Bourbon & Beyond 2024-Day One

The first year of Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, had been wonderful, albeit ridiculously hot. The music, food, and bourbon were fantastic, and I was able to do many interviews for stories.

When I left Bourbon & Beyond the second year, it was in a muddy mess. The torrential rains in the hours before the end of day three left the long trip to the parking lot in my walker extremely difficult. Had I been in a wheelchair then, I would have been one of the people stuck for hours in the mud.

With the memories of 2018, followed by the event being skipped because of COVID, I didn’t think I’d return. Then my brother, Mark, brought it up.

 

Mark lives in California and we don’t get a lot of time together so it gave me a pause. Then, there was a lineup filled with performers I really wanted to see, such as Sting, Dave Matthews, Beck, Melissa Etheridge, and Larkin Poe, whom I had interviewed at the first Bourbon & Beyond.

My first step was to contact the media staff at Danny Wimmer Presents, the company producing the event. I knew there was a new venue, and I wanted to know more about it. I listened carefully as I was told there were accessible cement walkways throughout, and a large area of handicapped parking.

I decided we would go and cover the event together. I was still a bit nervous and checked the weather every day before I had nothing to worry about in the weather that first day as it was warm and sunny, with no sight of rain.

 

It was nice that there weren’t too many people when we first arrived, so we had a chance to look around and get something to eat after getting our press credentials.

We were able to get handicapped parking and, as I had been told, there were cement walkways for me to easily ride my wheelchair to the venue.

 

All of the major bourbon companies had their own tents. They also have tents with Bourbon & Beyond merchandise, as well as those with general clothing and hats. The Workshop was the scene for cooking demonstrations and bourbon seminars. I regret that I didn’t make it over to any, but it was away from the stages and there never seemed to be enough time.

I broke protocol, but the heat really had me in the mood for a cold glass of wine. The Wine Garden had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc—and shade—which worked well for me.

 

I have seen Matchbox 20 four times (three in the last three years). I believe Rob Thomas is greatly underrated as a singer and songwriter. I can continue to listen to his songs every chance I get, even better if it’s in concert. Judging by the growing crowd, I was not alone.

While I was at Matchbox 20, Mark was checking out Tedeschi Trucks.

I took a break in the press tent. The Drip coffee bar  kept me going this first day and every day after. They provided us with complimentary coffee drinks, and I took full advantage. I think I tried just about everything. My favorite was the Dirty Horchata, made with cold brew, cinnamon, vanilla extract and bean, and milk.

The crowds on the main lawn increased dramatically as the sun began to go down. The Angel’s Envy VIP seating also filled up for the evening performances. I had heard a lot about how good Beck was live and had to agree. I really enjoyed him, especially “Loser,” which had the crowd on their feet singing along.

 

One of the reasons I wanted to go to this festival was Sting, who I had never seen perform live before. He did not disappoint. I was blown away by his stamina, as he hardly took a breath between songs.

We left as Sting was on his last song and we were both tired. This is the part where I usually say we went to the hotel and got a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, that story is much bigger.

 

In my previous coverage of Bourbon & Beyond, the Louisville Tourism Board would take care of getting me a hotel room. This worked well for me and them, as I would also spend time exploring the city and doing additional stories beyond the festival.

I had presumed it would work the same way and didn’t look into hotels. By the time I heard back from Louisville Tourism that they couldn’t supply the accommodations, there wasn’t a lot left around the festival locations.

We were able to get a two-bed accessible suite at an Extended Stay* about 20 minutes away. Even though I had a confirmation, they contacted me the day of check-in to tell me they did not have any such room, or anything accessible! We frantically called around town and had another similar experience with Wyndham, who gave us a confirmation for a room that did not exist.

It was after midnight before we got to a Hilton Tru, a half hour from the Bourbon & Beyond Festival, in an actual wheelchair friendly room—at nearly twice the price originally planned for. It was an experience I have never had before and to think it happened at two different hotels makes me more concerned than ever about accessible travel.

We tried not to let it put a damper on the positive festival experience we were having so far.

 

 

 

*I have never even received an apology from Extended Stay.