Bourbon & Beyond wrapped up its fourth year in Louisville, and the organizers finally got everything to work the way they wanted. Four days of food, drink and music went off without a hitch, with perfect weather throughout and a lineup that reached across rock, folk and country without a single day feeling thin.
Thursday opened with Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters, both playing hard and loud. Queens hit especially hard, with a setlist full of fan favorites like “Make It Wit Chu” and “A Song for the Dead” — the band skipped promoting its new material entirely to keep the crowd happy. The Return of Jackie & Judy’s Ramones tribute, 4 Non Blondes, Lindsey Stirling, Goose and The War on Drugs rounded out the day.
Friday brought warmer sun and the start of the weekend proper. Early sets came from Amigo the Devil, followed by Father John Misty, Violent Femmes and The Flaming Lips. Kacey Musgraves closed the night with a strong performance, stealing the show with her cover of George Strait’s “All My Exes Live in Texas.” Mumford & Sons finished things off with stomping and clapping.
Saturday kept the pace high. Rising songwriters Maddox Batson and Cameron Whitcomb shared space with two of the weekend’s strongest sets: Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, and Chris Stapleton. Isbell delivered amped-up jams and delicate tearjerkers alike, with “Danko/Manuel” a sweet treat for Drive-By Tucker fans in attendance. Stapleton simply has one of the best voices in modern country, and he showed it under the Kentucky moon.
Sunday closed the festival with a day of ’90s nostalgia. The Verve Pipe, Tonic, Better Than Ezra, Counting Crows, Hootie & The Blowfish and Dave Matthews Band all performed with barely any schedule conflict. Portugal. The Man and Jesse Welles drew younger crowds too. Throw in the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park, meet-and-greets and a seemingly endless amount of killer vendors, and the weekend was a damn enjoyable one.
The Lineup In Order
- Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters opened Thursday with a hard-hitting start.
- Friday featured Father John Misty, Violent Femmes and The Flaming Lips before Musgraves and Mumford.
- Saturday belonged to Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton.
- Sunday closed with the ’90s acts and a final day of sun.
What Made It Work
- Perfect weather throughout the four days
- A setlist heavy on fan favorites, not new material
- Strong early sets from Amigo the Devil and Violent Femmes
- Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton delivering two of the weekend’s best shows
- A Sunday packed with ’90s nostalgia with barely any conflicts
- The Kentucky Kingdom amusement park and meet-and-greets rounding out the experience
The recap reads like a festival-goer’s dream. Everything that could go wrong stayed fixed, from the weather to the scheduling to the quality of the performances. The ’90s nostalgia day on Sunday gave the weekend a sentimental close, while the earlier days kept the energy high with a mix of rock, folk and country that never felt repetitive.
We’re already counting the days until Bourbon & Beyond returns in 2027.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
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