The sun and hot temperatures were back for another fun day at Bourbon & Beyond, Day 3 of the four-day festival in Louisville, Kentucky making record breaking DWP history with its largest single day attendance yet. Guests gathered onto the Highland Festival Grounds, ready to brave the heat for another long day of drinking and music that featured headliners Zach Bryan, Cody Jinks, Young the Giant, Wild Rivers, Whiskey Myers, and Teddy Swims.
Our main stage Saturday started out with the acoustic duo of Smith & Myers. The group is made up of Brent Smith and Zach Myers of Shinedown and the duo performed stripped down versions of their famous rock songs as well as original singer-songwriter singles like “Bad At Love.” It is a unique experience to see these two in a 1 p.m. time slot these days and it was fun to see fan’s faces when they realized who they were seeing as the two sang “If You Only Knew.” in the early afternoon set on the Oak Stage.
On the Oak Stage, the colorful and creative West Virginia native Sierra Ferrell shared her Americanana brand of music in a puffy two-piece outfit topped off with purple flowers. Sierra always brings a unique style and creative outfit to every show she plays. It’s always a treat to see her perform her music and see what style of costume she prepares for each show. She opened her set while playing the fiddle to her song “I Could Drive You Crazy.” As she played the guitar her bandmates plucked at their electric guitar and cello as Ferrell sang the melodic “In Dreams” and closed with “Dollar Bill Bar.”
One of Iceland’s most recognized blues rock bands KALEO, who became known in the U.S. for their song “Way Down We Go” took to the Barrel stage for a midday performance. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jökull Júlíusson, drummer Davíð Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjánsson, lead guitarist Rubin Pollock, and harmonicist/keyboardist Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson. All the group members vibed together on stage as Júlíusson strummed at his guitar in a cowboy hat and patterned vest.
Over on the Beyonder Stage, blues singer and guitarist Samantha Fish delivered an amazing performance full of strong vocals and intricate guitar riffs. The Missouri native wore all black leather pants and a rose embellished tassel vest as she jammed like a true blues great on the stage with her white electric guitar.
Jaten Dimsdale, better known by his stage name Teddy Swims performed on the Barrel Stage around 6 p.m.. His music blends together genres like R&B, soul, country, and pop. Swims was joined on stage in the middle of his performance by Allen Stone, a fellow singer, for a Hall & Oates cover of “Sara Smile.” The incredibly talented vocalist finished out his set with popular songs “Lost Control” and “The Door.”
Around 7 p.m. as the sun began to set, rock & roll band Whiskey Myers performed 11 songs before headliner Zach Bryan took over the stage. Since their beginnings in 2007, Whiskey Myers has released six albums, the latest Tornilloreleased in July 2022. The group made sure to perform fan-favorites “Broken Window Serenade” and “Stone” from albums Firewater and Mud.
Soul and R&B musician Allen Stone was all smiles as he performed his set on the Yonder Stage. In a blue polo, plaid pants, and a red bandana around his neck, Stone plucked out his tunes on his sky-blue electric guitar. His chill tones and smooth melodies had the crowd swaying to his songs and singing along as the night went on.
Following Stone were popular alt-rock band Young The Giant. They performed some of their certified gold and platinum songs like “Cough Syrup,” “Mind Over Matter,” and “My Body.” The festival-goers enjoyed the upbeat nature of their songs and jammed along with the band. Lead vocalist and longtime band member Sameer Gadhia delivered his usual strong vocals while making the stage his own.
Cody Jinks, a country singer who gained fame after his breakthrough album I’m Not The Devil in 2016 closed out the Barrel Stage for Day 3. He took to the stage in his signature cowboy hat and sunglasses, playing songs from his entire discography. He played some of his more popular songs like “Hippies and Cowboys” and “Loud and Heavy” and also included an AC/DC cover of “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).”
Closing the main Oak Stage with the largest crowd of the night was multi-award winning country artist Zach Bryan. As he entered the stage while fans cheered, Bryan exclaimed that he couldn’t believe he was playing after Whiskey Myers and at a festival with Dave Matthews. Despite his excitement and amazement, Bryan put on an amazing show singing twenty of his songs. Fans lit up when Bryan began to play the heartfelt hit songs “Pink Skies” and “I Remember Everything.” He closed the show with an encore high energy crowd sing along to “Revival” that was the perfect ending to this massive milestone in DWP festival history.
Catch us again tomorrow for a recap on Day 4, the last day of the world’s largest bourbon and music festival, Bourbon & Beyond 2024.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig