Bourbon & Beyond 2024-Day Four

It was the final day of the Bourbon & Beyond Festival, and I was ready for an exciting one, with interviews to do and bands new and old to see.

My brother, Mark, and I checked out of our wheelchair accessible room at the Tru Hilton Louisville South and headed to the Kentucky Exhibition Center. The weather was still warm and humid, but it looked like we might be heading for some rain.

 One of the acts I was most looking forward to was first up at Bourbon & Beyond. I had always been a fan of actor Kevin Bacon and was looking forward to catching his performance with his brother, Michael.

The Bacon Brothers were fantastic, with Kevin as the lead singer. He also showed off his dance moves, especially when performing the title song from his most famous movie, “Footloose.” The growing crowd was dancing and singing along with them. It was quite a show.

After they were done, I went back to the press area for a while to get my questions ready for upcoming interviews.

I had met and interviewed Megan and Rebecca Lovell, a.k.a. Larkin Poe, at the 2018 Bourbon & Beyond Festival. It was their first time performing at the event. They had just started gaining recognition and they quickly won over those who hadn’t seen them before.

They remembered the last time well. We reminisced about how the festival has changed and talked about their latest accomplishments, which included a Grammy Award. (You can read the full interview here.)

It started to rain just about the time when they went on stage. I had a poncho that covered me and my wheelchair. I was invited into the VIP area, so it wasn’t bad. 

Larkin Poe was even better than I had remembered. The one thing that hadn’t changed at all was how comfortable the two sisters were with each other.

After Larkin Poe, I had fun, fun, fun watching the Beach Boys. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen them perform. The first time I was actually covering one of their concerts I was actually a teenager in college! 

Although all of us are moving a lot slower these days, it’s hard not to smile and sing during a Beach Boys concert.

When they finished, I headed to the press area to warm up with some coffee before Mt. Joy’s performance. I didn’t know much about them, but Mark told me they were my niece’s favorite group, so I was ready to learn. I accepted an opportunity to interview them after their performance.

I enjoyed watching Mt. Joy. They are an alternative rock band with roots in Philadelphia. They drew a huge crowd.

The rain caused some delays and Mt. Joy had to cancel our interview. I was disappointed, but ready to hit the road after a highly successful Bourbon & Beyond. Next year’s lineup looks just as exciting.

2024 Bourbon & Beyond Looks to be Better Than Ever

I covered Bourbon & Beyond two years in a row. It was by far the best music festival I had ever been to. Unfortunately, before the final day, there was a major rainstorm that continued for hours, and I had trouble getting my wheelchair through the mud.

I was concerned about it happening again, and Covid put it off the festival that next year anyway. Then, this summer, I found out about a most amazing lineup, in a venue that is very accessible, the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center.

 

It’s all aligned, and I am looking forward to Louisville, Kentucky, next month. Below is a summary of this fantastic event. There are still tickets left if you’d like to come along. Just visit the Bourbon & Beyond website for details.

Headlining for Bourbon & Beyond this year is Sting, but he is far from the only top name. Among the list of 100 artists are:

Beck

Dave Matthews Band

Zach Bryan

Maren Morris

The Beach Boys

Melissa Etheridge

Matchbox 20

Tedeschi Trucks Band

Young the Giant

Tyler Childers

My Morning Jacket

Black Pumas

(click here for full lineup)

One of the wonderful things about Bourbon & Beyond is that you get even more than top music. There’s food and, of course, Bourbon. Chefs Amanda Freitag, Edward Lee, and Chris Santos will be leading the way with demonstrations and bourbon expert Christ Blandford will be giving seminars on the spirit.

Some of the musical artists will also be participating in the food and bourbon events, including the Bacon Brothers, Mat Kearney, and Molly Tuttle.

Visit the Bourbon & Beyond website for tickets and all the details, including information about the host city, Louisville, one of my favorite places.

Photos from previous Bourbon & Beyond Festivals (top to bottom) by Brittany Lambright
Lenny Kravitz, Keifer Sutherland, Sheryl Crow, and John Mayer.