Louisville, KY - Bourbon and Beyond - Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center
September 22nd, 2024
Louisville, KY
Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center
Preface: Daniel made this trip solo so we’ll let him take it from here!
Making my way back from Healing Appalachia I was absolutely exhausted! I had just went from Louisville to Lewisburg back to Louisville, so I took extra time to nap in the afternoon!
Daniel and Lil Kev!
Show Notes: As mentioned in the preface I was able to grab a nap at my hotel room before the show. This was in part because I had decided to spring for the VIP tickets for Bourbon and Beyond so I knew I’d have a good view ever arriving late.
My mom was with me seeing Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps for the first time so I decided to treat her to some much better views than she’d normally get.
My mom, dad, and brother were actually all at this show but I had already told my dad and brother I’d gotten the extra VIP ticket for my mom and they were more than happy for her! While my brother and dad hung in the back, me and my mom made our way to the front. We ended up being able to get about 20 rows back - which was plenty close enough for her.
Reminding us it was Sunday in ole Kentucky, Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps opened the set with Shake the Frost. However the slow and mellow was shorted lived.
Whitehouse Road was next and on its heels was Tulsa Turnaround. It was sufficient to say this setlist was designed to rock it out all night.
Things stayed similar to the last few setlists we’ve seen, Country Squire, I Swear (to God), Rustin’ in the Rain, Purgatory, Cluck Old Hen, In Your Love all leading up to the same three song acoustic set of Lady May, Nose on the Grindstone, and Follow You to Virgie
Post-acoustic you could tell we were back to jamming! Old Country Church, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, and Two Coats! My mom was blown away as she had no idea how much Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps included rock into their sets.
It wasn’t long until things were wrapping up after another six songs and as the fans started to file out me and my mom waited by the mixing booth to say hello to none of that than Lil Kev! I’m super grateful that I’ve been able to meet some of the people in the booth and that they’ll let me take photos with Lil Kev!
The best concert crew in the land preparing at Bourbon and Beyond
Venue Notes: I’d previously been here for another festival and just like then this was nothing short of great. The grounds here are relatively flat and easy to trek over.
There is plenty of grass to keep dust down and there’s plenty of room to move around easily. The grounds at this festival are in the top you could ever expect.
Bourbon and Beyond also has plenty of places to sit in the shade, something that is worth charging for! They also have picnic tables in a lot of areas that you can hangout at. These do tend to fill up quickly though so just keep an eye out for when people are leaving. They’re also located in the middle of the venue so you can see two stages from them.
This venue is honestly one of the best you’ll ever come across and it is that way for any festival we’ve been to here.
Parking Notes: Parking here cost a little more than I think it’s worth, it’s about $40 to park on site and while the walk is an easy walk it’s also on the longer side. I will say though it’s much more worth it on Sunday after you’ve been there for 3 days previously and just want an easy walk in.
Most of the other parking you can find, while cheaper, is much further away and involves crossing pretty traffic heavy areas.
While the cost is a little more than I’d like I would certainly say it’s worth it and leaving was a breeze.
Travel Notes: I was hammering the peddle down to get back to this one! I barely slept the night before due to a combo of bad neighbors and being up late so I was just trying to get back to a bed where I could shut my eyes for a little bit.
I don’t recommend this type of travel as it certainly adds some unneeded risks to traveling but sometimes this is what you’ve got to do to make back to back shows.
Be careful, always have someone with you or at least someone you can talk to on the phone to help make the travel easier, and if you need to STOP and take a break!