By Raffaela Kenny-Cincotta

On Friday, May 24, BottleRock kicked off its 11th year in Napa, Calif.  From rap queen Megan Thee Stallion to indie favorite St. Vincent, the festival’s opening day satisfied music fans of all stripes. However, one look around the Friday crowd, filled with witchy shawls, bohemian tophats, and vintage t-shirts, proved headliner Stevie Nicks was the act to see. And that enthusiasm was echoed onstage by Friday’s performers. 

“I can’t believe i’m performing on the same stage as Stevie fucking Nicks!” pop singer Bebe Rexha proclaimed in the late afternoon from the JaM Cellars Stage. And while BottleRock’s weather was a bit more blustery than last year, the event remained true to its Napa roots and kept the wine flowing.  

“Hello BottleRock. Happy chardonnay to you,” St. Vincent grinned early in her set, before launching into “Pay Your Way in Pain,” off her 2021 LP Daddy’s Home. St. Vincent was also sure to showcase a variety of tunes from her newest output All Born Screaming, which dropped in April 2024. 

“Thank you so much for being here,” St. Vincent said before fan-favorite “New York.” “What an incredible lineup. Are you kidding me? Stevie Nicks?… Megan Thee Stallion? Get the fuck outta here.”

Sadly, fans were forced to choose between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicks who were both scheduled at 8:15 p.m. on competing stages. And while Megan Thee Stallion threw down her brand of Houston hip-hop, Nicks started her set with a high-energy cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”

Afterwards, Nicks greeted the crowd, saying, “Welcome everybody. We’re so happy you’re here… Let’s get this party started.”

The singer offered selections from her solo catalog as well as the Fleetwood Mac songbook, following “If Anyone Falls” off 1983’s The Wild Heart and “Outside the Rain” off 1981’s Bella Donna with Rumors standout “Dreams.” A cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” was a nice mid-set surprise, before the set ended with the killer trio of “Gold Dust Woman,” “Leather and Lace,” and “Edge of Seventeen.” (Nicks’ lone guest was her vocal coach Steve Real, taking on Don Henley’s verse of “Leather and Lace.”) 

Before encoring with “Rhiannon” and “Landslide,” Nicks declared to the enamored audience, “Stay safe, save the world. You can do it. I love you. Thank you.”

The unique moments continued on Saturday during My Morning Jacket’s show. Partway through their set, which featured classics like “Mahgeetah,” “Gideon” and “Phone Went West,” MMJ busted into their second-ever cover of George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” which they debuted during their One Big Holiday event early this year. (Jim James has performed Harrison’s material in a mix of contexts over the years and even recorded a tribute EP to him.) Then, at the end of their set, the ensemble capped things off by bringing out the USC Marching Band for their Z favorite “Wordless Chorus.”

BotteRock Has Confirmed that it will return from May 23-25, 2025.