10 Years Of Louder Than Life: Rock Festival Continues DWP DNA of ‘Go Bigger, Be Better’

Starting in 2014 with somewhat modest beginnings, Danny Wimmer Presents’ Louder Than Life festival continues to crank up the volume as the Louisville, Kentucky, event this year hopes to host its highest attendance yet, bolstered by a significant increase in artist bookings to fill four nights (and afternoons) and five stages of rock and metal for the masses.

Ten years may not sound like a long time, but considering the volatile nature of the music festival business — not to mention being interrupted by a global pandemic — Louder Than Life has done what very few have been able to do: grow consistently and rapidly while largely maintaining its genre and core format.

“We started visiting Louisville 13 years ago with the intention of creating our own bourbon, and just fell in love with the city,” says Chamie McCurry, general manager of Danny Wimmer Presents. “The people, the culture, the bourbon, it was all so special. We made a decision after those first few visits that, instead of creating a bourbon, we wanted to create something rooted in celebrating Louisville that would allow us to showcase the city to the world. Our success really started with a shared commitment with the city to do just that, and because of that relationship, we’re welcomed with open arms.

Our goal is to create economic impact, drive tourism and give back to the local community year-round.”

Louder than Life seems to have done that from the start, generating $13 million in economic impact to the city of Louisville in its second year – still as just a two-day festival, topped by Rob Zombie, ZZ Top and Godsmack. The festival, with a focus from the start on local cuisine and spirits, has offered innovative attractions and activations, including live-ring WWE matches and artist-led afterparties to go along with one-time-only bookings, major reunions or special occasion performances from artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, to this year’s Slayer reunion after the thrash pioneers bid farewell on tour in 2019.

“Louder is so incredibly special and important to DWP, not only because of the magnitude of the event, but also because of the festival’s rich history,” says McCurry. “We’re incredibly proud of how Louder has grown in the last decade and our attachment to the festival is among our biggest priorities as a company.”

In 2019 the event found its new home at the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center, drawing 128,000 fans over three days. That doubled attendance from from 2017’s 60,000-plus (2018 was canceled due to rain and unfit site conditions).

The success of Louder Than Life, which this year takes place Sept. 26-29, has given way to the growth of the multi-genre Bourbon and Beyond festival, which started in 2017 and takes place on the same site Sept. 19-22. It too has grown, with up to 50,000 fans expected per day over four days of music, this year topped by Zach Bryan, Sting, Dave Matthews Band and Tyler Childers.

In 2019 the site hosted three festivals back to back, with a country festival titled Hometown Rising making it three weekends of music and 289,000 total attendees. McCurry says DWP is content with keeping the Louisville festivals at two, for now at least.
“In the last few years, we’ve blended more mainstream country into Bourbon as there’s so much synergy in the genre with Americana and bluegrass,” McCurry says. “Louisville hosts the biggest eight days of music in the United States between Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life and, for now, we’re going to continue to focus on those two.”

In 2020, it was announced that Ron Burkle’s private equity firm Yucaipa Companies had made a “significant” investment in the independent festival operator, which DWP execs have hailed as a great fit as the investor understands and believes in the live music and events industry.

With Louder alongside other four-day DWP events in California, Ohio and Florida, McCurry says this year is a tossup as to which will come out on top.

“It’s funny because Louder Than Life and (Daytona Beach, Florida’s) Welcome To Rockville go back and forth every year battling it out to be the biggest North American rock festival,” McCurry said “We’re looking forward to seeing Louder close strong this year and attempt to claim its place in the record books.” Welcome To Rockville, in its 13th year, welcomed 200,000 fans over its four days in May, topped by Mötley Crüe, Disturbed, Limp Bizkit and Foo Fighters.

In a year experiencing many festivals and tours canceled or postponed — for various reasons — it’s rare to hear a festival promoter say that artist fees, production costs and ticket sales are hunky dory, and DWP is no exception.

“This year has been one of the toughest we’ve faced,” McCurry says of Louder Than Life specifically. “Securing talent was definitely harder this year, but our talent team worked relentlessly to put together an incredible bill of over 130 amazing rock artists. In addition, the costs to produce festivals of this scope continue to rise at an unprecedented rate and our goal is to always put on a world-class event that is rooted in affordability for our fans. The experience that Louder provides the community creates extreme loyalty and for that we are immensely thankful.”

With the recent acquisition of two events in Oklahoma, a growing country music event in Sacramento to go along with Aftershock, multiple Ohio events and the Louisville duo, McCurry says to expect growth to continue at DWP, and Louder Than Life specifically.
“It isn’t in our DNA to not try and do more, go bigger and be better,” she said. “We aim to provide the absolute best festival to the Loudmouth community.”