About three-quarters of the way through No Doubt‘s festival-closing set Sunday night at Napa, California’s BottleRock, the big screens went black. This might have been an issue for some bands — since the crowd stretched all the way back to the food and wine tents dotting the perimeter — but not for the Gwen Stefani-fronted vets, who put on a show so bombastic that it could be seen and heard from miles away.
BottleRock 2015: Day 1 | Day 2 | Photos
And thankfully for the fans in the nosebleeds, the screens came back just in time for “Just a Girl,” one of a dozen radio hits the band rolled out during the hour-plus set. Stefani — wearing a silk, rainbow-colored track suit with the ends of her platinum-blond hair dipped in black — sounded incredible, leading the crowd in a sing-along on “Don’t Speak” and going acoustic with the band for a four-part harmony version of “Simple Kind of Life.” “You know what’s fun? To sing to your actual faces and not just see your names online,” the frontwoman told the crowd.
Before No Doubt, Snoop Dogg got his fans rolling, bringing both members of Tha Dogg Pound, Daz Dillinger and Kurupt on stage for an energetic and enthusiastic performance
But they weren’t the only acts playing the third and final day of BottleRock Napa Valley. Let’s run down all the big names:
No Doubt Literally Drops the Mic
While singing the reggae jam “Underneath It All,” Stefani rolled with the song’s laid-back vibe when she accidentally dropped the mic stand and proceeded to get down on her hands and knees and sing the song into the mic on the floor.
She also rolled with audience requests — taking selfies with two fans and even suggesting some Instagram edits. “You’re gonna filter that, yeah? Use Chrome.”
Snoop Dogg Likes His Covers
In addition to many of his own hits, Snoop Dogg covered Biggie‘s “Hypnotize” and House of Pain‘s “Jump Around” during his set at BottleRock. But the crowd also went wild for Snoop’s his verses of “Nothing But a G Thang,” “California Gurls,” “Young, Wild and Free” and “Gangsta Party.”
And He Makes Fried Chicken at Home
Priot to his performance, Snoop made California rolls with Iron Chef Morimoto on the culinary stage. When asked what the ingredients were to his friend chicken, Snoop explained that there were many special herbs and spices. And the rapper revealed that he’s the cook in his house.
Awolnation Sets ‘Sail’
While Snoop rapped “Gin & Juice” a stage away, electro-rockers Awolnation put on a high-energy set for a very loyal crowd. Casual fans left happy too, as the band ended the set with their biggest hit, “Sail,” which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100. “BottleRock, we love you more than you’ll ever know,” frontman Aaron Bruno told the smitten audience.
Echosmith Keeps It All in the Family
“Napa, is it cool if I introduce my family to you?” bassist Noah Sierota asked the BottleRock crowd. Since Noah’s family is the rest of his band Echosmith, the answer was a resounding yes. Sister Sydney sings lead, brother Jamie is on guitar, and the band’s youngest member — 16-year-old brother Graham — plays drums. In addition to breakthrough hit “Cool Kids,” the sibling act covered the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place” during the early afternoon set.
Los Invisibles Brings Korea to Napa
?The band performed their take on Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” giving it a bit of Latin flavor.