The first day of Louisville’s Bourbon & Beyond festival on Thursday offered no shortage of highlights as Brandi Carlile, Billy Strings, Train, Mavis Staples, Buddy Guy, Brandy Clark, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, and more took the stage at the Highland Festival Grounds.
The collaborative spirit was alive and well from the get-go. In the afternoon, Billy Strings stopped by Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper’s set to join in on “For Your Love”, the track to which he contributed on Cleveland’s latest album, Lovin’ Of The Game. Later, while Billy Strings and his namesake band were commanding for the night’s penultimate set, Cleveland returned the favor when he jumped in on fiddle for a rendition of “Hello, City Limits”, first released by local exports Red Allen and The Kentuckians in 1965.
Brandi Carlile finally closed out the night with a headlining performance featuring a mix of sing-along covers and selections from her acclaimed catalog. For her encore, the 9-time Grammy-winner brought out Billy Strings (on a custom Stratocaster) to add some searing riffs to Paul McCartney and Wings classic “Live and Let Die” and Queen victory anthem “We Are The Champions”.
This was unbelievably rad 🤘@BillyStrings is a monster https://t.co/myz2zBGOfs
— Brandi Carlile (@brandicarlile) September 15, 2023
Below, check out a selection of videos and photos of the various collaborations on the opening day of Bourbon & Beyond 2023. The festival continues on Friday with The Killers, Duran Duran, Hozier, Brittany Howard, and more. For more on Bourbon & Beyond, head here.
Brandi Carlile w/ Billy Strings – “Live & Let Die” (Paul McCartney and Wings), “We Are The Champions” (Queen) – 9/14/23
[Video: Stefanie D]
Billy Strings w/ Michael Cleveland – “Hello City Limits” (Red Allen and The Kentuckians” – 9/14/23
[Video: Doug Heck]
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper w/ Billy Strings – “For Your Love” – 9/14/23
[Video: Doug Heck]
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