Warm weather, top acts sizzle in BottleRock finale

When Bruno Mars walked onto the JaM Cellars stage 30 minutes late Sunday night to close out the final day of BottleRock Napa Valley and launched into his smash hit “Finesse,” it was the moment Gabriella Domingos had been waiting more than 10 hours in the Napa heat for.

Sold out since January, the sixth annual BottleRock Napa Valley drew powerful performances by big acts such as Muse, the Chainsmokers, Billy Idol, Snoop Dogg, The Head and The Heart, Michael Franti, Thievery Corporation and Mars, drawing an estimated 120,000 people during its three-day run at the Napa Valley Expo Grounds.

Domingos, of Napa, had been planning her strategy for Bruno Mars’ headlining act for days.

She knew she was going to stay at a friend’s home Saturday night, and wear the Bruno Mars tour shirt she picked up when she saw him in Oakland and the black athletic shorts with “CHUNKY” printed across the back, the name of one of Mars’ songs.

What 20-year-old Domingos didn’t know was what time she and friend Marisa Solis, 19, needed to arrive to beat the 40,000 people who attended Day 3 of the festival.

The mega-fan was intent on being in the front row for Mars’ scheduled 8 p.m. act.

Arriving at 10 a.m. - 90 minutes before doors to the festival opened - Domingos and Solis were among the first 10 people to race through the gates Sunday, successfully staking out their spots in the front row and settling in for the day ahead. Highs Sunday in Napa reached 80 degrees, and Domingos and Solis were too scared about losing their place in the crowd to leave for water.

“He’s the reason why I bought the three-day pass,” Domingos said. “He’s worth it.”

When Mars finally emerged onto the JaM Cellars Stage about 8:30 p.m. to begin his 75-minute set, screams erupted from the lawn where more than 25,000 people packed in for the festival’s final headliner.

This year’s expanded Midway Stage, the second largest on the grounds, made it feel like the festival featured far more headliners than the three billed, said festival spokesman Tom Fuller.

“Everybody’s been thrilled with all the performances,” Fuller said. “Everybody’s really happy with the increased size of the Midway Stage. … It’s felt like we have had five or six headliners instead of three.”

The festival went off without a hitch, Fuller said, except for an incident Saturday that prompted a temporary lockdown of the festival’s entrance gates. A 27-year-old San Francisco man was arrested after he attempted to evade police officers by running inside the festival after an alleged armed robbery, the Napa Police Department said.

Sunday was by far the hottest day at BottleRock. When celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and musical artist Halsey walked onto the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage at 2:45 p.m., De Laurentiis couldn’t help but wipe some sweat from her brow.

Together the two cooked up a meal of spicy rigatoni and Aperol spritz cocktails, in nods to both women’s Italian heritage.

In the crowd was 22-year-old Nellie Rodriguez, who bounced with glee when De Laurentiis walked on stage, her smartphone’s Snapchat app already pulled up to document the moment.

“This is the most important part (of today); I wanted to come see Giada and Halsey,” Rodriguez said. “This is literally the moment that I’ve been waiting for.”

Those looking for a break from the crowds and the thumping bass sought refuge by wandering around the culinary garden, passing Frisbees and taking selfies with friends.

Kimberly Bakker, of Ross, came up for the day with her 8-year-old daughter, Quinn, who was enjoying her second BottleRock experience.

“It’s a great way to spend Memorial Day Weekend,” Kimberly Bakker said.

The younger Bakker agreed, reveling in the rhinestone and glitter design applied to her face at one of the booths. There was one other very important factor, too.

“All the sweets,” she said, grinning.