and the Voltaggio Brothers at the culinary stage

The Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage hosted a 50th birthday party for hip-hop as chefs the Voltaggio Brothers served a series of dishes to Raekwon and Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan (celebrating their own 30th anniversary) and Warren G.

The food looked delicious, of course. The assembled rappers were wowed by deviled eggs and caviar, and handmade, gourmet Spaghetti-O’s. Those in the front found out how delicious the snapper was personally, as Warren G hopped off the stage to offer up leftovers. The creative highlight was the parmesan churros garnishing the Caesar salad.

None of the rappers were brought up to assist in cooking, with the exception of Warren G stepping up to regulate the application of his line of dry rubs and barbecue sauces to the wagyu short ribs. And speaking of puns: With the exception of creamsicle gin and juice and black olive dirt, despite the fact the “God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt” line wasn’t by either of the Wu-Tang members in attendance. There were so many missed opportunities. Creamed corn? Cream of mushroom soup?