Will Ford also contributed to this article.
Whether it was sloppy or sunny, Louder Than Life Festival this past weekend was packed with fans who consumed music, bourbon, gourmet man food, and for the first time ever at any large-scale music festival, WWE wrestling. Here are our thoughts on the 2015 fest:
Katie: Beer cans and half-pints of Jim Beam were left to cake in the mud on the walk into Loud Than Life Saturday. A drizzly, cold day, but the insubordinate weather didn’t kill the spirit of the festival; fans zipped up their black hoodies and rocked on. That’s most likely because at this festival all you can do is rock and be rocked. There’s no false advertising here. Louder Than Life is LOUD. It’s not just the music either. From the gourmet man food to WWE wrestling, everything is to the extreme.
While I wasn't familiar with most of the music at the festival, one of the highlights was the 15 foot tall, 2.5 ton metal sculpture, Big Bully. Atlanta artist Charlie Smith, created the giant firebreathing bull (complete with disco “balls”) specifically for Burning Man in 2013, but Louder Than Life obviously needed him too. Big Bully constantly had spectators. “We shoot big fire balls to warm [crowd] up,” said Smith on the unusually chilly Friday. When asked what he thought of the festival he simply said, “It’s F****ing awesome man.”
Saturday all those beer cans and pints lay in the hardened mud as petrified reminders of the previous day's happenings. The sunshine and warmer weather drew a much larger crowd sporting fewer black sweatshirts. Overall, the one thing that stuck with me the most about this fest was the fanbase. Sure, Bonnaroo and other like festivals are known for the family-like feel, but the fans at Louder Than Life, despite what people might think about the genre of music, are nothing but kind and easy-going.
Will: As I’ve noticed in attending both years of the festival, the people inside the gates are very happy with the festival. Louder Than Life has many perks that make the overall experience enjoyable, including nearby camping and parking, adequate shade, comfortable seating for those that want it, and convenient bathrooms.
I'll also say this about the people that attend the festival: they are over-the-top nice. While I was standing outside the wrestling tent eating some pork nachos, three people walked by me and told me how great the food looked and they wanted to know where to get it. I saw nothing but friendliness from the people at Louder Than Life. For fans of loud, harsh, head banging music, they were simply cooperative and enthusiastic.
Louder Than Life’s only big fault is the outside perception of the Festival. Contrary to Louisville’s other big music festival, Forecastle, Louder Than Life is situated close to a residential area therefore parking and noise control are issues for the festival. Because of how well the festival is run inside the gates, I have no doubts that they will soon win over the neighbors and Louder Than Life will continue to attract thousands of people to Louisville Champions Park.
Be sure to check out the photo galleries for the following artists:
