LOUISVILLE, KY (CelebrityAccess) — The weekend of October 4th and 5th consumed Louisville Kentucky as the city hosted its first annual “Louder Than Life” Music Fest. Boosting a robust line up of performers with a unique environment of local food and drink experiences it was truly an experience to be had by its record crowds.
With 36,826 in attendance over the weekend at Champions Park near downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the festival celebrated Louisville’s culture and cuisine, with a selection of rock music, bourbon, whiskey, craft beer and "gourmet man food" curated personally by Danny Wimmer. The 2 day festival brought Louisville an unique opportunity to impact the Louisville, KY economy in a way it has not seen before.
Although the first day brought record low temperatures and winds, crowds were not deterred from venturing out to enjoy the day of phenomenal music , spirits and food.
The 3 stages featured performances from more than 30 of the biggest bands in hard rock and metal–including Kid Rock, Judas Priest, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Limp Bizkit, Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, Volbeat, Papa Roach and more– over this 2 day fest.
The food aspect of this event really brought its own rock star “esque” to the fest. With celebrity chef appearances by Chris Santos, Bill Kunz, and Tom Coghill on the Jägermeister Cooking Stage. More than 70 food and beverage vendors were on hand to help celebrate the bourbon culture and culinary heritage of this unique American city. Food vendor booths showcased some of the “best” eats from the Louisville Kentucky culture.
I was advised to take the time to share (as the quantity was ginormous) one of the most boosted about offerings of the fest created by the Jack Daniels experience/ chefs, and I am glad that I did. With 4 meals to choose from, the pork chop plate was the stand out one, nothing short of amazing. With a cooked to perfection "Flintstone" inspired sized pork chop (a good 2 inches thick by about 6 inches long) smothered in a decadent sweet JD sauce and served with JD beans, slaw and fries. I'd have paid $30 for such a phenomenon however fest goers only paid…. wait for it. … $8. Truly one of the best bangs for your buck I've seen at any festivals. Kudos JD.
Though not without a few glitches on the first day the biggest issue being a low a porta potty count and a toilet paper shortage. Attendees immediately took to social media to complain. Danny Hayes, DWP CEO stated that he and his team responded quickly to this “crappy crisis” by adding a considerable number of additional potty containment units in addition to graciously addressing each individual attendees email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram post directly assuring them that the situation is being handled and thanking them for their feedback and patronize. Hayes states “DWP strives for every attendee to have the best possible experience and that no issue is too trivial of a matter, whether you’ve purchased general admission or VIP everyone is treated with the same concern and respect.”
Day 2 brought warmer temperatures and another stellar line up of musical talent, eats and beverages.
With year one under their belt in Louisville, KY, the DWP team is already in the beginning stages of planning next year’s LOUDER THAN LIFE 2015. Claiming it to be bigger and better with new and unique surprises to thrill concerts goers of all ages. Festival producers are working closely with the city to make the event even better for locals and the tens of thousands of fans that traveled from around the U.S. and as far away as Australia, the Netherlands and South America for this one-of-a-kind experience.
Festival producers Danny Wimmer and Danny Hayes of Danny Wimmer Presents, and Charlie Steele of 93.1 The Fox said, “We want to thank everyone who attended the LOUDER THAN LIFE festival. This event could not have happened without the cooperation and vision of our fans, Mayor Greg Fischer, the City of Louisville, Louisville Parks Department, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Water Tower, all of our bourbon, beer and food vendors, Jack Daniel’s, our sponsors and partners and of course the great bands that performed. We collectively set out to create something that would make a statement about rock, bourbon and food; something that screamed LOUDER THAN LIFE. While we are very happy with our first year, we know there are areas we can do better. We have heard the feedback from our patrons, partners and neighbors and we are committed to making LOUDER THAN LIFE a unique, long term, annual event in Louisville.” – Laura L. Rode
