Review: Classic rock hero closes 2025 BottleRock in brilliant fashion ...Middle East

Robby Krieger danced his way onto the stage to James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” stopping to do a little jig in his red, white and blue pants as the crowd of classic rock fans greeted the guitar legend with roars of approval.

He then strapped on one of his many trusty Gibson SGs, which he’s been playing pretty much his whole career, and opened up one of the greatest songbooks in rock ‘n’ roll history near the end of the third and final day of the 2025 BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

“We are going to start with the very first song from the very first Doors album,” the Los Angeles native said on Sunday (May 25).

Krieger, who combined with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and drummer John Densmore to form the classic lineup of The Doors in 1965, then rocked right through a thunderous version of “Break On Through (to the Other Side).”

And, right from the start, one thing was perfectly clear to everyone in attendance:

Krieger, at 79, still rocks as one of the greatest guitarists in all of rock ‘n’ roll.

What an unbelievable treat this was, getting to watch a first-tier Rock and Roll Hall of Famer relive — and, often, reimagine — 16 absolute gems right before our eyes. He was given a full 2 hours of stage time, longer than any other act at the festival, which just further underscores the intelligence of these BottleRock organizers.

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It was a rare treat as well, since Krieger rarely travels out of the L.A. area to play gigs in Northern California.

The guitar hero certainly made this gig count as he continued to lead his incredible band — consisting of drummer Ty Dennis, bassist Dan Rothchild, keyboardist Ed Roth and Krieger’s son Waylon on vocals — through “Five to One,” “Moonlight Drive” and “Wild Child” early in the set.

All along, Krieger managed to strike the perfect (and incredibly hard balance) balance between playing the songs the way the fans remembered them and providing a little extra juice to let you know that you were at a live concert, rather than just listening to one of their many “best of” collections once again.

For instance, that wonderfully looping slide work on “Moonlight Drive” was spot-on, sounding like it was right out of a studio session for 1967’s “Strange Days,” but the eclectic, rambling lead that closed “Love Her Madly” sounded so fresh and new — like it was being played for the very first time.

And perhaps it was.

One of the things that makes Krieger so exciting to watch in concert is that he seems to be pulling new ideas in real time as he plays, drawing from a huge palette of colors and styles — blues, flamenco, jazz, classical, pop and more — to create fresh, yet familiar masterpieces.

As the set went on, Krieger took time to educate crowd on some interesting Doors history — usually with a punchline attached at the end of the lesson — such as when he explained that the ultra-groovy “Peace Frog” was originally called “Abortion Stories.”

“We thought ‘Peace Frog’ was a better name,” he quipped.

The group stretched out most of the hit singles — which, especially in their radio-edit versions, may only have originally lasted a little over 2 minutes — adding oomph and improv to “Hello, I Love You,” “Touch Me” and others.

Of course, The Doors were at least as well known for their epic compositions as they were for their radio singles.

And the band certainly didn’t disappoint with former on this night. Perhaps most strikingly, Roth masterfully handled the signature keyboard work on a breathtaking version of “Riders on the Storm.”

Roth certainly had the hardest job of the night, filling the giant shoes of the great Ray Manzarek (who called Napa home for years). Yet, the multitalented keyboardist — who has performed with everyone from Ringo Starr and Annie Lennox to Coolio and Flogging Molly — came up aces at every turn.

All the other players were also on top of their games, with Rothchild adding some nice vocals and playing a mighty bass on these classics from the famously bass-less Doors. (The Doors did utilize a bassist in the studio, but, in concert, Manzarek would play those parts on a Fender Rhodes piano keyboard bass with his left hand — further adding to his legend.)

Also, Dennis did those Densmore drum parts proud and Waylon Krieger had a good night handling the lion’s share of the vocals.

Of course, some are of the belief that Doors music without Jim Morrison’s voice simply isn’t Doors music. That’s understandable, given that Morrison certainly makes the very short list of the greatest singers in rock ‘n’ roll history.

Yet, the morning after this show, it occurred to me that I didn’t once think about how much I missed Morrison’s voice on the stage. And that’s because I was so transfixed, not on what was missing, but rather what we did have right there in front of us:

Robby Krieger.

Morrison left us in 1971, but we still have Krieger, who’s nothing short of a rock ‘n’ roll treasure. And he’d certainly live up to that billing in the final stages of this show, closing out this main set with a mesmerizing rendition of the first song he ever wrote — the landmark “Light My Fire” from 1967.

“And it’s been downhill ever since,” Krieger added.

Hardly, Robby. From this critic’s vantage point, you are still high atop of the mountain of greatest rock guitarists of all time.

Robby Krieger setlist: 1) “Break On Through (to the Other Side)” 2) “Five to One” 3) “Moonlight Drive” 4) “Wild Child” 5) “Peace Frog” 6) “Riders on the Storm” 7) “Love Her Madly” 8) “Twentieth Century Fox” 9) “Hello, I Love You” 10) “Waiting for the Sun” 11) “People Are Strange” 12) “Touch Me” 13) “Who Do You Love?” 14) “When the Music’s Over” 15) “Light My Fire” Encore: 16) “L.A. Woman”

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