For Those About To Rock

Show preview: BottleRock uncorks Plant, No Doubt, Imagine Dragons for 3rd installment

Former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant performs Saturday at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival. No Doubt and Imagine Dragons also headline. (Courtesy photo/Ed Sims)

After a rebuilding year in 2014, the BottleRock Napa Valley festival returns this weekend for its third installment.

Founding organizers hosted an ambitious but financially perilous first edition in 2013 that resulted in more than $9 million in debt. A new set of organizers, Latitude 38 Entertainment, swooped in late in 2013 to help resolve some of the debt as well as keep the Napa-based event alive.

That financially tumultuous past looks behind BottleRock as it enters its third year. Robert Plant, No Doubt and Imagine Dragons (right) headline a lineup of more than 70 artists for the festival’s third go-around, which takes place Friday through Sunday at the Napa Valley Expo.

Los Angeles pop rockers Imagine Dragons, whose “Radioactive” is one of the most-streamed songs in the history of streaming music service Spotify, top the bill for Friday. Also scheduled to appear are Foster the People, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Los Lobos, Public Enemy and Cage the Elephant.

Saturday’s headliner is Plant, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer as the former lead singer of English hard rock legends Led Zeppelin. Other performers that day include Passion Pit, The Avett Brothers, Capital Cities and Young the Giant.

No Doubt, the Anaheim-based pop, rock and ska quartet, closes the festival Sunday, along with Gipsy Kings, Snoop Dogg, Awolnation, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and American Authors.

The Avett Brothers are no strangers to BottleRock, stepping in as headliners during the 2013 festival after Furthur, a Grateful Dead offshoot with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, was unable to appear.

Among Friday’s performers is Cave Creek, Arizona-based rock/country group Ryan Sims Band, which closes the City Winery Stage at 7:15 p.m. Friday. The band’s singer and namesake (left) said that although they’re not as well-known as the other acts playing at that hour – hip-hop giants Public Enemy and Latin rockers Los Lobos – that he’s not intimidated.

“Honestly, we’re so different from those guys,” said Sims, who was a 2011 finalist on the “X Factor” TV show. “We understand we’re an emerging artist and people haven’t really heard a lot from us at this point. We’re bringing in our original material and we’re going to play some fun covers, too.”

Sims, whose self-titled debut album was released in January 2014, said the band concocted a 12-minute medley of Lynyrd Skynyrd songs to showcase its musicianship at BottleRock.

“We’re used to playing three- and four-hour shows every night, real off the cuff, feel the crowd out, see where the night takes us,” Sims said. “We’re proud to be on such a lineup.”

For this year’s festival, Latitude 38 had the longest period in the event’s history to sculpt a lineup. The group “literally began plans” for this year’s festival the day after the 2014 event concluded, according to its website. The first year’s five-night, four-day event came together across several months while L38 members had an approximate 40-day window last year.

Perhaps the biggest change festivalgoers will see this year comes in parking. Due to the redevelopment of the Napa Pipe area on the city’s southern end, busing fans across town is no longer a viable option. Parking passes are available via the festival’s website, which also recommends regional bus and shuttle services as well as carpooling, ride-sharing and bicycling.

Once inside the grounds, fans may notice three buildings were removed, according to the Bay Bridged, a move which also allows L38 to increase its possible maximum daily attendance from 30,000 to 40,000. Three-day general admission passes to the festival are sold out, but some single-day, VIP and “platinum” price points are still available.

Returning are the flavors of Napa and Northern California that make the region as well as the festival distinct. Among them this year are dishes from La Toque, Redd and Oenotri restaurants along with wines from Miner Family Winery, Jam Cellars, Silver Oak Cellars and Robert Mondavi Winery.

Also new this year is a culinary stage, which will pair chefs, musicians, vintners and sommeliers for live performances and demonstrations, including a promising mashup of hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg and "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto.

Read Nick's live tweets from the festival at @ndeciccodr. For more information, visit BottleRockNapaValley.com.

FIVE ACTS TO SEE

• Courtney Barnett – Intel Main Stage, 2:45 p.m. Friday: Australian indie rocker known for fiery live shows comes in riding “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit,” one of the year’s best albums to date.
• Xavier Rudd and the United Nations – Miner Family Stage, 5:45 p.m. Friday: Expect this Australian mutligenre musician to play reggae, roots rock, folk and the didgeridoo.
• Napa Crossroads Live – Miner Family Stage, 4:15 p.m. Saturday: Former Ambrosia singer David Pack leads an amalgamation of adult-oriented rock talent, including former members of Chicago, Kansas and Survivor.
• People Under the Stairs – Intel Main Stage, 1:30 p.m. Sunday: Los Angeles hip-hop duo “The P” has built a reputation as a stellar live act.
• Trampled by Turtles – Jam Cellars Stage, 5:15 p.m. Sunday: Bluegrass act from Minnesota will bring the fiddling goodness – and possibly Pixies covers.

Imagine Dragons photo courtesy Paradigm Talent Agency.
Ryan Sims photo courtesy RyanSimsMusic.com

Show review: Outside Lands Music Festival, 8.9.14

The Sutro Stage in Lindley Meadow is seen before the first act (top) and during Atmosphere's day-ending performance Saturday in Golden Gate Park for the seventh installment of the Outside Lands Music Festival.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers became the first act to headline the Outside Lands Music Festival twice with a set that showed any doubters why they were invited back.

Petty was the consummate performer, wowing the crowd with a pantheon of hits and favorites spanning four decades. The band was far less theatrical fare than day one headliner Kanye West, who wore masks throughout the performance and used a lighting palette that highlighted contrast.

Capping a day that was overcast, cool and misty, even material from the group’s latest effort, July’s Hypnotic Eye, played nice with the familiar work. “Shadow People” came late, but served as a rocking, spooky counterbalance to “Learning to Fly.”

Petty dropped his Bay Area knowledge on the crowd, too, paying tribute to the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, who died 19 years ago Saturday, with a cover of “Friend of the Devil.” He also recalled playing his night-closing “American Girl” for the first time at the since-demolished Keystone in Palo Alto in 1976.

