After the musical appearances of Pearl Jam, Kali Uchis, and The Kid Laroi on Saturday, May 25, the final day of BottleRock, Sunday, May 26, pulled out all of the stops. The warmest and most crowded day of the festival, the third day of BottleRock quickly became one to remember. Including mostly newer, mainstream artists, such as Stephen Sanchez, Norah Jones, and Ed Sheeran, the festival's final day drew the largest crowd of the weekend.
Cannons
American indie-rock band Cannons began their set at 3:00 p.m. at the Verizon Stage. Lead vocalist Michelle Joy and lead guitarist Ryan Clapham led the set with their cool demeanors and crowd-pleasing vocals. Backed up by keyboardist and bass guitarist Paul Davis, they rocked the entire audience with their smooth musical quality and heavy drums.
Joy sang songs including “Bad Dream” and “Desire,” encouraging the audience to sing and dance along to the band’s tunes. She interacted with the audience throughout her set, bringing up the energy to start the day off strong.
Stephen Sanchez
The four biggest headlining performances of Sunday took place back-to-back at the JaM Cellars stage, beginning with Stephen Sanchez at 3:30 p.m. Sanchez, who gained fame in 2021 with the release of his song “Until I Found You,” instantly commanded the stage with his astounding presence and buttery-smooth vocals. Decked out in a tasteful Canadian tuxedo, and accompanied by an equally well-crafted band, Sanchez’s hour-long set became an immediate crowd favorite. Though many did not know his less popular songs, his passion, charm, and catchy lyrics quickly got the crowd singing along.
Sanchez sang tracks including “The Other Side,” “Evangeline,” and “Be More,” with hearty vocals, accented by his high-powered drummer and chilled-out guitar and bass players. Near the middle of his set, Sanchez took on a cover of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman,” almost prancing across the stage while pulling out his Elvis-esque dance moves. Ending with “Until I Found You,” on guitar, he left the stage with audiences both soothed and excited for the following night of music.
Norah Jones
At 5:00 p.m., nine-time Grammy award-winning singer Norah Jones made her way out onto JaM Cellars, settling in at her white grand piano on the left of the stage. Accompanied by a guitarist and drummer, Jones switched instruments throughout her set, dabbling in a bit of guitar for multiple songs. Playing hits including “What Am I To You?,” “Come Away With Me,” and “Sunrise,” Jones got the entire audience moving to the swingy tunes. Her well-known crowd favorites and cheesy smile delighted the audience and promoted mellowed-out energy.
Dominic Fike
Following Jones' set, artist Dominic Fike came to the stage at 6:30 p.m., beginning with his hard-hitting song, “How Much is Weed?” Clad in a fresh bleached buzz cut and flannel, Fike energized the crowd, who sang along to every word of almost every song he played. Following later with “Mama’s Boy” and “coast2coast,” Fike switched to playing guitar between songs. His accompanying band, which included a guitarist, bassist, and drummer, matched his heated energy throughout the set.
Fike led the audience in a souped-up version of his song “Why,” utilizing a vocoder box to alter his voice in the microphone. His high-power set flourished as the crowd chanted his lyrics, preparing themselves for the final act of the night
Ed Sheeran
For the final set, at 8:15 p.m, multi-Grammy award-winning artist Ed Sheeran took to the JaM Cellars stage. With vibrant and flashing screens behind him, Sheeran’s energy overtook the entire venue. Sheeran is known for his one-man set, in which he uses a looping system to create his performance, not relying on a backup band. Audience members get a new look into his process as a songwriter with his looping device, creating a personable experience.
Throughout his bottle rock set, audiences watched Sheeran craft his music with just a guitar and beatboxing into a mic. Beginning with “Castle on the Hill,” Sheeran’s passion and creativity shined through and flowed into the crowd. He led the audience through multiple harmonizing chorus lines, incorporating them into his music. Sheeran also created a collection of mash-ups with his loop track, including a medley of his song “Take it Back,” with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
With the largest crowd of the entire weekend, Sheeran fed off of their energy, yet stayed down-to-earth. He attempted to play “Shivers” three times before succeeding, having issues with the keyboard. While he played his mash-up, stagehands ran across the stage, assembling a new keyboard.
“This is how you can tell we’re live,” Sheeran joked with the audience.
Ending his set with his ultimate crowd-pleasers, including “Thinking Out Loud” and “Perfect,” Sheeran’s hour-and-a-half set proved the ultimate finale to the weekend of music. Ushering the cheering crowds home, Sheeran left the stage at 9:45 p.m.
With hearts full and voices gone, audience members departed the Napa venue until next year, with BottleRock 2025 set to take place May 23-25. Here’s your early reminder - bring arch-supportive shoes and SPF.