After last year’s event filed for bankruptcy shortly after its debut weekend in Napa Valley, the fate of BottleRock rested in the hands of new promoters, Latitude 38 Entertainment, to dazzle music festival-goers with a killer 2014 lineup to follow up the previous big name bands.

This year’s lineup, which includes the Cure, OutKast, Eric Church, TV on the Radio, LL Cool J with DJ Z Trip, Deerhunter and Barenaked Ladies, received an interesting reaction some might associate with lackluster.

Following last year’s lineup would be no easy task. The booking of bands in festivals is a numbers game. What kind of crowds will this band draw? How much will people be charged to see this band? Above all, how much is this band going to cost to book? 

These are all questions Latitude 38 Entertainment, first-time owners of the festival, had to ask themselves. A first look at the lineup might show the operators were aiming at a 90s throwback with artists such as OutKast, Weezer and Sublime with Rome. 

“I don’t know if I will attend considering the prices and the bands. I could see most of these bands, including OutKast, at a more established festival like Coachella,” said junior Alania Sabankaya. “But it would probably be cool to go check out the food, beer and wine.”

To continue exploring the lineup, one might find this year’s actually provides something for everyone.

While there are plenty of alternative acts to enjoy such as Matt and Kim, the Fray and Third Eye Blind, other acts such as Eric Church will cater to the country music lovers, and Blues Traveler will cater to bluesy rock fans. For even more of a throwback, attendees can enjoy Ann and Nancy Wilson in their band Heart.

There was much talk over the release of the 2014 BottleRock lineup as fans of the festival waited to hear the names of their favorite bands.

“I just love that a lot of the people I grew up listening to will be there,” said junior Marisa London. “OutKast, Deerhunter, Barenaked Ladies, Matisyahu and Eric Church are all artists I would love to see.” 

Ticket prices for the festival, which will take place May 30 to June 1, are as follows: $149 for a one-day pass, $279 for a three-day pass, $599 for a VIP three-day pass and $3,000 for a platinum three-day pass. Single-day platinum passes are also available for $1,000. 

The festival, which will be hosted again at the Napa Valley Expo just a few blocks from downtown Napa, is boasting some of the best music, wine, food and beer in the world. Last year, the festival partnered with many wineries and restaurants in and around Napa County.

Although the official list for food and beverage vendors has not been released, the promoters are emphasizing quality and variety. Latitude 38 Entertainment had much to overcome this year in terms of impressing festival-goers and vendors.

Despite the success of last year’s stacked lineup, which included Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Kings of Leon, the Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, the Shins, Cake and Jane’s Addiction, the operators of the 2013 festival, BR Festivals LLC, had its share of problems.

Some of those problems being the long lines associated with the bus shuttles to and from the parking lot and the venue, as well as some of the overpriced food items available for purchase inside.

To top it all off, the company ended up filing bankruptcy after the conclusion of the festival, leaving it impossible to reimburse numerous food and beverage vendors as well as creditors.

Latitude 38 Entertainment made the brave decision of taking ownership for the 2014 festival, as they hope to make this year much more successful in terms of fulfilling their contracts with vendors and making attendees enjoy their experience right in the heart of Napa Valley.

For more info on the festival, check out the website at www.bottlerocknapavalley.com.