Petty and the Heartbreakers had none of the issues with the sound system that forced an impromptu set break during their appearance at Outside Lands’ first installment in 2008.

One of the largest crowds in Sutro Stage history saw Minnesota hip-hop duo Atmosphere turn in a dynamic, day-ending set. With a crowd to rival those for Beck (2008), Foster the People (2011) and Alabama Shakes (2012) in the Lindley Meadow, Slug and Ant did not disappoint, giving a poignant yet danceable set that included such fan favorites as “Sunshine” and When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S*** Gold's “Yesterday.” Slug peppered his patter and rhymes with references to San Francisco and the festival, drawing strong reactions from a cold, weary crowd.

Atmosphere took the stage seconds after Death Cab for Cutie wrapped on the main stage. The Washingtonian indie pop rockers delivered a set that matched the weather, a dreary outing that favored the band’s most recent efforts, Codes and Keys and Narrow Stairs, over its classic material, although “Soul Meets Body” closed the set and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” popped up in the final half hour.

One of the day’s best sets came from Haim (right), Los Angeles’ trio of rocking sisters and drummer Dash Hutton. While Danielle Haim held court on the opening “Falling,” the girls showed their knowledge of rock history with “Oh Well,” a Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac cover. The sisters captured concertgoers both with their chops and their energetic stage presence.

Silver Lake’s Local Natives were one of Saturday’s biggest surprises. The sleepy indie folk rockers have not found the right formula in the studio yet, but their commitment to pouring energy into their show is respectable. On the day’s closing number, singer Ryan Hahn dove into the crowd as the band ratcheted up its intensity. However, Local Natives’ set didn’t stand out for its theatrics, but its passionate execution. The band also unveiled material from a forthcoming third album.

Australia’s John Butler Trio brought its roots rock to the Sutro Stage for a late afternoon performance. Lead by its charismatic, proud left wing namesake, the band cruised through new and familiar material, including its biggest hit to date, “Better Than.”

British power pop rock quartet The Kooks were an early afternoon performer on the main stage. Like Local Natives, the band used it as an opportunity to unveil new material, but closed with its biggest single to date, “Naive.”

Oakland indie rockers Tumbleweed Wanderers started the day on the Sutro Stage with a strong set. Of particular note was the bluesy “Roll With the Times,” which surged to a barnstorming finish. Singer/guitarist Jeremy Lyon recalled busking outside the festival years earlier, but played to a small crowd that largely stayed put for this performance.

Also early in the day on the Sutro Stage was Valerie June (left), a dreadlocked acoustic singer from Tennessee. While June was running on “Tennessee Time,” she also ate into the first few minutes of her set tuning her various instruments – one of which was a gas can turned into a guitar.

Rhode Island folk rockers Deer Tick played the Sutro Stage, but also played a mini-set during Death Cab’s performance in the Soundwave Tent. For the latter, a disco ball hung overhead and the band turned a 15-minute stop into a half-hour performance.

Day three recap should include The Killers, The Flaming Lips and Spoon …

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers setlist
01. So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star
02. Mary Jane’s Last Dance
03. American Dream Plan B
04. Into the Great Wide Open
05. Forgotten Man
06. I Won’t Back Down
07. Free Fallin’
08. Spike
09. Tweeter and the Monkey Man
10. U Get Me High
11. Rebels
12. Friend of the Devil
13. Learning to Fly
14. Shadow People
15. I Should Have Known It
16. Refugee
17. Runnin’ Down a Dream
18. You Wreck Me

Encore
19. American Girl

Death Cab for Cutie setlist
01. I Will Possess Your Heart
02. Crooked Teeth
03. We Laugh Indoors
04. Title and Registration
05. Doors Unlocked and Open
06. Long Division
07. Grapevine Fires
08. Codes and Keys
09. I Will Follow You Into the Dark
10. You Are a Tourist
11. The New Year
12. Cath …
13. Soul Meets Body

West, Petty, Killers headline sold-out Outside Lands festival

Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in 2011. Arctic Monkeys return to Outside Lands for a second time Friday night. (Daily Republic file photo)

Now in its seventh year, previous installments of the Outside Lands Music Festival have sold out of tickets in the days leading up to the event.

This year was a different story, however. Concertgoers gobbled up tickets speedily at every on-sale opportunity, leading to a festival that was sold out months in advance.

They bought in droves to flock this weekend to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to hear hip-hop sensation Kanye West, rock legends Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and dance rockers The Killers. They top a bill that, along with nearly 70 others, includes indie pop rockers Death Cab for Cutie, trance legend Tiësto and UK house duo Disclosure, which has one of the summer’s biggest hits with “Latch.”

The rapid sales owe, in some part, to the embrace of music festival attendance as a rite of passage for a generation of young Americans. It is telling that presale tickets to next year’s installment of Indio’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival have already sold out while the lineup isn’t expected until January 2015.

While Coachella is seen as a festival circuit juggernaut — many Southern Californians attend, but it draws a nationwide audience — Outside Lands continues to double down on what makes its host city special.

While it draws top-tier talent from around the globe, it cultivates local flavor in its choice of food, wine and beer vendors as well as on-stage talent. Among this year’s Bay Area acts performing are power pop rocker Mikal Cronin, hip-hop artist Watsky and bluegrass quintet The Brothers Comatose.

Although The Brothers Comatose will helm the festival’s smallest stage, singer and guitarist Ben Morrison, who lives near the park, said it’s a big deal for the band to be part of such a “cool and prestigious festival.”

“It’s kind of like, ‘What are we doing here?’ ” Morrison said. “We’re on the same bill as Flaming Lips, Tom Petty, Kanye West, Macklemore, Arctic Monkeys. … It’s awesome, but it’s a little bit jarring.”

The gig serves as a homecoming for The Brothers Comatose, which has traversed the nation this year playing gigs, supporting its second album, 2012’s Respect the Van.

Morrison said festivals attract some of The Brothers Comatose's (left) biggest crowds and he expects Outside Lands to be no exception. However, that doesn’t mean messing with what works. After months on the road, Morrison said he and his bandmates are “getting pretty tight as a band because we’ve been playing nonstop.”

