Louisville, Kentucky was under siege for two straight weeks this past September, as Danny Wimmer Presents unleashed back-to-back mega-festivals: Bourbon & Beyond (September 11–14) and Louder Than Life (September 18–21). With over 300 artists performing across both weekends and a record-breaking combined attendance of more than 450,000 fans, the city of Louisville has been transformed into the epicenter of live music in America. I was lucky enough to return for my seventh Louder Than Life, and this year was unlike any other.
For 2025, the festival offered a new grounds configuration—an enormous 2.8 million square feet of space that now includes the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park. The expansion gave fans more stages, attractions, and places to explore, but also created the downside of massive distances between main and side stages. Covering the entirety of the grounds often meant clocking over 30,000 steps a day, and with Florida-level heat and humidity invading late September, it was a grueling marathon for fans and photographers alike.
Day 1: Thrash and Legends
The weekend kicked off with an overwhelming set from Silly Goose on the Kingdom Stage, so packed they had to stop letting people in. Danny Wimmer himself appeared side-stage, even inviting a kid on stage—a surreal moment. Cannibal Corpse proved age hasn’t dulled their edge, while Atreyu energized the so-called “baby stage” with hit songs and a sea of fans who made the trek to that side of the venue. Determined not to repeat last year’s bad luck with Kublai Khan TX (which landed me in the ER), I ventured across the grounds and was rewarded with their crushing set.
Rob Zombie brought his usual eerie theatrics but with a refreshed stage design it was a sight for some who have been to multiple festivals in the past years. The mighty Slayer closed the night in legendary fashion, fulfilling their promise to return after last year’s rain-out cancellation with a 20-song flame infused set that left no one standing still.
Day 2: Announcements and Anthems
Story of the Year faced technical glitches, but the frontman’s resilience turned it into a display of raw talent. DWP stunned the crowd with a marching band rendition of The Black Parade to announce My Chemical Romance will headline THREE festivals next year, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple, and Welcome to Rockville. Hollywood Undead electrified the side stage, bringing up a young fan and saluting their last-minute fill-in Louisville based drummer.
Sleep Token’s full immersive stage setup—costumes, dark forest backdrop, and real waterfalls—was breathtaking to say the least. Many fans stood in awe throughout most of the set, just trying to take it all in. Avenged Sevenfold capped the night with perfectly curated blend of classics and new material, enhanced by jaw-dropping digital screen imagery. The energy was so massive that Friday became the first ever sold-out day in Louder Than Life history.
Day 3: Heat, Emotion, and Heavyweights
The unusually hot weather continued to test both fans and artists. Funeral Portrait started strong on the main stage with lead singer Lee Jennings voice ringing through the midday air. Their performance was only highlighted more by a surprise mid-set marriage proposal.
Motionless in White unleashed full pyro, with flames spraying the stage in a carefully planned design, although most of the band wore surprisingly toned-down makeup. I Prevail stormed back with their first show since releasing a new album—Violent Nature—with Guitarist Dylan crushing clean vocals, while lead signer Eric laid down both throaty growls as well as harmony matching tones.
Letlive delivered solid material, with lead singer Jason Butler being tamer than one comes to expect. Later, fans faced the tough choice between Trivium and Bad Omens, both playing opposite each other. Trivium drew a surprisingly huge crowd, proving their legacy power, while Bad Omens torched everything on stage with endless waves of pyro coming from all directions for their more than hour long set. Deftones closed the night with a 20-song journey that included the live debut of “Ecdysis,” alongside favorites like Be Quiet and Drive and Change (In the House of Flies).
Deftones photos only by Steve Thrasher
Photo Credit: Steve Thrasher
Day 4: Rain, Chaos, and Closers
A morning storm forced a brief evacuation, but once reopened, no bands were fully canceled. A full schedule shift and time swapping allowed most bands to play at some point in the day. Slaughter to Prevail whipped the crowd into walls of death, while Evanescence brought a special guest… Paul McCoy of 12 Stones to do his original rap for Bring Me to Life. Three Days Grace kept the energy high, with dual singers enticing the crowd, wooing us with fan favorites, and ending with Riot that had security earning their money being swarmed by relentless crowd surfers.
Sleep Theory overcame a reschedule and stage downgrade due to the weather but still delivered one of the most interactive sets of the weekend. From early morning main stage, to late evening side stage, the pure shock of the crowd size could be seen on the boys’ faces while walking onstage. Treating us to a set of nothing but fan favorites, there were moments when lead singer Cullen Moore could just dive into the crowd to surf with fans, letting us sing for him.
Bring Me the Horizon was chosen to close the festival, and while some people were skeptical, they delivered with one of the most elaborate productions of the weekend! A video-game inspired intro stacked stage levels, pyro, smoke, live fan cameos, and even a cover of Oasis’ Wonderwall. Lead singer Oli Sykes brought fans on stage, premiered a brand-new track with guest singer Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath, and left nothing behind in a 16-song spectacle. Their merch sold out so quickly that by day two, it was nearly impossible to find.
Recap
Louder Than Life is more than just a music festival! It’s an experience. Between the bourbon tastings, camping, the Music Experience Tent, meet-and-greets with artists, and now the Kentucky Kingdom attractions, it continues to evolve into a world of its own.
After seven years of attending, I can say this year was both the most exhausting and most rewarding. With historic attendance, unforgettable performances, and major announcements for 2026, Louder Than Life has cemented itself as a pilgrimage for heavy music fans everywhere. For updates on future Danny Wimmer Presents festivals and their lineups, keep an eye on their official pages—you won’t want to miss what’s next.
