Louder Than Life Festival Canceled

The Louder Than Life festival was set for this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. The festival is now canceled because the grounds at Champions Park is just too wet and unsafe for all the fans. The fest sent out a press release and Facebook post last night. Refunds are being offered - just read the post below for details if you were planning on heading out to this one.

I saw some mud photos online and it's just disgusting. I did Rocklahoma once after massive rains and it was miserable. Everything was filthy, you couldn't walk anywhere and the crowds were thin. This is probably for the best.

Comments

[Kixchix]

If that was Rocklahoma ‘08 mud fest I was there too. Second stage fell down when a three cell storm converged while Trixter was on the stage! (Second stage light tresses fell down)They pulled the plug (literally) while Trixter were covering Paradise City. Those of us braving the wind and rain were going nuts battling the elements and rocking out! An otherwise average show turned out to be full of memories. It was a mudfest after that though. I had a good time!

[Bob]

Mud story #1. Saw the Allman Brothers in the very early 90s at Waterloo village in NJ. It absolutely poured all night long and there was lightning and thunder that knocked the power out a couple times. the whole crowd was so baked that we just, literally and figuratively, rolled with it. Everybody who brought sleeping bags or blankets held up their arms and spread them over the crowd. Eventually, almost all of us had our arms up, and we had like a protective shield above our heads. As the rain belted down, the blankets got heavier and heavier, but we made it through like an hour set from Warren Haynes, and a full 3+ hour set from the allman Brothers. Yes, warren Haynes pulled double duty that night in both bands in pouring rain and lightning.

Mud story #2. In 1996, Buckwheat Zydeco played a cajun festival at Duke Island Park in NJ. It absolutely poured all day long to the point where they stopped a couple of the opening bands. the storm finally cleared just before Buckwheat was to take the stage. He came out and played for more than two hours. the ground was a total swamped, and we were all just caked in mud, but what a great night to remember!

And, although I wasn't there, let's not forget the weekend of torrential downpours that were a part of the original Woodstock festival.

[Metalboy!]

Geezus, Bob! I had the non pleasure of seeing Buckwheat Zydeco like 6 times, point blank, unfortunately, in the 90’s at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, Long Island. That is some tedious sh*t that dude and his band play. The only reason I was there all those times is because the place is a total babe factory in the Summers.

Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t go see him under ANY circumstances, rain or shine. Well, like I said, unless it was raining chicks!

Craziest concert in the rain ... Monsters of Rock at RFK Stadium in D.C., May 30th, 1976 featuring Aerosmith at the top of the bill, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent and Nazareth ... It drizzled (not too hard, fortunately) during Nazareth and Ted Nugent and then, when Skynyrd took the stage, the rain stopped and the skies parted.

Right before Skynyrd started to play, Van Zandt said, “Leave it to Lynyrd Skynyrd to bring out the sunshine in Washington D.C.!!!” And with that, they proceeded to blow the roof off the place ... um ... well ... er ... If the place had a roof they would have blown it off!

The whole performance was one of the most phenomenal things I’ve ever witnessed in my life, particularly witnessing Allen Collins’ “Freebird” shred fest, during which he was airborne for what seemed like 3/4 of the time during the song wearing nothing but huge white bell bottoms and white leather stacked heels, hahaha!!! What a bada*s KILLER he was back then!

After they left the stage smoldering, Aerosmith came on all wasted with the unfortunate task of having to play after Skynyrd just absolutely destroyed everything in their path. Needless to say, as soon as Aerosmith took the stage, it started rsining like h*ll again and we, along with everyone else, were out of there!

Epilogue: Though we lasted like 6 songs before those chicks I was with wanted to bolt (They were my ride as I was too young to drive), in hindsight, I shoulda begged ‘em to stay. I mean, think about it, even though Aerosmith were playing kinda sh*tty with Tyler completely out of it and in the rain on top of it, STILL it was Aerosmith!!! And touring right off “ROCKS”, to boot! That one is easily right up there on my own personal “What the hell was I thinking” list!