“We just do what we do. It's cool,” he said. “The only thing that I would be concerned about is competing for people's attention or whatever because you want people to come and see you.”

When he’s not competing for their listening ears, Morrison said he’s looking forward to the diversity offered between all of the stages, a tapestry of genres available to sample, which can lead fans to try new things, something in keeping with the spirit of the host city.

“It brings together people of all different kinds of cultures and musical tastes,” he said. “A festival is a really great, no-pressure way for people to check out new music.”

While Outside Lands brings together a plethora of musicians representing a variety of genres, the sold-out crowd will see the introduction of the Gastromagic Stage, which is said to combine music, food, drink and magic. Esquire Network’s Sip & Shave area will allow attendees to have their facial hair trimmed on site.

A Janis Joplin tribute is scheduled for Friday afternoon featuring country artist Kacey Musgraves, roots rocker Nicki Bluhm and Mary Bridget Davies, a Tony Award nominee for her performance as the late, gravel-voiced blues singer in the Broadway musical “A Night With Janis Joplin.”

Return festivalgoers and first-timers will find familiar installations as well, such as the comedy tent The Barbary with this year’s headliners, Lewis Black and Aisha Tyler; The House by Heineken DJ dome, including sets by Green Velvet, Gorgon City and DJ Icey; and more than 70 Bay Area eateries, 30 wineries, 30 brewing companies in Beer Lands and outsider art installations.

For the uninitiated, dressing in layers and comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes is recommended. Parking in the area is difficult, so use of public transportation is suggested.

To see tweets, pics and Vines from the festival, follow @ndeciccodr. For more information about the festival, visit SFOutsideLands.com.

BottleRock's future bright; 'Orange Is the New Black' returns; Allison Tolman shines in 'Fargo'

Rivers Cuomo of Weezer plays the Toshiba Stage Saturday at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival in Napa. (Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic)

Last weekend’s BottleRock Napa Valley festival looks like an almost complete success.

Early reports are that more than 80,000 came to this year's second installment of the Napa music, wine and food festival during its three days. Last year's event was beleaguered by debt, topping $9 million, before Latitude 38 Entertainment took it over in January.

Latitude 38 CEO Dave Graham said earlier this week that 95 percent of this year's vendors are already paid, including the stage hands who handled both years.

While the 2013 event operated with a small window to book performers — working in earnest for about 60 days with some preliminary work in the months preceding it — the Latitude 38 crew had just 40 days to put together this year’s lineup, which included British gothic rockers The Cure, Atlanta hip-hop legends OutKast and North Carolina country singer Eric Church.

That meant taking what they could get, which brought a number of bands whose biggest success came in the 1990s, such as Gin Blossoms, Third Eye Blind, Spin Doctors and Smash Mouth. It also opened the door for budding talent such as Denver hard rockers Dog Day King, Kentucky cello rocker Ben Sollee and Greece-based chillwave artists Keep Shelly in Athens.

While some were shocked to see the festival pull the plug on both The Cure and Heart to enforce a 10 p.m. noise curfew, the biggest knot for festival organizers to untangle is the shuttle debacle from the festival’s second and most-attended day. A throng of thousands created a bottleneck at BottleRock’s exits, leading some fans to wait more than an hour to get on a bus to get to their car in the Napa Pipe parking lot at the south end of the city, 3.5 miles away. Several concertgoers hoofed it rather than waiting.

However, logistical issues such as this are rosier problems for Latitude 38 than having to put salve on financial burns.

Graham and company have set their sights on a third installment for 2015. One wonders what BottleRock will look like when it is not besieged with financial burdens and given an entire year to book talent.

Signs thus far point to a bright future for a festival that as recently as six months ago looked like a one-and-done experience.

Back in 'Black'

Today marks the return of Netflix’s original series “Orange Is the New Black,” a prison comedy/drama that dazzled audiences last summer thanks to the breakthrough performance of Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman.

The second season has an impressive bar to clear to match the first, especially considering one of its primary antagonists, Alex Vause, played by Laura Prepon, will appear in just four of this year’s 13 episodes.

Many are discussing how they will view it. After my single-day binge viewing of last year’s fourth season of “Arrested Development,” a word to the wise: Pace yourself. A season of television is a marathon, not a sprint and if the second season of “Orange Is the New Black” is anything like the first, it’s one to be savored and enjoyed slowly, not devoured in one weekend.

'Fargo' is good, too, ya?

FX’s “Fargo” has turned out to be one of the best surprises on the small screen this spring. While its cast is impressive — Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Bob Odenkirk, Keith Carradine — its secret weapon is Allison Tolman, a heretofore unknown Texan actress playing leading lady Molly Solverson.

Tolman is the series’ analog to the 1996 film of same name’s Margie Gunderson, the whip-smart detective who puts the pieces together in the big case better than anyone.

The series would be a disaster without someone sympathetic at its core and that's where Tolman comes in. She makes Solverson smart without being obnoxious and sweet without being a doormat. She's made “Fargo” and Molly must-watch TV with only two episodes left.

Show review: BottleRock Napa Valley, 6.1.14

LL Cool J performs Sunday at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival in Napa.

NAPA — A diverse cast spanning multiple nations and genres of music brought the second installment of the BottleRock Napa Valley festival to a close Sunday at the Napa Valley Exposition.

North Carolina country star Eric Church delivered just the right mix of country rock to end 30 hours of music throughout the weekend. Given his songs about chemical indulgence — “I’m Gettin’ Stoned,” “Drink in My Hand” and “Jack Daniels” all came midway through his 90-minute headlining slot — he fit right at home in the Napa valley.

“I’ve played a lot of places that were pretty tough, pretty shaky,” Church told the crowd. “Napa valley ain’t one of ‘em.”

Church had the unenviable position of following a diabolical set from LL Cool J and DJ Z-Trip which was one of the weekend’s highlights. LL (right) not only had a pantheon of hits for the crowd, but delivered them with swagger and passion, using every inch of the stage available to him. After a 10-minute warm up set from Z-Trip, LL emerged from within the stage and launched into his 1990 smash “Mama Said Knock You Out.” Later came such hip-hop classics as “I Need Love,” “Doin’ It,” “Rock the Bells” and, appropriately, “Goin’ Back to Cali.”

