The Louder than Life Festival of 2016 brought rockers of all ages together for the 3rd consecutive year. With approximately 50,000 fans in attendance, it appears this fest is here to stay in Louisville, KY despite the noise and traffic complaints from local and Indiana residents, but that’s how Loudmouths live; LOUD!
DAY 1: October 1, 2016
Saturday commenced for Ghost Cult Magazine at The Monster Stage with Twelve Foot Ninja who started the fest with a radiating boost of energy. A few sprinkles of rain and an overcast of clouds had fest goers prepared with rain gear, but not deterred. Luckily, the rain held off and the day was perfect for a fall, rock fest.
We took a break to head to the media tent after watching the first half of I Prevail to interview Twelve Foot Ninja. We sat down with Russ (drummer) and Kin (vocals) for a deep, yet comical, take on their new album Outlier after catching Russ, the drummer, “picking his arse” on stage before their set. Russ politely obliged and told us about his wardrobe malfunction for our interview. Kin and Russ both gave us great information about the band, their influences, the deeper meaning of the new album, and their history.
Avatar, Motionless in White, HELLYEAH, Pierce the Veil, Cheap Trick (a must see classic), and Slayer, all paved the way for Avenged Sevenfold to close out the day with glorious chaos experienced from the pit by Ghost Cult Mag. It is the first fest we’ve seen an emergency vehicle enter the crowd to assist a fan. Even A7X stopped the set and stated, “This is a first.” It was a brutal pit in the front and center with surfers coming from every directions out of the night sky and the crowd had to “ride the waves” of the mosh pits forming and fans pushing to keep at least one foot on the ground. Not only did we remain on our feet, but left that evening pumped and ready for day 2.
Day 2: October 2, 2016
Sunday, again, began at The Monster Stage with great weather and Crobot. Then we were off to The Loudmouth Stage going hard to the front for Adelita’s Way. We were then headed back to The Monster Stage for Skindred and Parkway Drive. Needless to say, lots of running from state-to-stage and set-to-set occurred. Pop Evil, Sevendust, Skillet, Zakk Sabbath, Alter Bridge, and Ghost couldn’t be missed. About 14 miles of running, according to the fitness tracker, was the result of the great lineup this year.
Ghost Cult Magazine would like to thank Feildy of Korn for chilling with us backstage and giving us a shout out. He reported we were the first to recognize him. Check it out on Instagram!
As the close of the day inched closer, Korn worked the tired crowd and brought energy levels back to a peak by welcoming Slipknot’s Corey Taylor to the stage to perform their new song A Different World. This made an impact on the crowd that was much-needed after a hardcore weekend of rocking that revitalized their stamina. Next up, was Disturbed who brought the heat with blistering pyro effects. Mosh pits began to form and the surfers came at us once again. One would have thought the fest was beginning; not coming to a close. Slipknot brought fest goers an adrenalized closure to an amped up weekend. Fans were once again raging in pits that were overflowing with verve. From the pit, fans looked to the heights of the stage to see the drummers spinning in the air. The slaughter of the pounding drums could be felt through the chests of fans and everyone could hear and see the heart and soul of Slipknot’s exceptional stage performance. New fan or diehard Maggot, it didn’t matter. This was a heavy hitting performance that will not soon be forgotten.
As fans left the fest, a sense of “back to reality” finally hit even though everyone was carefree and still full of energy from the weekend. We came, we heard, we saw, we drank Kentucky’s finest Bourbon, gorged on ‘Man Food’, and felt the love. The 24 hours or so spent at Champion’s Park suddenly felt like 10 minutes. Bruised and sore from the pits, most were ready for more; not an end.
Shout out to the Loudmouths and we will see you in the pit next year!
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WORDS BY APRIL BACH
PHOTOS BY JOHN MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY