#5th Annual Louder Than Life

[themusicenthusiast]

Nine Inch Nails, Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack and Deftones Set to Perform at Fifth Annual Louder Than Life, Returning to Louisville, KY’s Champions Park September 28-30; Ice Cube, Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Billy Idol and Shinedown Also Top Line Announcement

A massive music lineup led by Nine Inch Nails, Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack and Deftones has been announced for the 5th annual Louder Than Life, as the World's Largest Rock 'N' Roll Whiskey Festival expands to three days — Friday, September 28, Saturday, September 29, and Sunday, September 30 — at Champions Park in Louisville, KY. Louder Than Life features a selection of award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and the best food Louisville has to offer, along with a powerful music lineup of rock legends and breaking talent performing on three stages. The festival celebrates the bourbon culture and culinary heritage of this unique American city. The general onsale for Louder Than Life General Admission tickets, VIP and Top Shelf VIP Packages, hotel and ticket packages, as well as tent and RV camping begins Friday, June 8 at 12:00 PM ET. The daily music lineup for Louder Than Life 2018 is as follows:

Friday, September 28: Avenged Sevenfold, Limp Bizkit, Breaking Benjamin, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Seether, Black Stone Cherry, Skillet, Underoath, Suicidal Tendencies, Red Sun Rising, Tremonti, Bad Wolves, Turnstile, Jelly Roll, Hyro The Hero, Badflower, Islander, True Villains Saturday, September 29: Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Bush, Bullet For My Valentine, Hellyeah, Body Count, Pop Evil, Sevendust, GWAR, Dance Gavin Dance, From Ashes To New, Sick Puppies, Cane Hill, Bad Omens, Blacktop Mojo, Awake At Last, Stone Broken, The Jacks Sunday, September 30: Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Ice Cube, Primus, Billy Idol, Action Bronson, Clutch, Asking Alexandria, Yelawolf, The Sword, Glassjaw, The Fever 333, Monster Magnet, Spirit Animal, The Dose, The Breton Sound Godsmack's Sully Erna said, "We're honored to be headlining the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville this year! Looking forward to partying with all of you again real soon!" Benjamin Burnley of Breaking Benjamin commented, "We're excited to come back to Louisville for Louder Than Life 2018 and play songs from our new album EMBER for the first time in Kentucky! We always have a good time there and look forward to what we know will be a kickass show." Festival producer Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, explained, "I couldn't be prouder of what we have accomplished since the inception of the festival. In five years, Louder Than Life has become the largest rock 'n' roll whiskey festival in the world, and I see no better way to celebrate its 5th year than to close out the weekend with Nine Inch Nails and Ice Cube." In addition to performances from top music artists, attendees at Louder Than Life will enjoy a variety of onsite food and beverage options celebrating the unique spirits and food of the Louisville region. Attendees 21+ up can choose to visit Bourbon World presented by the Louisville Courier Journal, and enjoy crafted cocktails at the exclusive Down The Rabbit Hole Speakeasy; sip fine wine at the Caduceus Wine Garden; or enjoy a local brew at the Craft Beer Bar. Other spirits can be enjoyed at the Heavy Tiki Bar presented by Jim Beam, or at the Jack Daniel's Experience for a "taste of Tennessee." Fans 21+ can explore the enormous Bourbon World presented by the Louisville Courier Journal. With 95% of the world's bourbon coming from Kentucky, festival producers Danny Wimmer Presents have hand-selected expressions from the top distilleries to create a unique opportunity to enjoy bourbons and exclusive one-time specialty cocktails inside what may be the World's Loudest—and Largest—Bourbon Tent. Site-wide, an enormous selection of bourbons will be available. Participating bourbon brands include: 1792, Angel's Envy, Barrell Bourbon, Basil Hayden's, Bloody Butcher's Creed, Booker's, Boone County Distilling, Bowman Brothers, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Contradiction, Cooper's Craft, Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor, Elijah Craig, Elmer T. Lee, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Jefferson's, Jim Beam, Jim Beam Black, Kentucky Owl, Knob Creek, Larceny, Maker's 46, Maker's Mark, Michter's, New Riff Bourbon, Old Forester, Peerless, Rabbit Hole, Rebel Yell, Rock Hill Farms, Wild Turkey, W.L. Weller, and Woodford Reserve. Additional featured spirits include: Jack Daniel's, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, Southern Comfort and Tito's Handmade Vodka. The Caduceus Wine Garden will highlight Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards, owned by Arizona resident Maynard James Keenan, co-founder of international recording acts Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer. Having already dove headfirst into this venture, Maynard found out from a distant relative that wine making is in his blood. His Great Grandfather, "Spirito" Marzo, had vineyards and made wine in Venaus, Italy, just North of Turino in Piemonte. The Louder Than Life food and beverage options will be provided by Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC, DWP's affiliate concessionaire. Festival attendees will be able to experience a taste of Louisville. Selections from the following local and regional restaurants will be available: Bouquet, Boss Hog BBQ, Cellar Door Chocolates, Doc Crow's Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar, Citizen 7, Gospel Bird, Longshot Lobsta, Mike's Kentucky Kitchen, Midway Café, Tumbleweed, 502 Café, and Whiskey Dry. Guests can also choose from regional and national festival favorites including Island Noodles, Pie Baby Wood Fired Pizza, Chicago Dog House, Angry Bird Grill, Ben's Cantina, Spicy Pie Pizza, Mount Olympus, Phat Daddy's Creole, Master of Patties, Red Top Dog, and much, much more! If patrons are looking for an elevated culinary experience, they are invited to take a tour of the newly added culinary food parties where guests can enjoy signature cocktails paired with gourmet plates. The "Lock and Key Pizza Parlor" will be presented by Larceny with signature selections from Spicy Pie Pizza. The "Southern Soul BBQ" presented by Maker's Mark will feature smoked delicacies from Boss Hog BBQ. The "Sip & Grill" presented by Southern Comfort will feature renowned Louisville chef Edward Lee of Whiskey Dry. Chef Lee will be offering a selection of his gourmet Whiskey Dryburgers paired with refreshing Southern Comfort cocktails. Louder Than Life is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, a producer of some of the biggest rock festivals in America, including Rock On The Range, Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville, Monster Energy Aftershock, Monster Energy Fort Rock, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, Chicago Open Air, Bourbon & Beyond, Monster Energy Rock Allegiance, Northern Invasion and more. DWP creates memorable and all-encompassing festival experiences, leaving both consumers and partners with lasting and meaningful impressions. By combining A-list music talent with local cuisine and culture, DWP has become recognized within the industry for delivering the highest-quality entertainment experiences to fans, artists, sponsors, partners and host cities. Louder Than Life 2018 partners and sponsors include: Monster Energy, f.y.e., The Music Experience, Miller-Coors, Jack Daniel's, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Robert Mondavi Private Select, Black Box Wines, Caduceus Wines, Diesel Cigars, SWFTCharge, Kentucky Lottery, Roadrunner Records, Fxck Cancer, Take Me Home, The Louisville Water Company and more.

All live photos by Jordan Buford Photography