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Old 09-25-2017, 07:53 AM
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Bourbon and Beyond goes beyond expectations

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Bluegrass, bourbon and good times could be found all over the grounds of Champions Park on Sunday.

"The first thing I thought of was, 'Are we in Louisville, Kentucky?' This is really cool," Michelle Baugh said.

The inaugural Bourbon and Beyond Festival brought out at least twenty-thousand fans a day, throughout the weekend. It also attracted headliners like Stevie Nicks.

"Stevie Nicks is going to be great tonight," Lindsey Browne said. "I'm excited and we saw Trombone Shorty. It's been great."


"I always do Forecastle and I saw the lineup this year and was like, ‘I gotta check it out,’" Lyle Hull said.

The festival host is the same company that launched Louder Than Life, which is now a Louisville staple.

"We fell in love with this city when we came five years ago when we first came," Clay Busch, Vice President of Marketing said. "Our goal is to bring as many out-of-towners as possible."

Organizers said Bourbon and Beyond took fans beyond the music by incorporating Kentucky's favorite drink and different foods.

Ryan McCray enjoyed the different culinary options. "Sweet, salty, cheesy, greasy," McCray said. "Amazing."

With fan reviews strong, organizers are already working on a long-term plan for the festival.

"We will probably add a couple new things," Busch said. "We'll probably take a couple things away we didn't really see the fans connect to because what it comes down to it, it's all about the fan experience."


http://www.wave3.com/story/36441393/...d-expectations




Classic rock royalty tops the list of the 5 things you missed Sunday at Bourbon & Beyond

The Bourbon & Beyond Festival wrapped up Sunday with more huge crowds, a lot of blues, an actor who can actually write a song, and two of the most distinctive singers in rock history.

Even though the bourbon and food components of the festival continued to be footnotes to the music, the festival's debut has to be considered a success based solely on the sheer number of bodies that filled Champions Park.

Here are five things you missed.

1. There's a game that music geeks like to play when drinking called rock draft lottery. Everyone draws a number and then tries to draft the best band possible, and many start with a singer because it's such a crucial spot.
I always hold back because I know everyone will overlook history's greatest pure rock 'n' roll singer and I can pick him up in later rounds. That's Paul Rodgers. The frontman of Bad Company and Free proved Sunday that he's still a contender with a hit-filled set that revolved around his gruff cannon of a voice.
On classics such as "Shooting Star," "Movin' On" and "All Right Now," Rodgers delivered everything a classic rock fan needed, including songs that were the soundtrack of long-ago childhoods.

2. Stevie Nicks doesn't exactly have a pretty voice but you definitely can't mistake it; that growling vibrato is instantly recognizable. She closed the festival with her own set of classic hits fueled by a stellar band, surprisingly goofy stage banter, and some damn fine twirling.

3. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue hit the stage hard and never let up with a set that was heavy on crowd-pleasing excess. Everything was bigger than life and twice as funky as the large ensemble fed elements of Earth, Wind & Fire, The Commodores and James Brown through a filter of pure New Orleans.

4. Blues fans had it good all weekend with Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Joe Bonamassa, ZZ Ward and Gary Clark Jr. on hand. Sunday featured Lang, Clark and Bonamassa, with Clark offering the most interesting set and Bonamassa the one most likely to be loved by random white dudes in mini vans.

5. There's a long history of actors who let their vanity get the better of them and they make a record. Most are forgettable, some are regrettable, but Kiefer Sutherland's "Down in a Hole" is a really solid country album with plenty of traditional elements and an actor's eye for drama, His performance followed suit, with a top-notch band and lots of roguish charm.


http://www.courier-journal.com/story...ond/690160001/
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