On Saturday, May 23, BottleRock continued to host a spirited lineup of musicians, welcoming ZEDD, LCD Soundsystem, and Foo Fighters to the stage throughout the day. The beginning of Saturday featured many up-and-coming artists saving hit artists for the end of the day, and offering attendees opportunities to get to know new musicians and dance along to a vast expanse of genres.
Flipturn, for the second time on Saturday, played a smaller-scale set at United Stage. Their charisma and laidback attitude as they waited for their 4:15 p.m. set time to start, as AJR wrapped up their last song, calmed the crowds and allowed for plenty of audience interaction. Lead singer Dillon Basse introduced the band as the set started, stating they are from Jacksonville, Florida, and prefacing that is why he may say “Ya’ll.” Basse played alongside guitarist Tristan Duncan; both stayed seated the whole performance as audience members sang along. Basse opened the set with “Rodeo Clown,” a song off their new album Burnout Days, and closed the set with “Chicago,” which had fans excitedly singing along by the set’s end.
LCD Soundsystem kicked off their performance at 5:45 p.m., bringing infectious energy to the Prudential Stage. This six-person band, led by James Murphy on vocals, relied heavily on instrumentals, engaging the crowd with their dance-punk and electronic rock songs. Murphy kicked off the set with “Tonite” from their 2017 album, American Dream. The song’s experimental tone and existential lyrics pushed the crowd to sing and sway along. While Murphy interacted with the crowd, joking that they wouldn’t mess with Foo Fighters’ set time, the band’s transitions into each song were notably creative and smooth. Murphy would transition from talking to the audience to speaking song lyrics to singing the song. Murphy saved the band’s most well-known hits for the end of their set, building anticipation for fan favorites such as “North American Scum,” “Dance Yrself Clean,” and to close out their magnetic set, “All My Friends.”
Arrested Development brought the energy and the good vibes to their set at the HelloFresh Stage. Band member Fareedah Aleem entered from stage left at exactly 7:15 p.m., riling up the crowd as she danced effortlessly across the stage. Followed by lead singer, Speech, who started their set by calling out to the crowd, “Put your hands up.” Arrested Development played many of their hits, such as “Swing um” as well as sampling popular songs like “Jump” by Kriss Kross. This intimate and interactive set, without a doubt, kept the crowd jumping and dancing for the whole duration of their hour-long set.
Foo Fighters brought the rock to BottleRock, drawing an older audience of fans and a huge crowd packed shoulder to shoulder to head-bang along to the band’s greatest hits. Foo Fighters’ crowd interaction was limited, with lead guitarist Dave Grohl jumping straight into playing their hit songs, such as their opener “All My Life.” Foo Fighters interspersed their well-known songs into lesser known, creating a rebellious, carefree, and hardcore feel, as the crowd rocked out to “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly,” and many more hits. Foo Fighters arguably saved the best for last, playing “Everlong” to close out their 22-song set in the chilled Napa air.
ZEDD closed out the night at the T-Mobile Stage on a high note. ZEDD transcended crowds through his DJ set, playing hit songs that the whole crowd could sing along to. ZEDD played school dance songs, playing “Firework” by Katy Perry and “Beauty and the Beat” by Justin Bieber to the delight of younger and older fans alike. His mash-ups, transitions, and beat drops never failed to elicit joy and jumping up and down from the audience. ZEDD played his set uninterrupted until the very end, taking a moment to thank the crowd, reflecting his charm and gratitude to them. Fans with babies, adults, and teenagers on their shoulders, danced the night away, as ZEDD mashed up fan favorites. The audiences carefree energy created an environment of unmatched jubilation. ZEDD wrapped up his set with his hit “Clarity” as the crowd erupted into cheers and colorful lasers flashed into the night sky. As the final beat drop took control of the crowd, fans belted out the lyrics, concluding day two at BottleRock.
