It was HOT in Louisville this past weekend! Not only did temperature exceed 90 degrees most of the weekend but the city also ushered in the inaugural Bourbon and Beyond festival which was billed as the perfect blend of bourbon, food and music and that it was!
Musical talent from all over the country descended on Champions Park amongst a sea of people. Saturday afternoon Dave Cavalier had the honor of going down in history as the very first performer to ever take the Bourbon & Beyond stage and he did so in great fashion. People who were unaware of Dave beforehand were impressed by his voice and skills on the guitar and many people made comments expressing hopes to have him back in the future.
From there the crowed sang along with the likes of Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Amos Lee, Eddie Vedder The Steve Miller Band and others. Sunday’s lineup also brought the heat with Kiefer Sutherland, Nikki Lane, Trombone Shorty, Gary Clark Jr., Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Nicks and other talented artists!
There were food vendors from all over that sent an aroma in the air that made me lust for food all throughout the festival. Everything from ribs, burgers, crab cakes, jambalaya, burrito bowls… well you get the picture! My personal favorite was a pulled chicken sandwich that I got from Baxter’s 942, “I highly recommend it!” Top Chefs such as Edward Lee, Carla Hall along with others were on hand conducting workshops, sharing recipes and interacting with the crowd.
That brings us to the bourbon! Adults over 21 had their choice from over 30 different bourbon brands and countless blends. With a name like Bourbon and Beyond there was also a host of bourbon masters on deck talking to the crowd and performing demos.
Bourbon and Beyond was so well organized that I had to keep asking, “is this REALLY the first one?” Everything was great and everyone that I talked to enjoyed themselves. The crowd was friendly and engaged, the grounds were kept clean and there was plenty of security officers and medics on site which was comforting with unseasonably hot weather.
