About This Massive 2024 Bourbon & Beyond Fest Lineup

Nobody needs to be told how incredibly awesome this 2024 Bourbon & Beyond Festival lineup is. Announced on Wednesday (1-24), the lineup set to transpire at the Highland Festival Ground in Louisville, Kentucky September 19-22 is arguably the best festival lineup we’ve ever seen grace independent country music.
Bourbon & Beyond includes Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, and Cody Jinks, all of whom would constitute the prime headliner at any other independent country megafestival. Whiskey Myers, Shane Smith and the Saints, Koe Wetzel, and Sierra Ferrell are also headliner-level performers.
You also have headliner level artists from the bluegrass realm like The Sam Bush Band and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, headliners from the blues realm such as Samantha Fish and Tedeschi Trucks Band, and a ton of top names from indie rock like Beck, The National, and My Morning Jacket. There are also a few classic rock acts thrown in there like Neil Young and The Beach Boys.
Long story short, this lineup is a monster, and even with four days to handle it all, it still looks like too much to take in. But obviously, that’s a good problem to have. The Bourbon & Beyond promoters have added two new stages for 2024 for a total of five, as well as 40 additional performance slots.
It’s not even fair to consider this lineup in the same vein as the country music megafestivals that have popped up all over the United States over the last few years like Under The Big Sky in Montana, Rebels & Renegades in California, Two Step Inn in Texas, and the Railbird Festival also in Kentucky, not to mention half a dozen more new ones that have are coming on line already in 2024.
The Bourbon & Beyond lineup is even bigger, and sort of its own beast. It’s not exactly Coachella, Bonnaroo, or ACL Fest—the true mega monogenre festivals that try to cater to everyone. Even with it’s diverse lineup, Bourbon and Beyond is still slanted to a specific crowd that cuts across a few select demographics.
Bourbon & Beyond also doesn’t come with the corporate baggage some of the other country music megafestivals do. It’s not owned by LiveNation, LiveNation’s cousin C3 Presents, or even AEG. Instead its owned by the comparatively small, but apparently mighty Danny Wimmer Presents. Based in Los Angeles, it’s been a big player in the rock world for years. They also promote the Louder Than Life rock festival in Louisville.

So what is the concern about a festival such as this? There are a few.
First, a festival this gargantuan is inevitably going to put other festivals on perilous footing, or potentially out of business, including perhaps other independent country megafestivals. Bourbon & Beyond is going big here and betting it all on 2024. This is their moment to establish themselves as the big dog in this space.
Who could suffer? The most obvious event would be AmericanaFest in Nashville, which is currently scheduled to transpire on the same week, from September 17th – 21st. The Pilgrimage Fest in Franklin, TN is also often on this same weekend, which has already created conflicts of interest with AmericanaFest over the years. Both of these events are less than 200 miles from Louisville, and this could be significant concern for these organizations.
The Tyler Childers-led Healing Appalachia to promote recovery is also often on this same weekend. Like AmericanaFest, it is a non-profit event.
Born & Raised Fest in Pryor, Oklahoma is also set to transpire the weekend before. Bourbon and Beyond could definitely draw away from other destination-style festivals throughout the fall season, and throughout the United States. Where years previous there were only a few festivals that catered to independent country music, we’re now in the midst of an independent roots megafestival arms race. There are going to be winners and losers.
And despite all of the great names on the Bourbon & Beyond lineup, just like with so many of these megafestivals, you get these wild card acts that don’t really fit in the lineup at all, and seem to be booked just to satisfy certain loud voices in the room that don’t represent anyone but themselves. Maren Morris should be nowhere near this lineup, and not because of her political stances. She is the essence of pop who made a big public pronouncement late last year that she was leaving the country genre.
Breland is once again used as the token Black guy whose sound doesn’t fit the lineup, when performers like Chapel Hart or Aaron Vance would have worked much better. This isn’t fair to Breland or anyone else. It is good to see The War & Treaty on the lineup.
But this brings up the other concern with all of these megafestivals: you see the same artists and bands on these lineups no matter where the megafestival is. It’s like every one of these festivals is cheating off of each other’s lineup posters. Every one of them wants Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, and Cody Jinks to headline. As great as these guys are (though Bryan and Childers are very polarizing among independent fans for a host of reasons), the repetitiveness of the names lacks imagination.
Meanwhile who you never see on these lineups is Gabe Lee, whose latest album Drink The River was at the top of so many 2023 Best Of lists, and who is excellent live. You never see Mike and the Moonpies, who remain arguably the greatest country band in all of live music. You never see names like Brennen Leigh, who’s been at it for years. Meanwhile you have to get four lines deep into the lineup to find a woman, and it’s Maren Morris.
Sure, only a few select names can headline a festival like this. But when you see lineups like the ones for The Jackalope Jamboree in Oregon, or Laurel Cove Music Festival in Kentucky, you can tell these promoters have done their homework. They’re fans and listen to this music, and know how to curate it intuitively as opposed to just booking what every other festival is booking, or who talent agencies are telling them to.
But perhaps the biggest concern here is when you make these events so gargatuan, you lose some of the most important aspects that make independent music so cool, especially when you back fill these events with indie rock bands and artists like “The Beach Boys” just to increase general interest ticket sales in the local market.
With a lineup that is likely to draw well over 30,000 people—which is the current high water mark for one of these festivals (FairWell Fest in Redmond, OR, 2023)—you can lose the intimacy that fans have with artists, the music, and each other. Sure, some of this can still happen at a megafestival. But the bigger they become, the less likely that is. And guess what, you’re not going to see all the artists on the lineup. You’re not even going to see 1/4 of them. But you’re paying for them all.
There’s no doubt if you buy a ticket to Bourbon & Beyond, you will walk away entertained. This is not to discourage anyone from going. But part of what is cool about music festivals is the camaraderie and the community. Sometimes it’s what happens after the music ends in campgrounds and such that you remember the most. It’s about making lifelong friends out of perfect strangers just because you were standing next to each other on the rail and struck up a conversation.
Make no mistake about it, the 2024 lineup for Bourbon & Beyond is beautiful and glorious as everyone is saying. Who knows, Saving Country Music might even be there checking it out and reporting live from it. But it also feels like someone needs to raise their little hand and give a quiet voice of concern. Let’s make sure independent country doesn’t become like corporate country through the back door. Bigger is not always better. Sustainability and community should be the paramount concern when it comes to curating the live music experience.
Tickets can be purchased HERE.
January 25, 2024 @ 9:45 am
That’s one of the most stacked lineups I’ve seen. The head scratcher for me is whoever is touring as the Beach Boys these days, presumably Mike Love and crew. I’m sure they’re a hit on the nostalgia circuit, but I’m not sure there’s much crossover audience between their current iteration and most of these artists. Chris Hillman or Roger McGuinn would have been better choices from that era, would fit better with the vibe they seem to be going for and would likely be a whole lot cheaper.
January 25, 2024 @ 11:44 am
Biggest head scratcher for me is that Neil Young will share a stage with so many artists that still use Spotify and X? Zach Bryan and CWG were just on the JRE…. Shouldn’t he boycott this festival on the grounds of his high horse principles? The lack of royalties must be catching up. What a dork.
January 25, 2024 @ 2:04 pm
Neil Young quit Spotify to launch his own subscription service (Neil Young Archive) the JRE stuff was just the pretense he needed. Spotify notoriously don’t pay artists well so I don’t think he is missing those dollars.
I’m personally glad he did. I wouldn’t be hear if he didn’t, I have discovered so many amazing Alt-Country artists since then attempting to fill the large gap that was left in my rotation since he left. I was one of those guys who didn’t want to admit he liked country despite loving Neil Young, John Prine, The Band, CCR, Avett Brothers etc forever. I had even made an exception for Sturgill.
January 25, 2024 @ 3:11 pm
neil young had his archive well before he quit spotify. but whatever shitty narrative you need to make up for your point, i guess.
January 25, 2024 @ 10:01 am
When the Jerry Douglas Band is way down the flier, you know there are some huge names.
January 25, 2024 @ 10:02 am
Healing Appalachia (358 mi) and Farm Aid (designation unknown) will also fall on the same weekend of the other events you stated.
It’s too big. There’s no way you can see 1/2 the acts and how truncated do the set times have to be to fit them all in? Are headliners even playing an hour? According to setlist.fm, last year Billy Strings only played 14 songs, The Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show only played 15 songs each, and Ryan Bingham only played 9 songs.
Another issue is a lot of the music festivals are becoming beautiful, scenic destinations – Mile 0, Under The Big Sky in Montana, and Laurel Cove Music Festival… Nothing about the Festival Grounds as the Kentucky Exposition Center screams scenic destination. It looks flat, hot, and cramped in the pictures.
January 25, 2024 @ 11:24 am
Isn’t a Billy Strings song 14 mins long? Haha
January 26, 2024 @ 8:39 am
Kentucky Expo Center is definitely not scenic. Upside is that the proximity to Louisville means a major airport nearby and plenty of hotels.
January 30, 2024 @ 7:49 am
Yeah, but a negative is it’s proximity to Louisville.
Which leads to the question of what state Louisville is in? Because it sure as hell ain’t in the Kentucky I grew up in.
January 30, 2024 @ 7:52 am
I visited Lousiville a couple years ago. It”s fine.
January 25, 2024 @ 10:16 am
“But perhaps the biggest concern here is when you make these events so gargatuan, you lose some of the most important aspects that make independent music so cool”
Anything that has zach or tyler’s name on it has lost the indie, community feel of independent music at this point. The boys blew up and i am stoked for them, but if there’s a festival with zach bryan headlining, its not even really an “independent music” festival in terms of atmosphere and crowd, and shouldn’t be compared to true small festivals like Peacemaker, Mile 0, etc.
Independent music is absolutely massive now and with massive success comes corporatization and the loss of the grassroots feeling, think its just inevitable. Classic happy but sad shit for the common snob like myself
If Jeremy Pinnell headlined this festival, he would instantly purify the energy of the crowd and we would all vaporize and become one with the vibrational frequencies of I LOVE THEM BIG GIRLS FROM BAKERSFIELD you know what im sayin
January 25, 2024 @ 12:48 pm
You know what they say, the roses aren’t as red as they used to be.
January 26, 2024 @ 6:55 am
I imagine that the vast majority of Zack Bryan’s fan base would never care a lick about Vincent Neil Emerson, Sierra Ferrell, or M. Ward and that kind of stinks for many of the artists on this bill. Many of these folks will be looking for songs about girls at a campfire they can sing along loudly to and those are butts in seats that will never resonate with a totally different kind of art.
January 25, 2024 @ 10:27 am
I think the Bardstown Bourbon Festival (not music related) is usually close to this weekend as well.
January 25, 2024 @ 10:28 am
Biggest question I have about this line-up is why Vincent Neil Emerson is so low on the bill.
January 25, 2024 @ 11:19 am
They’re going to put Wyatt Flores in the wrong stage and wrong slot. He’s WAY down on the list!
January 25, 2024 @ 12:27 pm
That’s another issue with many of these festivals. They don’t always have their finger on the pulse of who is rising. They slot folks often based off of what they paid them as opposed to who is the biggest draw by the time the festival goes off. With performers exploding like Wyatt, they always get it wrong.
January 25, 2024 @ 1:15 pm
You beat me to commenting on how far down Wyatt is on there! I’m seeing him in a few weeks on tour at a super too-small type of place. Really looking forward to him live.
January 26, 2024 @ 7:18 am
Nice. He released a studio version of ‘Milwaukee’ today. The audience clapping to the bridge is going to be very fun live.
January 30, 2024 @ 7:52 am
Saw him at a small place in Birmingham (Saturn) in mid-December. He was great! Not sure I’ve seen an artist connect so well with a crowd and vice versa.
Granted, it was a small place so I’m not sure how that translates to a bigger place.
I’m guessing it’s something like what Zach Bryan has done. I’m seeing him in B-ham in a few weeks in a 15,000 seat place. Curious to see how it translates.
January 25, 2024 @ 11:22 am
I vote that Gabe Lee fills the TBD on the 5th row. Is this comments section a loud voice??
