Before there was Coachella and Bonnaroo or even Lollapalooza there was the US Festival, funded by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who was just as much of a character as the bands he would overpay to perform in the sweltering heat of San Bernardino over Memorial Day Weekend in 1983.
After already losing millions in 1982 with his first US Festival (headlined by The Police, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and the Grateful Dead), Woz decided to double down in '83.
With headliners Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran, Stevie Nicks, Megan Thee Stallion, and Maná, the 11th annual BottleRock fest was in full force in picturesque Napa, California, where about 40,000 rock fans enjoyed good food, adult beverages and a variety of veteran musicians.
Due to it being held in the "Wine Country" of Northern California, one thing that stands out about this festival over the countless ones held around the world is approximately 40 local wineries are on the grounds for attendees to sample from.
Even if you're The Boss, seemingly always on the road, and doling out epic shows with at least two dozen songs per gig, there are going to be some gems in your catalogue you might not get to when you have 21 albums.
This problem is compounded when you're Bruce Springsteen, who at this stage of his career is unofficially required to play a dozen of his greatest hits each night like "Born to Run," "Thunder Road," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "The Promised Land," and "Dancing in the Dark."
When most people today think about Fleetwood Mac, they envision a soft rock collection of middle age hippies with two female singers and a giant behind the drums.
But during the first few years of the band, it was much different than that. Fleetwood Mac had an extremely successful triple guitar attack which could rock your face off with "Black Magic Woman" or help you drift off in a psychedelic journey with "Coming Your Way”
"Hold your cellphones up high, let's light this bitch up," Avril said to the Vancouver crowd that filled the Rogers Arena in British Columbia.
Besides being stereotypically friendly, these Canadians did it because their hearts had been broken on Monday night when the Edmonton Oilers beat their Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the playoffs to advance to Western Conference final.
Morrissey, the snide young man with the unbuttoned shirt and perfect hair, singer of The Smiths, and now solo artist who might play a laundry list of your favorite songs or not show up at all, turns 65 years old today.
Certain people are forgiven. A few get a pass. Steven Patrick Morrissey, simply for the five short years he fronted The Smiths and gave us four albums and bonus tracks, is off the hook.
To celebrate his first album in six years, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz has announced he will be performing a Vegas residency, his first, later this year.
The 59-year-old, 4-time Grammy winner, let it be known on Monday that he would grace Sin City with his leather pants and flying V with a quick five-night residency on October 18, 19, 23, 25 and 26 at the Dolby Live at Park MGM.
Just Like Heaven has been called a high school reunion festival for elder millennials.
I'm not sure if that is meant as a slight but it's mighty fitting, especially for Southern Californians as the full day fest is held in the shadows of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Rain may have delayed the start of the Saturday portion of the three-day music festival at the Gulf Shore in Alabama, but the show went on and on.
There was something for everyone at the festival which started in 2010, Odesa, Nelly, Renee Rapp, Zach Bryan, and The Chainsmokers were just some of the big names that brought young and old down to the waterfront.
AC/DC, arguably the greatest hard rock touring band of all time, got back on the road last week after playing just one live show since 2016.
Angus Young and Brian Johnson, the final remaining touring members of the group since their 1980 monster hit Back in Black, have gone through a lot since '16 which put a damper in the band's career.