LL and Z-Trip, too, in the fashion of the day, mixed and matched styles and tastes, singing the late Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” as well as Run-D.M.C.’s “It’s Tricky,” but also threw down rhymes to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” to help the crowd prepare for Church.

Closing the Miner Family Winery Stage was Deerhunter, Atlanta’s fuzzy, buzzy noise rockers, another of the day’s standouts. The band’s opening effort approached the 20-minute mark, escalating its neo-psychedelia into a higher dimension. Though playing to a small crowd, the band was an excellent alternative to the main stage offering of Church. “Desire Lines” and “Helicopter” came together later in the set, according to a fellow critic.

Canadian pop rockers Barenaked Ladies delivered on the day’s best-attended sets, punctuated near its end by a guest appearance from Blues Traveler frontman John Popper. The harmonica-playing singer took departed BNL co-lead singer Steven Page’s role on “If I Had $1000000.”

Though the band loses some of its panache without the goofy interplay between Page and singer Ed Robertson, the latter still makes for an engaging stage presence thanks to his humorous freestyle raps. One rap Sunday was about eating lunch with a woman at BottleRock who bit into a piece of fried chicken and chomped the paper it was served in along with it.

Popper, whose band performed Saturday, also appeared to provide punch to “About a Train” and “Two Princes” during an hourlong main stage set from New Jersey rockers Spin Doctors (left). The band cribbed from all eras of its career, including last year’s If the River Was Whiskey. The band was bluesier than its one massive hit might lead concertgoers to suspect, with a number of Whiskey efforts, including “Some Other Man Instead,” showing the band has depth. It has not forgotten its past, however. “Remember the nerd with the hat? That dude was me,” joked singer Chris Barron.

Denver piano rockers The Fray closed down the midsize Sprint Stage. Singer Isaac Slade recalled his days working in a coffee shop when he would schedule open mikes and be the only performer, but said despite the group’s rise, he could “still make a damned good cappuccino.” Near the conclusion of the set came the band’s breakthrough 2006 hit “Over My Head (Cable Car),” with Slade strutting atop the speaker rack in front of the stage to entice the crowd.

The early end of the day on the main stage bowed to San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees and The Stone Foxes. Each delivered one of the day’s best sets, with Stone Foxes playing fiery and impassioned despite their whimsical banter. Thee Oh Sees took extended forays into heavy psychedelic rock, including the barn burning “Toe Cuttter / Thumb Buster” from last year’s Floating Coffin LP.

Former Ambrosia frontman and Napa Valley resident David Pack played an early afternoon set on the Sprint Stage. With many of the festival’s performers catering to the 40-and-under set, Pack reminded BottleRockers of his pedigree, which included writing Jack Wagner’s 1985 hit “All I Need.” Pack moved from electric guitar to acoustic to keyboards and spanned his career, playing “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” from 1975’s Ambrosia debut to this year’s Napa Crossroads project.

Greece-based chillwave artists Keep Shelly in Athens (right) unveiled new vocalist Myrtha in the artist's first U.S. appearance since Sarah P.'s January departure. Keep Shelly blanketed the Sprint Stage crowd with warm, woolly basslines and Myrtha’s singing, which quieted to a dangerous whisper for “Struggle With Yourself.”

Bay Area alternative rockers Camper Van Beethoven played a strident, hourlong set on the Sprint Stage that covered Black Flag as well as The Clash. The band uncorked new material from an LP dropping Tuesday and closed with its signature cut, “Take the Skinheads Bowling.”

Washingtonian singer Noah Gundersen opened the day on the Sprint Stage with low-key singer/songwriter musings from February’s debut LP, Ledges. Along with the title track, Gundersen played “Cigarettes,” which focused on substance abuse.

Napa Valley’s The Silverado Pickups mixed covers and originals during its stint on the Miner stage, opening with a spirited take on The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.” The band also uncorked material from a forthcoming debut LP.

A repeat performer from last year, Ray Bertolino and the Forget Me Nots started the day on the Miner stage. For one song, Bertolino hopped the rail to sit, mingle and walk among audience members (left). Bertolino said the gig was the group’s first since beginning work on its forthcoming Butterfly Town album.

Barenaked Ladies setlist
Limits / Never Is Enough / Pinch Me / “Start Making Out” freestyle / The Old Apartment / Gonna Walk / Keepin’ it Real / Blame it on Me / “Real Paper Rap” freestyle / Brian Wilson / Did I Say That Out Loud? / Easy / Odds Are / The History of Everything (The Big Bang Theory Theme) / One Week / If I Had $1000000

Spin Doctors setlist
What Time Is It? / Traction Blues / Off My Line / Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong / Freeway of the Plains / If the River Was Whiskey / Some Other Man Instead / Pocket Full of Kryptonite / About a Train / Two Princes

Edited 6.2.14 7:35 a.m.

Show review: BottleRock Napa Valley, 5.31.14

OutKast begins its set Saturday at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival with "B.O.B." The pair is celebrating its 20th year with a slate of appearances at festivals.

NAPA — Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast topped off a stellar second day at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

Though dormant for much of the past decade, the Georgian pair is celebrating its 20th year with a string of festival dates nationwide this summer, including BottleRock, where it helped bring more than an estimated 30,000 concertgoers Saturday to the Napa Valley Exposition.

André 3000 and Big Boi took the stage after a 15-minute delay, the duo unveiled inside a tall, transparent cube at center stage. While Big Boi wore black, red and white garb, including a Chicago Bulls hat, Three Stacks wore a platinum white wig along with a black jumpsuit with the words "I've never had F@cebook Twitt@r or Inst@gram." Additionally, part of his wardrobe included a purchase tag that said "For sale" on one side and "Sold out" on another.

As to his performance, 3K looked more engaged than he did during the first week of the Coachella Festival in April. Though each member took a three-song mini-set in a nod to the two-men-enter-one-album-leaves format of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Three Stacks' brought the momentum to a crawl with “She Lives in My Lap” and “Prototype” before unearthing one of the biggest hits of the 21st century thus far in “Hey Ya!”

