Louder Than Life
Photos by: Sandy Beitler
Louder Than Life returned with its biggest lineup yet, with memorable performances from Slipknot, Staind and A Day To Remember on Friday; Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack and Ice Cube on Saturday; and Disturbed, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson on Sunday. Louder Than Life was Guns N’ Roses’ first festival appearance in 2019 and delivered three jam-packed hours of classics and covers of songs including Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” In addition to festival favorites Disturbed and Slipknot (who have one of the top albums in the country with their latest, We Are Not Your Kind), the festival also featured the return of Staind with their first performance in five years, and offered special moments such as one of the first American shows from supergroup Deadland Ritual (featuring Matt Sorum, Geezer Butler, Steve Stevens and Franky Perez), and a surprise appearance from GWAR during a Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals set that was heavy on Pantera classics. The lineup also showcased up-and-coming local talent including Knocked Loose, White Reaper and Anemic Royalty among more than 50 acts on three stages.
Elsewhere at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center, fans were able to take in several art displays and live painting, including a large homage to late actor Sid Haig, best known to rock fans for playing Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s films. Other onsite attractions included the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar presented by Louisville Courier Journal, which featured more than two dozen hand-selected bourbons from top distilleries; Fred Minnick’s Mini Bar presented by Bourbon Women Association, hosted by the Bourbon & Beyond bourbon curator, author/expert, and Amazon Prime host (Bourbon Up); Jack Daniel’s No. 7 Sports Bar; The Music Experience; Angel’s Envy Speakeasy; and The Silver Dollar Hunter’s Club, where attendees could find vintage bourbons dating as far back as the 1930s, as well as contemporary collectibles.
As part of Danny Wimmer Presents’ innovative partnership and Kroger’s commitment to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, 25 cents from every Louder Than Life ticket was donated directly to Dare to Care Food Bank (www.daretocare.org). Other charitable partners included Take Me Home animal rescue and the Fxck Cancer & Dyin2Live Dreams Program.