January 25, 2024 @ 11:36 am
Josh Ritter (seeing his name on a lineup is always going to grab my attention)
Matchbox Twenty
Cody Jinks
Lyle Lovett
Sierra Ferrell
The Wallflowers (i.e. Jakob Dylan)
Molly Tuttle
Son Volt
Tyler Childers
Maren Morris
Soul Asylum
And a whole host of others. Absolutely stacked.
Your concerns about the timing are well-noted, though I almost wonder if the lineup might be TOO varied. With well over 100 acts performing over 4 days (over 25 acts per day) there pretty much has to be multiple stages (minimum 2). I may be alone, but I’ve never been a huge fan of a “multi-stage” festival…runs the risk of not being able to see all of the acts I want to see and maybe having to sacrifice one for another.
Will this deter people from going? Unlikely, and you are right that there will be 30,000+ in attendance. But you’re also right about the camaraderie that can be found at smaller events. I met so many people at BBR both of the times that I went. It’s why I’ve loved going to BBR so much – it’s one stage and I don’t have to pick and choose among artists. (And while it may not be a megafestival, Brennen Leigh was there this past August).
I just tend to prefer festivals/events where I can see all of the artists and don’t have to miss a favorite (and also don’t risk discovering someone new I’ve never really listened to before).
But hey, that’s just me.
And I know how little y’all respect my opinion around here LOL.
January 25, 2024 @ 12:35 pm
It does feel overwhelming to me, but I’m older than their target demographic anyhow so they won’t miss me not attending. Since Trigger mentioned the amazing Gabe Lee above, some cool info to pass along about him to you guys. The Ranch out of Fort Worth has started playing his songs fairly regularly in the last week or three. Several different ones from his latest record and our AOTY just a few short weeks ago. I listen to that station all day at work and often in the evening and hadn’t ever heard a Gabe Lee song played until now. It is rare when a non-red dirt, non-Texas, Nashville based artist gets airtime on that station. Coincidence you say? I’d like to think someone there is taking some cues from reading SCM. I’m hearing more John Moreland on there too. They like Tony Logue as well and he’s a long long way from TX.
January 25, 2024 @ 1:13 pm
I think anything over two stages is a waste, and the only reason to have two should be so that one band can set up while the other is playing. I loved LCMF last year but even those two stages were a pain to go back and forth between and I had to miss out of some artists I wanted to watch because the set times overlapped.
January 26, 2024 @ 8:12 am
Having gone to B&B and Louder Than Life several times at this same venue (which is kinda shitty to be honest — a lot of concrete and challenging parking) the way they set it up is that the two main stages are side by side … while one group is playing the following is setting up right next door. You don’t have to run back and forth unless you want to go to the back 40 to see smaller acts — where for this show i’ll probably be spending most of my time.
January 25, 2024 @ 3:17 pm
Really, Trig? There was no reason to slam Maren Morris in this piece. She has as much a place there as Beck, or Dave Matthews or even the Beach Boys. It’s a music festival, not a genre music festival. You just couldn’t resist. It’s starting to look a little petty.
January 25, 2024 @ 6:53 pm
I did not “slam” Maren Morris. Who are the other pop or pop country artists on the lineup? She doesn’t fit. Neither does Breland. How does it benefit them to include them on the lineup?
January 25, 2024 @ 4:15 pm
It’s hard for me to care when there hasn’t been a critical review of the Walker Hayes diss track on Zach Bryan,
January 25, 2024 @ 7:18 pm
Never heard of this. So I launch YouTube and the first video is a Grady Smith review of the track. Haha
January 25, 2024 @ 8:21 pm
The track is so awful that I know it wouldn’t be reviewed here – not seriously at least. I don’t know who the hell Walker Hayes thinks he is; some corporate friendly Eminem.
January 25, 2024 @ 6:32 pm
Hey now, The Kentucky Gentlemen are up-and-coming black country artists (twin brothers) who I believe are now based in Nashville and they are playing! Although they don’t fit that folky country sound with every released song, they are playing shows with the likes of War and Treaty, and have released songs with Josh Hoge and other artists in that realm. Saw them at Newport Folk and Americanafest! Hopefully, they start popping up more and release the songs they perform at their shows that lean more into the Americana Realm. Good to see them on the bill!
January 26, 2024 @ 6:13 am
“And guess what, you’re not going to see all the artists on the lineup. You’re not even going to see 1/4 of them.”