The final hour, which rolled the clock back to '94 for a sprint through several Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik tracks, kept the momentum going into a strong finish.

While OutKast closed the main stage, classic rockers Heart closed down the Sprint Stage, including an encore set that saw the Wilson sisters get fans as close as they are ever likely to come to seeing Led Zeppelin classics performed by a band from that era. “Immigrant Song," "Rain Song" and "Misty Mountain Hop" mingled with closer “Crazy on You,” Ann Wilson’s voice still a commanding presence as she nears her 64th birthday later this month.

The vibe on the main stage for much of the afternoon was revisiting ‘90s rock, including an hourlong dinnertime set from Weezer (right), which didn’t have to dig deep to find a trove of material. “Hash Pipe,” “Island in the Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Dope Nose” “Say it Ain’t So,” “Pork and Beans” and “Undone – The Sweater Song” filled much of the hour. Audio cut out for most of the band’s first song, “My Name Is Jonas,” but kicked back in before the tune’s conclusion. In a fitting inclusion given the vibe of the afternoon, singers River Cuomo and percussionist Patrick Wilson swapped roles for a cover of Blur’s 1997 hit “Song 2.”

San Francisco rockers Third Eye Blind mined its fruitful ’90s period during its main stage stay as well. Lead singer Stephan Jenkins kept the crowd engaged, strutting out to the wings of the stage and into the audience to help engage fans. Despite lacking a bonafide hit during the past decade, 3EB played it like pros, even when microphone stand issues plagued Jenkins on “Graduate.” 3EB, too, ticked off hits – “Jumper,” “Never Let You Go,” “Semi-Charmed Life” — but the most surprising inclusion was an acoustic reading of Beyoncé’s “Mine.”

Earlier in the day, on the festival’s smallest stage, another Bay Area group, The Soft White Sixties, burned through a set of soul rock that was as hot as the sunny weather. Charismatic singer Octavio Genera (left) delivered strut and swagger to “Up to the Light” and “I Ain’t Your Mother” from the band’s recently released debut LP, Get Right.

Early in the day, Santa Cruz’s Cracker helmed the main stage, delivering its hit “Low” early in its set. Guitarist Johnny Hickman was given ample opportunity to shine, including on the single “Gimme One More Chance.”

Los Angeles’ experimental noise rockers No Age brought their two-man fuzz fest to the Miner Family Winery Stage in mid afternoon. Guitarist Randy Randall delivered the extra kick to make “Glitter” an inescapable highlight.

Opposite Cracker early in the day was Las Vegas-based hard rock outfit Dog Day King, which numbered among the heaviest acts in the BottleRock history. First-day performer Sielle joined the band late in its set for a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” which nestled among DDK originals such as “Bleed the Stone.”

Return Monday for coverage from the third and final day, including highlights from LL Cool J and Deerhunter.

OutKast setlist
B.O.B. / Gasoline Dreams / ATLiens / Skew it on the Bar-B / Rosa Parks / Da Art of Storytellin’ Pt. 1 / Aquemini / SpottieOttieDopaliscious / Ms. Jackson / Big Boi mini-set: Kryptonite / Ghettomusick / The Way You Move / Andre mini-set: She Lives in My Lap / Prototype / Hey Ya! / Outkast: Hootie Hoo / Crumblin’ Erb / Player’s Ball / Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik / Elevators (Me and You) / Roses / So Fresh So Clean / Int'l Player's Anthem (I Choose You) / The Whole World

Weezer setlist
My Name Is Jonas / Hash Pipe / Perfect Situation / Troublemaker / Island in the Sun / Beverly Hills / Dope Nose / Surf Wax America / Say it Ain’t So / I Want You To / Pork and Beans / Photograph / Song 2 / Encore: Undone – The Sweater Song / Buddy Holly

Third Eye Blind setlist
Narcolepsy / Never Let You Go / Wounded / Graduate / Back to Zero / Mine / Losing a Whole Year / Water Landing / Drum solo / Semi-Charmed Life / Rites of Passage / Jumper

Edit: Updated 6.1.14 at 9:01 a.m. with Kryptonite and Int'l Players Anthem in OutKast set and more Led Zeppelin titles for Heart.

BottleRock bounces back from financial brink for second installment

FAIRFIELD — When Napa-born businessman Dave Graham watched The Black Keys at last year’s inaugural BottleRock Napa Valley festival, he had no idea that he would run the show one year later.

In fact, without Graham and his business partners (right) — pictured, from left to right, with partners Joe Fischer, Jason Scoggins, Graham and Justin Dragoo, who comprise Latitude 38 Entertainment — there would be no BottleRock festival this year.

The three-day music, wine and food festival returns Friday through Sunday to the Napa Valley Exposition with English alternative rockers The Cure, reunited Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast and North Carolina country singer Eric Church headlining a roster of more than 60 performers.

During the past year, the festival’s future fell into question after months of financial fallout. Debt for BR Festivals Inc., which produced the 2013 installment, ballooned to more than $9 million to various creditors, including the city of Napa, stagehands, vendors and more, according to bankruptcy court documents filed in February.

While concert industry powerhouses such as AEG Live, Live Nation and Another Planet Entertainment expressed varying degrees of interest in taking over, as deadlines loomed to make a 2014 installment possible, Graham and his cohorts came into the picture.

The quartet formed Latitude 38 Entertainment, named after one of Napa’s axis coordinates. The Napans took over the festival with a combination of cash and converting BR Festivals’ debt into equity, eliminating $4.3 million in dues to control the name and other assets, said Graham, Latitude 38’s CEO.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Graham said. “Most people thought we couldn’t pull it off given the baggage.”

Graham, whose business experience includes building startups, said Latitude 38 made three promises to officials who run the Napa Expo, host site for the festival, as well as to the community: Help to eliminate the debt, retain a Napa spirit and commit to a 2014 installment.

The final promise, Graham said, is what distinguished Latitude 38 from other proposals, many of which he said looked to postpone a second event until 2015, after bankruptcy proceedings ended.

