LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Sting will headline the opening night of Bourbon & Beyond, festival organizers announced Monday, following in the footsteps of Neil Young, who canceled his national tour last month.
Sting, now performing as the frontman of his new power rock trio, String 3.0, will join Zach Bryan, Dave Matthews Band, Matchbox Twenty and others for the four-day festival at the Highland Festival Grounds near the Kentucky Exposition Center.
“While we will miss Neil Young at Bourbon this year, we are thrilled to welcome a musical legend, Sting, to the Bourbon & Beyond lineup,” Danny Wimmer, founder of festival organizer Danny Wimmer Presents, said in a press release Monday. “We’ve been trying to bring Sting to Bourbon for you since 2018 and it’s an incredible honor to have him join us for what will undoubtedly be our biggest and most unforgettable year ever.”
Young and his band Crazy Horse had initially postponed the Love Earth tour after falling ill following a May concert in Michigan. The 16-date tour is now canceled.
In a message posted on his website, Young apologized to his fans.
“The Love Earth tour has been a great experience for us so far. GREAT CROWD AND MUSIC. WE HAD A BLAST! When some of us got sick after the Pine Knob show in Detroit, we had to stop. We are not fully recovered yet, so unfortunately our big tour is going to take a big unexpected break.”
A fan holds a sign for Bruno Mars at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
People pose for a photo at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
A security guard dances at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
People enter Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
A group of people pose for a photo at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
ZZ Ward performs at Bourbon and Beyond on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
WDRB’s Joel Schipper interviews people at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
A fan holds a sign for Bruno Mars at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
People pose for a photo at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
A security guard dances at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
People enter Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
A group of people pose for a photo at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
ZZ Ward performs at Bourbon and Beyond on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
WDRB’s Joel Schipper interviews people at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
Fantastic Negrito performs at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville on September 17, 2023.
Images from Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky on September 17, 2023.
The Dave Matthews Band and the Tedeschi Trucks Band will headline Friday. Zach Bryan and Cody Jinks are scheduled to perform Saturday. Tyler Childers and My Morning Jacket will perform Sunday. For more information, visit the Bourbon & Beyond website.
The annual festival regularly draws tens of thousands of people to the Highland Festival Ground. More than 100 artists will perform over the four days of the festival.
