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.

Bourbon & Beyond 2024-Day One

The first year of Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, had been wonderful, albeit ridiculously hot. The music, food, and bourbon were fantastic, and I was able to do many interviews for stories.

When I left Bourbon & Beyond the second year, it was in a muddy mess. The torrential rains in the hours before the end of day three left the long trip to the parking lot in my walker extremely difficult. Had I been in a wheelchair then, I would have been one of the people stuck for hours in the mud.

With the memories of 2018, followed by the event being skipped because of COVID, I didn’t think I’d return. Then my brother, Mark, brought it up.

 

Mark lives in California and we don’t get a lot of time together so it gave me a pause. Then, there was a lineup filled with performers I really wanted to see, such as Sting, Dave Matthews, Beck, Melissa Etheridge, and Larkin Poe, whom I had interviewed at the first Bourbon & Beyond.

My first step was to contact the media staff at Danny Wimmer Presents, the company producing the event. I knew there was a new venue, and I wanted to know more about it. I listened carefully as I was told there were accessible cement walkways throughout, and a large area of handicapped parking.

I decided we would go and cover the event together. I was still a bit nervous and checked the weather every day before I had nothing to worry about in the weather that first day as it was warm and sunny, with no sight of rain.

 

It was nice that there weren’t too many people when we first arrived, so we had a chance to look around and get something to eat after getting our press credentials.

We were able to get handicapped parking and, as I had been told, there were cement walkways for me to easily ride my wheelchair to the venue.

 

All of the major bourbon companies had their own tents. They also have tents with Bourbon & Beyond merchandise, as well as those with general clothing and hats. The Workshop was the scene for cooking demonstrations and bourbon seminars. I regret that I didn’t make it over to any, but it was away from the stages and there never seemed to be enough time.

I broke protocol, but the heat really had me in the mood for a cold glass of wine. The Wine Garden had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc—and shade—which worked well for me.

 

I have seen Matchbox 20 four times (three in the last three years). I believe Rob Thomas is greatly underrated as a singer and songwriter. I can continue to listen to his songs every chance I get, even better if it’s in concert. Judging by the growing crowd, I was not alone.

While I was at Matchbox 20, Mark was checking out Tedeschi Trucks.

I took a break in the press tent. The Drip coffee bar  kept me going this first day and every day after. They provided us with complimentary coffee drinks, and I took full advantage. I think I tried just about everything. My favorite was the Dirty Horchata, made with cold brew, cinnamon, vanilla extract and bean, and milk.

The crowds on the main lawn increased dramatically as the sun began to go down. The Angel’s Envy VIP seating also filled up for the evening performances. I had heard a lot about how good Beck was live and had to agree. I really enjoyed him, especially “Loser,” which had the crowd on their feet singing along.

 

One of the reasons I wanted to go to this festival was Sting, who I had never seen perform live before. He did not disappoint. I was blown away by his stamina, as he hardly took a breath between songs.

We left as Sting was on his last song and we were both tired. This is the part where I usually say we went to the hotel and got a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, that story is much bigger.

 

In my previous coverage of Bourbon & Beyond, the Louisville Tourism Board would take care of getting me a hotel room. This worked well for me and them, as I would also spend time exploring the city and doing additional stories beyond the festival.

I had presumed it would work the same way and didn’t look into hotels. By the time I heard back from Louisville Tourism that they couldn’t supply the accommodations, there wasn’t a lot left around the festival locations.

We were able to get a two-bed accessible suite at an Extended Stay* about 20 minutes away. Even though I had a confirmation, they contacted me the day of check-in to tell me they did not have any such room, or anything accessible! We frantically called around town and had another similar experience with Wyndham, who gave us a confirmation for a room that did not exist.

It was after midnight before we got to a Hilton Tru, a half hour from the Bourbon & Beyond Festival, in an actual wheelchair friendly room—at nearly twice the price originally planned for. It was an experience I have never had before and to think it happened at two different hotels makes me more concerned than ever about accessible travel.

We tried not to let it put a damper on the positive festival experience we were having so far.

 

 

 

*I have never even received an apology from Extended Stay.