“No one was willing to take on that obligation,” Graham said. “People don’t realize that the festival wasn’t going to happen in 2014 unless we stepped up and did it. The festival wasn’t going to happen this year. ... A lot of the interested parties didn’t want to deal with the debt situation. We were the only ones willing to stand up and make a bad situation less bad.”

Doing so presented Graham and his cohorts with the challenge of untangling the financial knots of the 2013 festival while simultaneously raising funds, building a team and preparing for the realities of this weekend’s installment.

“We realized really quickly that everything was going to need to be done in parallel,” Graham said. “It has been seven days a week since November.”

With the deal finalized in January, Latitude 38 had just more than 40 days to pull together a lineup. Joining The Cure, OutKast and Eric Church (left) are artists such as Weezer, TV on the Radio, LL Cool J, The Fray and Heart.

Northern California talent is on the lineup card, too, including San Francisco's Third Eye Blind as well as The Soft White Sixties, San Jose's Smash Mouth and Santa Cruz's Camper Van Beethoven.

Booking artists proved complicated due to the small time frame as well as “radius clauses,” contractual stipulations that limit when and where artists already booked for other events can perform.

“This year was really difficult for us,” Graham said. “The industry doesn’t know us. They don’t trust us. All they know is BottleRock owes people money.”

Part of the process involved going to creditors owed money from last year’s promoters and convincing them to continue doing business with the BottleRock brand.

“We did feel bad about what happened,” Graham said. “In the beginning, it took two to six conversations for it to understandably compute.”

Eventually, Graham said, many of them came around. He remains hopeful this year’s event can restore faith in the BottleRock name, but said he thinks many concert goers will attend this year’s festival unaware of the financial drama.

“We knew there was possibility for the brand and we knew there was a possibility to pull this thing off,” he said. “We do have a vision for the future. We’re not paying attention to that vision until we pull this off. On June 2, we’ll start talking about that.”

For more information on tickets, a complete lineup, set times, hotel reservations and more, visit BottleRockNapaValley.com.

Follow Nick's updates from the festival grounds throughout the weekend on Twitter @ndeciccodr.

Latitude 38 Entertainment photo courtesy Jason Tinacci. Eric Church photo courtesy Townsquare Media.

Showtime: Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park, 8.11.13

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis sings "Otherside" Sunday night at the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Los Angeles' famed funk rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers closed the 2013 installment of the Outside Lands Music Festival Sunday night with a quality performance.

It wasn't drenched in nostalgia as Paul McCartney was Friday night or had spookiness added by Mother Nature like Saturday night's Nine Inch Nails gig. It was just straight rockin'.

That was the vibe Sunday for most stages as a weary crowd felt exhaustion beginning to set in.

The set focused primarily on the eras when John Frusciante and current ax man Josh Klinghoffer wielded the guitar. Klinghoffer's stage presence lives somewhere between Frusciante's mellow vibe and Flea's constant movement.

In a set filthy with recognizable hits from the past 20 years, it was obscurity "I Could Have Lied" which arrived with arresting beauty. Klinghoffer and singer Anthony Kiedis were in lock step on the contemplative number.

"Californication" mushroomed from its moody intro into a full-bodied beast while "Under the Bridge" got a jam packed Polo Field in singalong mode.

After NIN came back haunted and McCartney got the crowd feeling reflective, RHCP decided to send everyone away floating — to give it away now.

Willie Nelson and Family
Sons Lukas and Micah joined Willie Nelson for a 90-minute appearance on the Sutro Stage.

According to a fellow music scribe, Nelson closed with "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" as well as had a guest appearance by Bob Weir on a cover of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)."

The 80-year-old legend delivered the classics, too, including "On the Road Again," "Georgia on My Mind" and "Night Life."

Vampire Weekend
Despite the murky, overcast day, Vampire Weekend was relentless and cheerful, delivering a fun set.

Material from May's Modern Vampires of the City merged into the set well, with "Unbelievers" and "Diane Young" nuzzling comfortably against early work such as "A-Punk" and "Oxford Comma."

Their show got a tired crowd on its feet and dancing and, at the end of the third day, that's about as positive a sign as a band can get.

Hall & Oates
Philadelphia blue-eyed soul duo Daryl Hall and John Oates brought their hits for a Polo Field crowd that ate up their stand on the main stage.

The songs were more full-bodied than fans may remember, with horns supplementing to add flavor to "Rich Girl" or "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)."

Also, taking an encore break when only having an hour to perform was a curious choice for a midday act, even one with a history as deep as Hall & Oates.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
One of Sunday's big winners was Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, which stuck the landing on a celebration of jazz in all the forms it has inspired.

Surprising were the covers, which included Bay Area juggernaut Green Day's "Brain Stew" as well as — what is this? — 50 Cent's "Magic Stick," according to fellow music scribes. Yeah, it was like that.

The set was a celebratory, boozy mix of whatever it wanted, sounding like a perfect representation of the group's home city of NOLA.

Kurt Vile and the Violators
Philadelphia's Kurt Vile and the Violators rode into the Sutro Stage on the strength of Wakin on a Pretty Daze, one of the top releases of 2013, balancing the glassy dreamscape of the songs with a rock twinge.

"Wakin on a Pretty Day" was an early highlight, as was "KV Crimes," which turned up the low end for a bit of boogie.

The Violators provided exemplar support, bolstering Vile's songwriting with fills and flourishes.

Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven had a first-time drummer in tow for its 45-minute set on the Sutro Stage.

The Santa Cruz band's set included its signature song, "Take the Skinheads Bowling." Much of their outing focused on January's La costa perida, including "Too High for the Love-In," on which singer David Lowery asks multiple times for someone to make him a sandwich.

Dumpstaphunk
The third and final day kicked off on the main stage with Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk. It was a funky, jazzy gig, setting up Trombone Shorty later.

The Mardi Gras vibe extended between songs, with band members throwing beads to the crowd. "Meanwhile" was both danceable and poignant, with Ivan Neville singing about the post-Katrina state of his hometown.

