I spent most of the my commute trying to turn Buzz Lightyear’s “To infinity and beyond” catchphrase into some kind of Bourbon & Beyond line. But…instead I give you this.
You might think we are all Kentuckered out (yes folks I am leading this off with a terrible Kentucky pun) but we are so not ready to be done with Kentucky festivals this season. We have a trio of Kentucky festivals on our radar and we are going to start off with Bourbon & Beyond.
This festival has been high on my own personal list since I first heard about it approximately a year ago. Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to spend a couple weekends at festivals in Kentucky and have continued to hear great things about Bourbon & Beyond. The people of Kentucky clearly love festivals – seriously everyone I have met down there this year has asked me whether I am coming back for whatever fest is up next on the calendar, assuring me they too will be there.
Bourbon & Beyond is part of a power trio of festivals brought to the Louisville area by Danny Wimmer Presents. With the other two being Hometown Rising and Louder than Life. We are seriously hoping to find a way to hit all three…so stay tuned for more about the others.
You might be wondering what it is about Kentucky that has me so addicted. I had that same question for a bit myself and I think I finally know the answer. Not only have these Kentucky fests brought amazing music – they have brought food and bourbon and just yummmmm!!!
Bourbon & Beyond seems like it has potential to top off my summer in so many ways. So rather than just rambling on about my love for Kentucky – lets get down to business and look at a few of the aspects of Bourbon & Beyond that have me ready to head back down that way again!
THE MUSIC:
This year, Bourbon & Beyond is hitting us with a ton of amazing and unique headliners. It goes without saying that we are excited about the Foo Fighters – we haven’t gotten to see them for a few years. However, I am somehow almost more excited about a few bands on this list that I have been waiting to see for awhile and some that are just absolute bucket list material. Ugh. It is hard to even know where to begin. First there is John Fogerty – he led Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) through something like seven albums. He is a living legend and there is just going to be so much to absorb during his set. Day one will bring a bunch of awesome sets, including another living legend Joan Jett along with the always amazing Live and one of our newest favorites Blackberry Smoke. We got to check Blackberry Smoke out at SandJam earlier this year, coming in completely fresh to them and fell completely in love with their sound. Highly recommend checking them out.
Taking a look at Day Two – we can point to some more big names, like Hall and Oates, Allison Krauss, Grace Potter and Jenny Lewis.
Finally, Day Three, the one I am somehow the most stoked about. I have been a low key Zac Brown Band fan for just about as long as I can remember. Add in ZZ Top and these headliners are probably my most anticipated of the weekend. Follow that up with Edward Sharpe, Leon Bridges and Kurt Vile not to mention an amazing “undercard” and this will definitely be a day that goes down in my own personal music history.
Let us know who we need to add to our can’t miss list!
THE FOOD:
Bourbon & Beyond starts the food aspect of the festival out early with a couple of cool pre-party dinners on Thursday before the festival officially begins. Head here to the official site and click on supper clubs for more info about these awesome meals.
Another unique aspect will be the appearances and demos from some pretty amazing chefs. I am dead serious when I say that I can’t stop fangirling over the chefs on this list – if you love Top Chef this is going to be epic for you. You may remember that the most recent season of Top Chef was largely based in Kentucky and some of my faves from the season are on the lineup: Kelsey, Justin and Sara are all on the list. The culinary lineup also features Rusty Hamlin, Tiffani Thiessen and The Voltaggio Brothers. I can practically smell the food now!
Speaking of food (did we ever actually stop talking about food) the restaurant and vendor lineup is mouth watering. And I am not just saying that because I skipped lunch today. I see lots of unique stuff on here – from lobster to a chocolate shop. There are also some favorites like Island Noodles, Phat Daddy’s Creole and so many more. I have no idea what Joella’s Hot Chicken is but I am sold from the pictures alone and that sandwich is going to be one of my first stops. There are also some solid looking BBQ options.
and of course THE BOURBON (and other deliciousness)
After we finish stuffing ourselves absolutely silly – there will still be room for bourbon. I mean, it is Bourbon & Beyond. If the drink is in the name you have to try it. Like other Kentucky festivals, Bourbon will play a prominent role here. But wow – the list of Bourbon Distilleries that will be participating is long. Some of our new favorites will be there. We love Four Roses and they always have awesome swag. But we are definitely eager to try out some new spots and visit a few of our other favorites as well. We have had fantastic cocktails from Larceny, Old Forester and more this festival season.
Looks like there will also be some non Bourbon distilleries on site as well. And even a cocktail bar. I don’t know guys…am I ready for this. One thing is for sure, it is time to get planning.
Let us know if we missed something food or otherwise that veteran Bourbon & Beyonders think we should try. We expect to pop back in later with more info and possibly a play list. Wish us luck on our Kentucky journey – can’t wait to see you out there.
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