Day 3 recap of Bourbon & Beyond 2023
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The menu for Saturday night at Bourbon & Beyond, the third installment in the four-day celebration of food, drink and music, featured more straightforward rock offerings garnished with Americana.
Despite the light rain showers that led to a sizeable share of the crowd heading for the Fairgrounds’ exits before the finish of The Black Keys’ headlining set, the day featured perhaps its most loaded card of performers.
Friday night’s attendance was noticeably higher, likely driven by the popularity of The Killers, but Saturday’s fans brought energy.
Early on, plenty of people danced and sang along to Old Crow Medicine Show’s blend of catchy bluegrass originals mixed with choice covers.
The highlights of the set were nods to musicians lost this year, including a celebration of Tina Turner with “Proud Mary,” a nod to Paul Reubens with “Tequila,” complete with Pee-wee Herman’s iconic dance from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” and a spot-on cover of “Margaritaville” in honor of Jimmy Buffett, ahead of the inevitable singalong from Old Crow’s dive bar staple “Wagon Wheel.”
In the nostalgia slot of the night, The Black Crowes, another band known for owning a catalog of reworked covers brought a lively set full of hits with their Rolling Stones influence shining strong in their on-stage renditions, particularly in their closing selections of “Jealous Again” and “Remedy.”`
The Avett Brothers again turned the field into a singalong festival and at times dabbled with a heavier rock sound than what is more typically associated with them, while The Black Keys blitzed through choice cuts from the swampy blues rockers, opening with “I Got Mine” and “Gold on the Ceiling.”
The raindrops added to the light show as the energy held throughout their closing performance, culminating with “Little Black Submarines” and “Lonely Boy.”
Sunday looks to pack the field more like Friday’s crowd, with Blondie and Bruno Mars wrapping up the event.
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