Setlists
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 1. Jam > / 2. Can't Stop / 3. Dani California / 4. Otherside / 5. Look Around / 6. Snow ((Hey Oh)) / 7. She's Only 18 / 8. Right on Time / 9. Universally Speaking / 10. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie / 11. Higher Ground / 12. Under the Bridge / 13. Ethiopia / 14. Californication / 15. By the Way || Encore: 16. Jam / 17. Around the World / 18. I Could Have Lied / 19. Give it Away.

Vampire Weekend: 1. Cousins / 2. White Sky / 3. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa / 4. Diane Young / 5. Step / 6. Holiday / 7. Unbelievers / 8. Horchata / 9. Everlasting Arms / 10. A-Punk / 11. Ya Hey / 12. Campus / 13. Oxford Comma / 14. Giving Up the Gun / 15. Hannah Hunt / 16. One (Blake's Got a New Face) / 17. Walcott

Hall & Oates
: 1. Out of Touch / 2. Family Man / 3. Say it Isn't So / 4. She's Gone / 5. Sara Smile / 6. Maneater / 7. I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) || Encore: 8. Rich Girl / 9. You Make My Dreams

Showtime: Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park, 8.10.13

Trent Reznor sings "Copy of A" to start Saturday night's show at the Outside Lands Music Festival.

Nine Inch Nails
Some artists should never return from hiatus.

Nine Inch Nails is not one of them.

Trent Reznor and his band proved it Saturday night at Outside Lands Music Festival, rising to a sublime level of spookiness under a blanket of mist and fog.

It capped a day that was one of my single favorite experiences at Outside Lands, each artist's performance piling on the previous into an upward swirl of oneupmanship.

It also gave NIN a chance to show off material from Hesitation Marks, the group's eighth LP due early next month.

Reznor started off the show with three cuts from the new slab, "Copy of A," "Disappointed" and a roaring "Came Back Haunted." Reznor and band were lit in pulses of light, casting stories-tall shadows on canvases behind them.

Later came "Something I Can Never Have," with purple lights hanging limp against Karl the Fog.

NIN sprinkled songs from throughout the artist's career, but the end run was a cannon shot, pushing through "Only," "The Hand That Feeds," "Head Like a Hole" and the customary closer, "Hurt."

It was a command performance that showed while that McCartney fella from Friday night may have a back catalog few can match, mystique can go a long way to making a show unforgettable.

Grizzly Bear
Brooklyn psychedelic folk group Grizzly Bear delivered much of its material from Shields during its stint on the Twin Peaks Stage, feeling strong despite their quiet, intimate nature.

It was a delicate balance to find for a festival audience. Going too soft is assured alienation, but making it too heavy risks puncturing the intended mood.

Grizzly Bear made it work, however, with a well-selected set. The piano at the heart of "A Simple Answer" made it a spectacle, a rolling melody that projected magnitude as well as sincerity. "Knife," a track from Yellow House, nestled easily among the Shields stuff, making them spiritual cousins.

Big hit "Two Weeks" wasn't saved for the finale, but it nearly broke the spell of the husky overcast performance.

The Tallest Man on Earth
Swedish singer/songwriter The Tallest Man on Earth opened with a rousing "King of Spain" and went from there.

Kristain Matsson was hypnotic during his 50-minute spell on the Sutro Stage, changing guitars to deliver a tight, focused dinnertime set.

On "Where Do My Bluebird Fly," Tallest Man had the crowd eating out of his hand as the solemnity made Lindley Meadow feel like a living room.

He closed his set with a cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland" that felt like an unusual choice, but paid tribute to an artist whose inspiration can be heard in Tallest Man's originals.

Jurassic 5
Los Angeles hip hop sextet Jurassic 5 called it a day back in 2007, but the group's reunion sprint landed them on the main stage Saturday in full celebration mode.

Bass rattled the nearby ocean as J5 dropped some of its best — "Quality Control" and "Concrete Schoolyard" were back to back in the middle of the set.

"Freedom," which came in the later half of the set, was dedicated to Trayvon Martin and Oscar Grant.

DJ Cut Chemist put his spin on "Harlem Shake," a curious selection as Baauer was on the Twin Peaks Stage at the same time.

J5 finished strong, with a stretch that included "Freedom," "Jurass Finish First" and "What's Golden."

Young the Giant
The sun made its last appearance during the day for Young the Giant, which brought energy and enthusiasm during its 50-minute stop at the main stage.

The indie rockers from Newport Beach played to a large crowd that ran deep as fans rolled out their blankets to catch what little bit of sun might peak through the clouds.

The group wrapped with "My Body," which was as explosive and triumphant live as it is on the group's self-titled 2011 debut album.

James McCartney
James McCartney dropped Neil Young's "Old Man" into his set, a choice with resonance considering the tour de force his father had a night earlier on the main stage — "Old man, take a look at my life. I'm a lot like you."

McCartney played unaccompanied in his stand on the Panhandle Stage, rolling mostly through originals including "Life's a Pill" and "Butterlfy" from Me, his debut album in May.

Gary Clark Jr.
Gary Clark Jr. did his own soundcheck, walked off stage and right back to produce an incendiary set of blues rock.

The Texas-born Clark was on fire as he strutted to the lip of stage, showing off his guitar chops with big, bold moves across the fret board. And that was just on the first song.

The Soft White Sixties
Hometown group The Soft White Sixties were confident during their day-opening stanza on the main stage, with singer Octavio Genera dancing, moving and getting the crowd into it.

The four piece was a cocktail of blues, R&B and rock that gelled. The group closed its set with a song that incorporated bits of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well."

Bhi Bhiman
Missouri-born Bhi Bhiman wore his heart on his sleeve in his day-opening slot on the Sutro Stage, including an arresting "It's Cold Out Here," written for his mother about her fight with cancer.

Yeasayer: Late show
Yeasayer's late-night act was the cherry on an Outside Lands sundae, turning The Independent into a club with disco balls, flashing lights and thumping bass. "Henrietta" came early and "Ambling Alp" arrived near the conclusion for a finish to an exceptional day.

