Review: This was the place to be on BottleRock eve in Napa Valley
There are so many good artists set to appear during the 2026 BottleRock Napa Valley music festival, which runs May 22-24 at the Napa Valley Expo in downtown Napa.
After seeing Larkin Poe on Thursday night (May 21) at the Uptown Theatre in Napa, however, I must suggest that you move this formidable blues-rock act way up your list of must-see performers for the festival. The Georgia-reared, now-Nashville-based outfit, led by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, performs at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on BottleRock’s biggie Prudential Stage. The group also plays a gig on Friday (May 22) at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park (guildtheatre.com), which is an amazingly intimate space to witness Larkin Poe’s massive blues-rock firepower.
Both the Uptown and Guild gigs are part of BottleRock’s sensational AfterDark series, which brings cool festival acts to venues in Napa and beyond. Other acts in the series include BØRNS, Chevy Metal, the Beths and the Paper Kites (see bottlerocknapavalley.com for the full schedule and ticket information).
Larkin Poe was sensational during its Uptown show, running through 16 blistering blues-rock numbers in some 90 minutes. Opening with “Nowhere Fast,” one of 11 rock-solid offerings off last year’s well-received “Bloom,” these Grammy-winning sisters used their time to show that they are very much ready for their big BottleRock showcase on Sunday, May 24.
“Are you feeling the good energy in the room?” asked vocalist-guitarist Rebecca Lovell. “Are you ready to rock the Bottle?”
The audience members answered in the affirmative, cheering on the Lovell sisters - as well as three-piece backing band consisting of bassist Tarka Layman, drummer Ben Satterlee and keyboardist Lucas Pettee - as they continued through “Mockingbird” (another new track that featured some exquisite harmony vocals from the Lovell sisters) and “Summertime Sunset” (one of several offerings on the night from 2022’s Grammy-winning “Blood Harmony”).
Stopping for a moment to acknowledge their Georgia Southern-rock roots, performing the famed instrumental “Jessica” from the Allman Brothers catalog, the Lovells then returned to “Bloom” for a powerful double shot of “Easy Love Pt. 1” and “Bluephoria.”
Rebecca Lovell is a phenomenal blues-rock belter, pushing her words skyward and winning over the crowd with both heart and conviction as she shakes, rattles and rolls through such numbers as “Preachin’ Blues” and “Georgia Off My Mind.” She’s also a splendid guitarist, although that often gets overlooked as she picks and strums alongside her “slide queen” sister Megan - who is a lap-steel guitarist of the highest order.
Megan Lovell (who performs lap-steel while standing as opposed to the more traditional sitting method) delivered so many “wow” moments during the set, as she coaxed/propelled out incredibly articulate phrasings from her instrument. Still, some of the best moments occurred when the two Lovells locked horns, resulting in ample fretboard fireworks that lit up all in attendance.
Larkin Poe saved the best for last, closing up shop with a tremendous run through the “Blood Harmony” cut “Bad Spell” (written in response to the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ classic “I Put a Spell on You”), the 2017 “Peach” showstopper “Wanted Woman/AC/DC” and, finally, one last return to “Blood Harmony” for the standout “Bolt Cutters & The Family Name.”
Larkin Poe setlist:
1. “Nowhere Fast”
2. “Mockingbird”
3. “Summertime Sunset”
4. “Jessica”
5. “Easy Love Pt. 1”
6. “Bluephoria”
7. “Preachin’ Blues”
8. “Georgia Off My Mind”
9. “Royal Express”
10. “Strike Gold”
11. “Southern Comfort”
12. “If God is a Woman”
13. “Blue Ridge Mountains”
14. “Bad Spell”
15. “Wanted Woman/AC/DC”
16. “Bolt Cutters & The Family Name”
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 11:27 AM.