Lorde's song was banned from SF radio in 2014. Now she's headlining BottleRock.

Lorde closed the main Prudential Stage at BottleRock Napa Valley with a headlining set that felt intimate and emotionally resonant. Wearing a simple outfit, she opened with “Hammer,” a hypnotic track featuring metallic pulsating synths that captured pressures of modern adulthood and the search for “peace in the madness.” The performance connected “Hammer” to “Royals,” her breakout hit from when she was 15, with fans singing lyrics that once defined teenage bedrooms. Her older songs felt like a reunion with herself, and her Bay Area choices reflected a preference for nostalgic, smaller venues. “Royals” was also reportedly pulled from some San Francisco radio stations during a 2014 World Series matchup, prompting Kansas City stations to play it hourly.

"Wearing a simple outfit, just a cropped T-shirt and jeans, Lorde opened the show with "Hammer," which felt like a hypnotic trance with metallic pulsating synths wrapping around the Napa Valley skies."

"The opening track of her 2025 album "Virgin," "Hammer" captures the pressures of modern adulthood as the beat drives forward a sensation of spiraling, with lyrics about obsession and finding "peace in the madness." The track felt like a perfect complement to Lorde's next song, "Royals," her breakout hit, with thousands of fans screaming lyrics that soundtracked their teenage bedrooms."

"Her older hits specifically felt like a reunion with yourself, songs that you thought you'd outgrown but still deliver. Lorde is no stranger to the Bay Area, embracing smaller venues over stadiums. During her stop in the area last year, she could have easily filled a venue like Chase Center or Oakland Arena but she specifically requested the more intimate UC Berkeley Greek Theatre because it was nostalgic for her."

"In a curious turn of events, her biggest song was actually once banned in the Bay Area. In 2014, two years after the release of "Royals," it was reportedly pulled from some San Francisco radio stations as the Giants faced the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. As a response, Kansas City stations declared they'd play the song on the hour, every hour."

Read at SFGATE