Setlists
Nine Inch Nails: 1. Copy of A / 2. Disappointed / 3. Came Back Haunted / 4. 1,000,000 / 5. March of the Pigs / 6. Something I Can Never Have / 7. Reptile / 8. Terrible Lie / 9. Burn / 10. Closer / 11. Gave Up / 12. Help Me I Am in Hell / 13. The Warning / 14. Find My Way / 15. The Way Out is Through / 16. Wish / 17. Only / 18. The Hand That Feeds / 19. Head Like a Hole || Encore: 20. Hurt

Grizzly Bear: 1. Speak in Rounds / 2. Adelma / 3. Sleeping Ute / 4. Yet Again / 5. Knife / 6. A Simple Answer / 7. Ready, Able / 8. While You Wait for the Others / 9. On a Neck, On a Spit / 10. Two Weeks / 11. Half Gate / 12. Sun in Your Eyes

The Tallest Man on Earth: 1. King of Spain / 2. Love is All / 3. 1904 / 4. I Won't Be Found / 5. The Gardener / 6. Leading Me Now / 7. Where Do My Bluebird Fly / 8. Burden of Tomorrow / 9. Criminals / 10. Wind and Walls / 11. The Wild Hunt / 12. Graceland

Outside Lands festival outlasts its opposition

Roll up for the mystery tour.

When Paul McCartney (right), Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers and nearly 100 more musicians and comedians roll into Golden Gate Park this weekend for the sixth Outside Lands, it stands as a testament to the festival's longevity.

When it began in 2008, it was one of several festivals to pop up nationwide that year, including All Points West in New Jersey, Mile High Music Festival in Colorado and Rothbury Festival in Michigan.

Fast-forward six years and the annual event in San Francisco is the last of that batch still playing. 2013 marks the third consecutive sellout after a lean 2010 installment.

The three-day festival returns Friday, Saturday and Sunday to Golden Gate Park. Along with McCartney, NIN and RHCP is an eclectic mix of performers that includes synth pop rockers (Phoenix), electronic dance music (Pretty Lights, Kaskade), jazz (Trombone Shorty), funk (Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk), indie rock (The National, Vampire Weekend), country (Willie Nelson), hip hop (Jurassic 5) and more.

According to Rick Farman, a co-promoter and co-founder of the festival with Superfly Presents, the festival's longevity is owed to embracing the Bay Area. This year features 61 local restaurants, 36 Bay Area wineries and 16 breweries.

"From the stage names being different areas of the city, to the food component of it, the wine component of it, (we are) really making sure that we are localizing every aspect," Farman said. "People in San Francisco and the Bay Area, they are consumers that know when it’s done half-(expletive). They know when it’s not authentic."

Comedian Jeffrey Ross, who participated in the last 10 episodes of "Comedy Central Roast," will deliver a verbal berating to the city of San Francisco, adding to the hometown flavor.

"I've been living in California, so I know a lot about the government and the medical marijuana laws," he said. "I assume my audience is going to be very stoned, so I intend to take my time and cut deep."

Ross is part of a cast of comedians that includes Craig Robinson, Maria Bamford, Wyatt Cenac and Eugene Mirman at the festival's comedy tent, The Barbary.

At the heart of it all, however, is the music.

Among the more than 80 musical acts this year are Daryl Hall & John Oates, famous for their string of No. 1 singles in the late 1970s and early 1980s such as "Rich Girl," "Private Eyes" and "Maneater."

Oates (left), who also is slated to perform at the Sunday night Superjam at The Independent with Jon Cleary and Dumpstaphunk, said part of the success of festivals such as Outside Lands is that modern music fans come into the festival with an open mind.

"I think that the younger (generation), who by and large supports festivals like Outside Lands and Bonnaroo and everything, they really are just pure music lovers," he said. "They’re the people who go out of their way to take out three or four days out of their life and camp out and get down and dirty and really just immerse themselves in the music experience. And that’s the kind of audience that I would love to have, you know, and that’s the audience that we do have."

Oates said while some bands have an '80s sensibility — including the festival's Foals, Chromatics and unofficial fourth headliner Phoenix — they also make it their own.

"A lot of contemporary bands that have kind of an '80s sensibility when it comes to pop, but I don’t think they really sound like the '80s, and that’s what’s cool about them," Oates said. "They are using elements and kind of things that kind of give it that pop '80s feel but they do it in a more modern way."

Other surprises are in store, too. Colorado's Pretty Lights, which plays Friday at the same time as McCartney, has planned an interactive component with the smartphone app for the festival. Surprises are de rigueur at the festival, from the colorful members of the crowd, to last year's impromptu performance in the woods by Jack White (right).

One late lineup change is the cancellation of neo-soul giant D'Angelo, who was hospitalized earlier this week. Taking his place is Chic, the disco funk group featuring guitarist Nile Rodgers.

Although Pretty Lights plans a spectacle, Ross said he is looking forward to Macca's performance.

"I think that the Paul McCartney show will be amazing," Ross said. "I hope he does 'Jumping Jack Flash.' Is that one of his?"

If you go ...
Dress in layers — much like the fest's 2012 installment, the weather forecast looks like a cool one.

Can't make it? Watch the multichannel festival stream at www.ustream.tv/OutsideLands.

Here are five acts to check out this weekend:

Jurassic 5 — Despite splitting in 2007, the Los Angeles hip hop group is holdin' on to what's golden. The group reunited for a sparse few appearances this year, including a return at April's multiweekend Coachella Music Festival.

Kurt Vile and the Violators — Philadelphia-born indie rocker arrives behind one of the year's strongest albums in Wakin on a Pretty Daze.

Gary Clark Jr. — Hailing from Austin, Texas, Clark is a guitar wizard who stole the show in his opening slot at last year's Bridge School Benefit. Seeing him plugged in promises extra fireworks.

Pretty Lights — Playing at the same time as McCartney makes this a hard sell, but the interactive cellphone app spectacular could be a one-of-a-kind moment.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue — Featured in HBO's "Tremé," Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Orleans Avenue are known for their energetic, funky live performances.

Paul McCartney photo by Oli Gill. Jack White photo courtesy Outside Lands.