This past weekend, Bourbon & Beyond returned to Louisville for another four days of tasty bites, stiff drinks, and great music. A seamless, carefree four days with more genre variance than you might expect, the fest drew thousands and thousands to experience all it has to offer. Plus, they must have bribed the weather gods, because the conditions were absolutely perfect — a true rarity these days!
Thursday kicked off the festivities in rockin’ fashion, marked by the hard-hitting, one-two punch of Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters. Each ripped, particularly the former, and helped the gradual transition from the heavier vibes left over from the previous week’s Louder Than Life into the more acoustic vibes to come. (Notably, Queens of the Stone Age’s setlist was all-killer-no-filler, with the band even forgoing promoting their new material in favor of including fan favorites like “Make It Wit Chu” and “A Song for the Dead.”) Other highlights came by way of The Return of Jackie & Judy’s Ramones tribute, 4 Non Blondes emotional singalongs, Lindsey Stirling’s impressive stage show, Goose’s jammy noodling, and The War on Drugs’ hypnotic rock ‘n’ roll.
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By Friday, the sun had begun to fully peek out, and the weekend was firmly settling in. Early gems like Amigo the Devil got the day rolling, with standout sets from Consequence favorites Father John Misty, Violent Femmes, and The Flaming Lips following in succession. Kacey Musgraves, the penultimate performer of the night, then absolutely stole the show (shout-out to her cover of George Strait’s “All My Exes Live in Texas”) before Mumford & Sons had everyone stomping and clapping.
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Saturday showed Bourbon & Beyond had no signs of slowing down as it passed its halfway mark. In addition to rising songwriters like Maddox Batson and Cameron Whitcomb, the day housed two sets that easily ranked amongst the best of the weekend: Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit and Chris Stapleton. Isbell and his trusty Unit of 400 put on an absolutely stunning display, delivering amped-up jams and delicate tearjerkers alike. (The inclusion of “Danko/Manuel” was an especially sweet treat for us Drive-By Tuckers fans in attendance.) Stapleton, meanwhile, simply has one of the best voices in modern country, and his talents were on full display under the Kentucky moon.
Then arrived Sunday, which offered fest-goers one last chance to soak in the sun, sip on something tasty, and bask in the joy of live music. In summation, the was day ideal for those looking to steep themselves in some ’90s nostalgia, with The Verve Pipe, Tonic, Better Than Ezra, Counting Crows, Hootie & The Blowfish, and Dave Matthews Band all performing (and with barely any conflict, mind you). Younger blood was also able to showcase their stuff too, with folks like Portugal. The Man and Jesse Welles drawing passionate crowds.
Throw in a seemingly endless amount of killer vendors, access to the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park, and special experiences like meet-and-greets, and you’ve got yourself a damn enjoyable four-day weekend. We’re already counting the days until we can do it again in 2027.
