12 acts that aren’t Sting to catch at Bourbon and Beyond music festival

In the minds of many, summer left us a few weeks ago. Calendars, of course, tell us differently. The fall we started to become acclimated to after Labor Day doesn’t actually hit until the arrival of the autumnal equinox on Sunday morning.

So, it figures that summer’s last literal gasp will be loud and large. For that, thank Kentucky’s biggest music festival of the year. We’re speaking of the four-day Bourbon and Beyond. It takes over the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville Sept. 19-22.

True to the festival’s name and even truer to its billing as “The World’s Largest Music, Food and Bourbon Festival,” there will be exhibits featuring some of the country’s top bourbon experts with samplings of Kentucky’s finest premium brands.

There will culinary demonstrations featuring chefs from such nationally known programs as “The Mind of a Chef” and “Chopped.” But what will dominate the festival is the “Beyond” — a truly great beyond, in fact. Over 115 acts will perform on multiple stages through the four-day run.

The roster includes loads of arena-level marquee names (Dave Matthews Band, Zach Bryan, Matchbox Twenty), esteemed veterans (Suzanne Vega, Bruce Hornsby, Chris Isaak) and bluegrass greats (Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski.)

Of particular note in this year’s Bourbon and Beyond is the change of headliners for opening night. Neil Young was originally set to top the Thursday bill but cancelled remaining dates of his summer tour in late June due to health reasons. His replacement? Sting, who will be showcasing not one of his usually lush pop ensembles, but a Police-style power trio dubbed Sting 3.0.

Here is a list of picks — three from each day — of not-to-miss performers guaranteed to liven up the already plentiful spirits at this year’s Bourbon and Beyond.

Thursday, Sept. 19

? Beck: The wild thing about Beck concerts, aside from their infrequency (especially in Kentucky), is you never know which shade of the pop chameleon will be performing. He played with orchestras earlier this summer at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall and then duetted with Zooey Deschanel on Louvin Brothers and Everly Brothers tunes last week in Los Angeles.

? Arlo Parks: Londoner-turned-Los Angelan Arlo Parks is a songstress whose reflections of emotions both intuitive and complex become streams of poetic cool on her sophomore album, “My Soft Machine.” The 24-year-old’s lyrics are sometimes folkish in their introspective detail, but the music surrounding them oozes with elegant, lush pop-soul sleekness.

? Amanda Shires: When we last left Amanda Shires, she was dancing her way through a sold-out audience at The Burl with black angel wings covering Harry Styles’ “Late Night Talking.” Of course, the wealth of expert original songs detailing the euphoric highs and tail-spinning depths of domesticity from her 2022 “Take It Like a Man” album was what really sold the performance.

Friday, Sept. 20

? Tedeschi Trucks Band: Carrying on the tradition of such rock and soul revues as Mad Dogs and Englishman and Delaney, Bonnie & Friends is this always engaging troupe led by guitarist/vocalist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist/husband Derek Trucks. Along with their expert original songs, TTB regularly covers gems both familiar and overlooked by Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell and others.

? Black Pumas: The Texas-bred duo of Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada is a generational mash-up of psychedelic soul strategies. Burton writes the tunes and sings them with relish that echoes Al Green. Guitarist Quesada serves as producer, giving the Black Pumas an orchestration that discreetly modernizes soul-rock sounds of the late ’60s/early ’70s.

? Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway: Lexington audiences latched onto Tuttle’s string music variations through numerous performance visits earlier in the decade to The Burl. Today, she and her Golden Highway band members are among the biggest names in bluegrass. Her last two albums, “City of Gold” and “Crooked Tree,” both won Grammy Awards.

Saturday, Sept. 21

? Sierra Ferrell: This West Virginia songstress with a songwriting prowess and vocal agility that blurs generations of folk, pre-bluegrass country and, at times, even jazz was one of the highlights of the 2023 Railbird fest. Gifted with enough spunk to rock any stage setting, Ferrell’s true gift is the clarity, potency and timelessness of her singing.

? Son Volt: Jay Farrar remains the captain and sole survivor of Son Volt’s many lineups over the last three decades. A moody composer and sometimes aloof singer, his compositions masterly convey an Americana landscape that shifts from poetically intimate to outwardly political. With longtime mates Mark Spencer and Andrew DuPlantis still on board, Son Volt’s music also still rocks like mad.

? Tony Trischka’s Earl Jam: Ever the Amercana innovator, banjo scholar Tony Trischka used solos from recordings Earl Scruggs made in the ’80s and ’90s with John Hartford as the basis for the compositions on his new “Earl Jam.” The album’s all-star guest list includes — well, lookee here — Sierra Ferrell. Here’s hoping the two will team up onstage as “Earl Jam” unfolds in a concert setting on Saturday.

Sunday, Sept. 22

? Tyler Childers: One of Kentucky’s top musical ambassadors is playing the state’s biggest festival and we’re not going to recommend it? C’mon. In the last 10 months, Tyler Childers has played Gov. Beshear’s second inauguration as well as sold-out two shows at Rupp Arena on New Year’s weekend. He returned to the latter for a surprise cameo with Olivia Rodrigo over the summer.

? My Morning Jacket: Similarly, a return hometown outing by Louisville’s biggest rock ‘n’ roll export of the past few decades can’t be ignored either. One of my favorite concert experiences remains Jim James and the rest of MMJ — still touring behind its finest album, “Z” — jamming out on Thanksgiving Eve of 2006 at Louisville Gardens. It was the final performance to be presented at the historic venue.

? Larkin Poe: Another act Lexington got to know through repeat shows at The Burl over the past five years, Larkin Poe is a roots-driven, Southern- seasoned troupe featuring sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell. The duo’s sixth album, “Blood Harmony,” won a Grammy earlier this year for Best Contemporary Blues album.

Bourbon and Beyond

When: Sept. 19-22. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. each day.

Where: Highlands Festival Grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville

Tickets: Single day general admission is $150.99 (Thursday), $159.99 (Friday and Sunday each day) and $199.99 (Saturday). Four-day general admission is $364.99. Multiple VIP ticketing options, some including lodging, are also available.

Online: bourbonandbeyond.com.

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