NAPA, Calif. (CelebrityAccess) CelebrityAccess has just returned from BottleRock in Napa, Calif., after three days of music, food and wine and here’s a blog-tastic account of the artist performances, a few interviews, and an unnecessary digression into donuts.<\/p>\n

BottleRock was built off the sweat equity of three people at promotion company Latitude 38 and has been an industry leader for the recent trend of combining the VIP \/ culinary experience with live music, with this year’s headliners Muse, The Killers, and Bruno Mars. The focus on special stages, VIP areas and suites with prices up to $3,500 has given the festival the pejorative nickname \u201cWhite-chella\u201d (aka the \u201cFancy Coachella\u201d as Bruno Mars put it) but it was sold out and absolutely packed at a 30,000-cap per day. The business model works.<\/p>\n

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A few things were different this year, the first one since Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the company. Namely, grass. The site of the festival, Napa Valley Expo, was the landing ground for firefighters and their massive equipment last fall during the area’s devastating firestorm, destroying the grounds. Rather than attempting to regrow grass throughout the property, BottleRock rolled out acres of artificial turf<\/strong> that not only looked nice and was easy to walk on but probably made for an easy late-night clean up. Also new, at least so it seemed to this visitor, was more focus on up-and-coming acts. It had its share of Shakey Graves’s, Michael Frantis, Allen Stones, along with mainstage acts likes Earth, Wind & Fire and Thievery Corporation, but also more of the relatively less-known like Hundred Handed, David Luning, The Alive, The Record Company, and Ethan Tucker. Plus, of course Caitlyn Smith.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n