Festival Preview: Bourbon & Beyond – September 14-17 – Louisville, Kentucky

Bourbon & Beyond returns to Louisville September 14-17

Who is ready for another weekend of chest pounding music from iconic bands and musicians while enjoying refreshing cocktails and impeccable food? Fold in over 100,000 of your closest festival loving friends and you know it will be a weekend to remember!

Bourbon & Beyond is tuned up and ready to return to the Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center in Louisville on September 14, 15, 16 and 17 for what will be another great weekend of celebrating the perfect blend of bourbon, food and music.

“Bourbon & Beyond is our love letter to the city of Louisville and the great state of Kentucky,” says Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “We can’t wait to showcase why Louisville has become our home away from home, so having the opportunity to curate an unbelievable festival experience rooted in amazing musical performances combined with our passion for bourbon and culinary arts is our dream come true.”

This year’s line-up is loaded with over 65 acts ranging from legendary bands like The Black Crowes, Duran Duran and Blondie, to more modern and new musicians topping the charts like Bruno Mars, Billy Strings and Brandi Carlile. With so many acts and stages, and so little time, deciding on who to see and when becomes a challenge within itself. The set-up for the festival is convenient for main acts with side-by-side main stages alternating bands. One band will play their set while the other is breaking down the previous set and setting up for the next, providing a seamless transition from act to act.

Tickets are limited, but still available, and if you are planning on attending, be sure to plan accordingly with some of our favorites that you should check out.

Billy Strings plays Thursday, September 14

Thursday

Coming out of the gates hot on Thursday is one of the hottest bluegrass jammers on the planet, Billy Strings (7:50 Oak Stage). If you haven’t seen him, plan your evening around him. Another big name to wrap the evening will be Brandi Carlile (9:15 Barrel Stage) who offers a mixture of folk rock and country and will have an energetic set.

Under the radar bands for Thursday are Midland (5:40 Oak Stage), who will bring their classic country sounds with hits like Drinking Problem and Burn Out. If you like the blues, one of the most influential guitarist around, Buddy Guy (4:45 Barrel Stage), will be on hand with his smooth voice and crying guitar.

Brandi Carlile plays Thursday, September 14

Friday

As we near the weekend, the line-up presents more classic bands as well as some more modern names. Celebrate the 80’s with English rock band Duran Duran (7:50 Barrel Stage) and take a trip back in time with hits like Hungry Like a Wolf, Rio and Girls on Film. This was an interesting pic by Team Wimmer and will be fun to see. Another big set that will bring a lot of energy will be The Killers (9:15 Oak Stage) showcasing some of their American rock hits including Mr. Brightside and Somebody Told Me. When you look at the Friday list, one name that popped out and actually made us look twice was the man, the myth, the legend, Wayne Newton (1:40 Oak Stage).

Under the radar bands for Friday include British pop rock band Bastille (5:40 Barrel Stage) known for their harmonics and synthesized sounds including popular songs like Pompeii and Happier. Another great band flying under the radar on Friday is Boy Named Banjo (12:30 Oak Stage) that will put on a great show with a mix of bluegrass and fun jams with the banjo, mandolin and bass.

The Black Crowes play Saturday, September 16

Saturday

In what will surely rival the record crowds of previous Bourbon & Beyond years, the Saturday line-up is smoking hot. The trio of main stage acts are The Black Keys (9:15 Barrel Stage), The Black Crows (6:40 Barrel Stage) and The Avett Brothers (7:55 Oak Stage) with each showcasing their own styles and sounds. The Black Keys are an indie rock band with an alternative fast paced high energy sound with songs like Lonely Boy and Howlin’ For You. The Black Crows have stood the test of time and have been rocking since the 1980’s with hits like Hard to Handle, Jealous again and She Talks to Angels. Their album titled Shake Your Money Maker just might be the best rock album ever released, just an opinion! And to close out Saturday, The Avett Brothers are a fun folk-rock band with tendencies of breakout jams during songs and will surely close out the day in style.

Under the radar bands for Saturday are plentiful with several gems to check out. Rocking out stages since the late nineties is popular Americana bluesey string band Old Crow Medicine Show (3:45 Oak Stage), who originated the hit song Wagon Wheel and other popular tracks like Take ‘em Away and James River Blues. Don’t miss this set as the fiddle playing and jam sessions will be fantastic. For a more subtle set with a bit of Hollywood sprinkled in, Luke Grimes (1:40 Barrel Stage) takes the stage on Saturday with his smooth back country sounds similar to a Zac Bryan or Ryan Bingham or Lukas Nelson. He is also a popular actor having starred in hit films such as American Sniper and Fifty Shades of Grey.

Bruno Mars plays Sunday, September 17

Sunday

Sunday brings an end to a full weekend of great music and fun, but Bourbon & Beyond won’t leave without a fight saving a couple of the biggest names to close out this year’s iconic music festival with Bruno Mars (9:05 Oak Stage), Blondie (7:40 Barrel Stage), Ryan Bingham (5:35 Barrel Stage) and more. Bruno is a household name that will draw a crowd potentially breaking past festival attendance records. Get there early to stake your spot for hit myriad of hits including Locked Out of Heaven, Grenade and more. Another great set that will be full of songs you know by heart is seventies and eighties rock band Blondie whose hits include Call Me, One Way or Another and Heart of Glass. Probably one of the most under the radar acts of the day, and possibly the weekend, is Ryan Bingham who brings his rustic voice, rhythmic guitar and charming lyrics to the stage for a great mix including Sunrise, Southside of Heaven and Tell My Mother I Miss Her so. Bingham hails from New Mexico and found his way on to the music scene after hitchhiking to Texas and picking up gigs when he could. After a set in Fort Worth one night, Marc Ford from the Black Crows approached Bingham and offered to record an album. You might also recognize him from his twenty-three appearances in the hit show Yellowstone.

All in all, if you like great music, tasty food and sipping on Kentucky Bourbon, or other great cocktails, you can’t go wrong with a weekend at Bourbon & Beyond. Download the app and plan accordingly, take your time and soak it all in.

For more tickets and information visit BourbonandBeyond.com.

• 1 Million Strong
• Art & Sound Art Tent
• B.B. Flats
• Bird Dog Whiskey
• Blackened presents The Whiskey Bar
• The Bourbon Experience
• Budweiser Zone
• Chris’ Picks Minibar
• Culinary Atelier
• George Dickel Flight School
• The Highland Grounds Wine Garden
• The Hunter’s Club
• Jim Beam Tiki Barrel Bar
• Kentucky Distillers’ Association Craft Bourbon Bar
• Kroger Big Bourbon Bar
• Pappy & Co. Cigar Lounge

• Pegasus Distilled Experiences
• Small Batch Activation featuring Basil Hayden & Knob Creek

• T-Mobile’s Club Magenta
• Wild Turkey

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By G. Douglas Dreisbach