Yet, let’s not forget, despite Aerosmith’s reckless set, Skynyrd, completely at the top of their game, made it possible for me, those chicks I was with and 80,000 other Rock & Rollers to witness one of the greatest Rock events in modern history AND were the only band that day that played their entire set in the sunshine!

[Bob]

Wow! Skynyrd in '76! That's amazing! that whole band was full of hot sh**t players at that time. blowing bigger-name bands off the stage was just a typical night for them back then. And, as far as Buckwheat goes, to each his/her own of course. We all had a great time, and he played his a** off.

[Him]

Wimmer needs to better calibrate his schedule. I attended a portion of the then-canceled Houston Open Air (the first one, not the one that was completely canceled, and for good reason).

Not a good idea to book festivals in the middle of ever-increasingly long bad weather seasons in places where bad weather is ever-increasingly a given.

The way it is going, Wimmer will have to give up on the East Coast and Midwest and focus on the West Coast, Northwest (I wish, if the bands are good), and Southwest.

[fletch]

My buddies and I are going to this festival, this week-end at the Jersey Shore. Proceeds benefit New Jersey's opioid/heroin epidemic. It's being dubbed at Faux-Chella, as it's a day of Tribute bands.

TUSK as FLEETWOOD MAC
LIVE WIRE as ACDC
DECADE as NEIL YOUNG
LOVE as THE BEATLES
EAGLEMANIA as THE EAGLES
FREE FALLIN as TOM PETTY
GUNS 4 ROSES as GUNS N ROSES
WALK THIS WAY as AEROSMITH
One Fine Tapestry as CAROLE KING
RAINBOW FULL OF SOUND as GRATEFUL DEAD & LED ZEPPELIN Tix are still available for those in the Tri-State area. Pets are welcome.

Check it out:
https://rockthefarmnj.com/

[Bob]

fletch, that tribute festival sounds like a ball! I remember back in the day, there was this AC/DC tribute band that used to play the block that rocks down in Wildwood every Summer. They had a guy who sounded like Bon, and another guy who sounded like Brian. so much great music down the shore back then. What's the music scene like there now? Him, you are so right about these festivals in bad weather locations. the problem is that the biggest audiences for real, straight-up rock are in the Northeast, Midwest and, to a lesser extent, the Southeast. down here in San Diego, where the weather is nearly perfect 90% of the time, all we get are alternative rock, and reggae festivals. Sadly, there's just not a big enough audience for rock festivals in the Southwest and the PNW.

[fletch]

Bob: The Jersey shore is alive and rockin'. If you know the area that well, my usual "go to" beach is wildwood crest, but at night, I venture into wildwood. To quote sammy hagar, it's the best of both worlds. To me, the best jersey shore towns (not beaches) are wildwood, seaside heights and Asbury park. If you want to discuss beaches, I've already formulated my narrative: the crest, Avalon and ocean city- the last being a dry town. Imagine that!

[Bkallday]

Hold on now. I live in Louisville and this kind of serious weather is extremely rare. This festival has been a booming success for local businesses and for the city in general. Not only that but it has gotten bigger every year, with great attendance every year it's happened. Sorry but this particular festival is in Louisville for the long haul.

As for MB, your story is fucking awesome. I can only imagine how mindblowing that must've been! Horns up. 🤘🏼

[Metalboy!]

Indeed, BK and Bob! That Skynyrd show in ‘76, which I forgot to mention I saw point blank amazingly mostly seated on a blanket on the field is probably the second greatest show I ever saw next to Led Zeppelin in May 27, 1977, beating AC/DC off “Powerage”, “Highway to Hell”, “Back in Black” and AXL/DC (which I contend was better than any Brian Johnson show and I saw AC/DC 7 times with him fronting the band), also topping The Who, Priest, Metallica, ZZ Top, The Stones, you name it.

So it goes back to what you were saying, Bob, about them blowing bigger acts off the stage. In my case it’s about them blowing bigger acts off my list of The Greatest shows I ever saw, this without even opening for them!