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Older, classic bands lure bigger crowd to expo
from: napavalleyregister.com
by PETER JENSEN | Photo by J.L. Sousa
If youth was served by Macklemore's rap performance at BottleRock's big kickoff Wednesday night, Thursday's music acts attracted a mixed crowd of young and middle-aged people for the second day of the five-day music festival.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, the Violent Femmes, Primus, the Avett Brothers, and The Black Crowes were the big names performing Thursday afternoon and evening, and BottleRock saw its largest crowds yet.
Tens of thousands of people flowed from stage to stage, soaking in the music and sunshine with glasses of wine or cups of beer in hand. The Black Crowes summed up the shift in musical genre after they came on at 5 p.m., saying "Welcome to the rock and roll part of the show."
While Wednesday boasted a hipper crowd, Thursday wasn't lacking in classic rockers. Tie-dye and ponytails replaced neon and skinny jeans. T-shirts with names like Bob Dylan, The Who, Eric Clapton, and Creedence Clearwater Revival supplanted shirts with phrases like "Do you even thrift, bro?" -- a reference to Macklemore's hit song, "Thrift Shop."
For Humboldt County resident John Davis, 50, the biggest act for him couldn't make it to BottleRock -- Furthur, the jam band featuring former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. Weir was injured on stage during a performance in April, and wasn't able to come to Napa to play BottleRock.
"It's a real bummer that Bobby couldn't make it," said Davis, a self-described "Dead-head" for the past 20 years. "I've got 50 years. I've been Dead-heading it for 20."
He wasn't too worried, though, as JOAN JETT and the other acts whetted his appetite for music. He did voice displeasure at BottleRock organizers' decision to revoke re-entry privileges for non-Napans.
"Today's been good, only because it's going back in time," Davis said. "You just can't pick a better place. One of the only problems with it that I saw is they admit the people in here but they don't let you go. It affects all the business downtown."
Davis said the mix of ages present in the crowds Thursday offered the older generation an opportunity to show the youth just how to rock.
"You get to beat the pros," Davis said of the younger generation pitted against the older. "We're here to teach the kids."
San Mateo resident Monique Mondragon didn't see it as a contest.
"It's an eclectic crowd," Mondragon said. "Everyone is here to enjoy the mix. That's the one thing -- music is universal. It's not age-defined."
Mondragon said she comes to Napa frequently for wine, food and the scenic beauty, but she couldn't pass up the chance to attend its first large-scale music festival.
"It's the music," Mondragon said. "It's the soul of the music. You really come here and enjoy it. They've got so many good acts here."
Napa Mayor Jill Techel was also in the crowd Thursday, confirming the event's layouts and logistics, as well as checking to see if the festival was going smoothly.
Techel said she had heard of some neighbors in the areas surrounding the Napa Valley Expo complain about noise, but hadn't seen any problems with parking downtown. The festival's biggest challenge, she noted, was getting the thousands of people out of the fairgrounds safely at night.
"I think the test is at the end, when everybody leaves," Techel said. "You might as well walk around town and see what's around. Hopefully it goes well and we can do it again."
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