Bourbon & Beyond - Louisville - Sept 20-22 2019

Got home late last night from our first Bourbon & Beyond. We had a great time seeing top rock acts (and some country and bluegrass) from the last 6 decades, including many favorites from before we ever had the opportunity to see a live show or even listened to music. Here's my very unscientific, personally-biased, and long review of the festival:

Site: The area is well-suited to large events and gatherings, as it’s in a spread-out light industrial area near the airport several miles south of downtown. Not very scenic, though, outside the festival grounds. Hotels are a short walk away (13” for us), but strangely, there wasn’t a restaurant, bar, Quik-E-Mart, or even a gas station anywhere around.

Logistics: Entering the festival was a snap, with plenty of event staff/security/police making sure everything flowed smoothly. Security lines were short and checks were quick. Annoying as the small/clear bag policy is, it certainly seemed to make security and entry go quickly for everyone.

The grounds were much larger than I’d imagined from looking at the map or Google Earth. Much of the crowd spread out nicely, many bringing beach chairs and blankets and setting up in one spot for the day. We encountered no bottlenecks or crush crowds like we have at several other festivals. They had a week to correct anything that wasn’t right (there was a country festival last weekend). More shade is definitely needed, as the sun was brutal. We rented a locker ($60- ouch) but next time I'd skip that and travel light.

The crowd was predictably dominated by the older demographic, but we saw everything from toddlers to 70-somethings. Most people we met were from out of town, even as far away as Italy. Enjoyed chatting with folks and comparing notes on about other festivals we've been to.

Food and beverages: There were plenty of choices- especially if you like BBQ, pulled pork, and bourbon- with a good local representation. But- it was expensive, as in New York stadium and arena pricing. Bourbon drinks ran $12-14. Pulled pork sandwich and chips: $15. One meal and a couple drinks for two ran us about $100/day. I guess this is the trade-off for cheap ticket prices. There was only one water refill station in GA, with long lines, and a large, unmarked dispenser in VIP.

Warning: VIP Snob Alert- I enjoy the energy and social aspects of General Admission, but we did VIP, because:
1) The full stage-front areas of both stages were VIP only, and
2) Because the wife said so (and I caved like a house of cards). She is Port-a-Potty averse...
I’m glad we did, as the pit was at least 75’ deep. We heard that VIP was oversold the previous week, so maybe they enlarged it. Also, stage-front viewing areas got shade first, from about 2pm on. Seating was hard to come by in the VIP tent, as early arrivals grabbed all the seats, covered them with blankets and crap, and kept them all day. Still, though, $579 for the prime viewing alone was a good deal compared to other festivals.

The line-up is what got us here. Musical tastes are purely personal and subjective, but some of the oldest acts here were still very polished performers, maybe even more refined and entertaining with experience. We attended a food demo and met chef Graham Elliot and pitching great Jake Peavy-cool!

Random observations:
-No one in Kentucky eats salad. Nobody.
-The older crowd leaves a litter mess, too. Kudos to the cleanup crews that had to make the place presentable for the next day.
-In a funny role-reversal, the younger crowd would show up early to get a decent spot for a set, then a much older person would try to shove their way to the railing, claiming “I have friends up front…”.

Overall: I wouldn’t call Bourbon and Beyond a “destination festival” (though it's near some great attractions if you have transportation), but for those of us whose musical journeys are decades long, without ever getting stuck in just one era, this line-up was a winner.