This will always be the problem with multi stage festivals. To get each stage not to overlap or overpower another with their sound the grounds have to be spaced out properly which means a long walk between stages. This was my biggest issue with UTBS and that only has 2 stages. This is a stacked lineup though and should be a lot of fun.
January 26, 2024 @ 8:08 am
When you have five stages and this many people on the lineup, the only way to do it right is to have each band play twice.
January 26, 2024 @ 6:28 am
What people are missing, is that with these insane mega fests, the whole point of multi- stages IS to divide the crowd up. Yes, they by design want you to look at the schedule and make choices. Of course you arent gonna see everyone, and why would you want to? It’s exhausting, all that running back and forth. 4 days of running, running, running …no thanks. I wanna enjoy the fest, that’s why I choose carefully.
January 26, 2024 @ 7:06 am
Stoked that I just have to uber across town. =)
January 26, 2024 @ 8:09 am
I have attended Pilgrimage in Franklin several times, although they have been leaning in an Americana direction the past couple years, I don’t think the headliners at Bourbon are who Pilgrimage would have been pursuing this year. Zach Bryan headlined Pilgrimage last year (and is playing Nashville this July at the stadium). Tyler Childers (arena) and Cody Jinks (amphitheater) have April dates in Nashville as well. Dave Matthews played Pilgrimage in 2021, so they probably wouldn’t bring them back that quickly. It could hurt them on the undercard, but usually a few of those artists play both.
Putting Americanafest on the same week as Pilgrimage has always been a head-scratcher for me.
From what I have seen in past years of the setup and schedule of Bourbon, their two main stages are side-by-side, and as one band finishes the next band is scheduled to start on the next-door stage. People will probably see more acts than they think but set times seem to be shorter than other festivals.
January 26, 2024 @ 8:13 am
Pilgrimage was put on the same week as AmericanaFest to undercut AmericanaFest. Now Bourbon and Beyond will undercut both.
Also, since so many Americana bands will be playing one, two, or three of these events, they will all schedule album releases around them. That’s what happened this last September, and you have 30+ albums coming out on consecutive weeks. All of this stuff is causing major choke points throughout the industry.
September is not traditionally a great time for festivals. People’s kids are just getting back into school.
January 26, 2024 @ 8:32 am
Yes, and the IBMA and Bristol Rhythm and Roots are in September, as well.
January 27, 2024 @ 9:17 am
AMA/pilgrimage are will be outside the radius clause…many of these artists will play both…also Bristol. Festival-goers stay at the festival 4 days…the artists show up a few hours before their set and leave shortly after. Artists will play AMA Friday, then B&B Saturday. Another group of artists will be opposite…play b&b Friday then ama Saturday. Ama usually has showcases on Wednesday through Saturday. B&b is thurs-Sunday. There will be a lot of artist cross over.
January 26, 2024 @ 8:44 am
It’s just ponderous…it seems as if these huge festivals are far more about the “happening” itself rather than the music. I guess that’s the point and not much of a unique insight on my part. Whatever the case something like this could easily constitute one of the circles of hell for me.
I’ve seen a fair number of the acts scheduled in small venues with good acoustics–thank goodness we still have that choice with at least some of these folks.
January 26, 2024 @ 9:37 am
When you’re talking about black performers at this festival you’re completely sleeping on Tray Wellington. Guy is a NC performer and been at bluegrass festival in Raleigh last few years and doing a great job. Black banjo was a hell of an album too.
January 30, 2024 @ 8:49 am
Probably a day late here, but nobody mentioned the sheer cost of this thing. A 4 day ticket is $400. Ok, 4 full days of music – I can choke that down. But camping? Sweet Jesus – $300 for a tent site and $450-$750 for a camper site. That doesn’t include the “premium” or “glamping” options (up to $5200 if you want to get seriously fancy). This is Bonnaroo for the country set.
You can see Blackberry Smoke, 49 Winchester, Wyatt Flores (not on a dinky-ass stage), The Steel Woods, Silverada (formerly Mike and the Moonpies), etc, etc over 2 days for 50 smackeroos (total!) at the Roostertail Music Festival.