Home Gigs Forecastle Music Fest 2019

Forecastle Music Fest 2019

A stage with people in front and a sign that says Forecastle
Photo by Megan McCardwell/ Ace Weekly

By: Claire Ramsay

A stage with people in front and a sign that says Forecastle
Photo by Megan McCardwell/ Ace Weekly

In its’ 17th year of bringing live music to Louisville, Forecastle did not disappoint. Since the beginning Forecastle has grown each year and has introduced bigger and bigger names. Headliners for this year’s three-day music festival at the Louisville Waterfront Park were The Killers, The Avett Brothers, and Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals.

The Mast Stage held the headliners along with other popular names like Tyler Childers, Moon Taxi, Cold War Kids, and Portugal. The Man. An additional three stages and a ‘Party Cove’ held other local acts. Festival goers were able to move freely from stage to stage and experience a variety of musical genres.

Cold War Kids performs at Forecastle 2019. (Photo by Austin Johnson/ Ace Weekly)

Those that sought out a more relaxed atmosphere ventured to the Port Stage, where there were plenty of shaded trees to sit under.

Local artists were invited to paint during the festival on a few tall wooden boards set up neat the Port Stage. And next to those were cornhole boards for those wanting to play some games in between sets.

The Killers performed at Mast Stage on Friday, July 12. Lead vocalist Brandon Flowers brought some local talent on stage to accompany them during one of their songs. The drummer and guitarist from White Reaper joined The Killers on stage and the crowd went crazy. The drummer even threw his drum sticks into the crowd once the song was over.

The Killers seemed to have finished their set, even though they had not played their most played song, “Mr. Brightside.” After a few minutes of chanting “ONE MORE SONG” from the crowd, the band came back out and gave them two more songs; finishing up with “Mr. Brightside.”

A man in a blue outfit on stage
Anderson .Paak performs at Forecastle 2019. (Photo by Bridget Johnson/ACE Weekly)

Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals closed out Saturday night at Forecastle. The band used pyrotechnics to hype up the crowd and lead singer/rapper, Anderson .Paak, danced around the stage to keep that energy flowing.

Sunday’s headliners, Tyler Childers and The Avett Brothers made the last night of Forecastle one to remember. Locals swooned over Tyler Childers who took the stage just before The Avett Brothers.

It was an extremely hot weekend, but that didn’t deter thousands of people from showing up to hear their favorite artists play. The young and old stuck it out for a weekend of music and fun; an experience that is highly recommended.

—

Subscribe to the Ace e-dition for Lexington news, arts, culture, food, and entertainment news delivered to your inbox.

Call today to advertise in Ace, 859.225.4889