‘Louder Than Life’ officials planning for extreme heat and noise complaints

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The third leg of the "Trifesta" of music festivals at the Kentucky Exposition Center starts Friday, and "Louder Than Life" organizers are taking the heat and noise this weekend into consideration.

To prevent noise complaints like the ones during "Hometown Rising" and "Bourbon & Beyond," sound engineers will be using special equipment. They'll be using noise steering and management technology to reduce the exposure to the neighborhoods that have been the most affected.

Danny Wimmer Presents also self-imposes a 105 decibel limit on its festival shows. For reference, a normal conversation is 60 decibels and the sound of a lawn mower is about 90 decibels. This weekend, audio crew members will be taking sound pressure level readings in surrounding neighborhoods.

The wind can also be a factor in how far sound travels.

“Wind and atmospheric conditions played a part in how sound traveled over the past two weeks," said Les Targonski, production director for Danny Wimmer Presents. "On Sunday, we saw the highest winds of our five festival days so far, and not coincidentally, that’s when noise traveled furthest."

This weekend will also be extremely hot, and festival-goers are encouraged to bring water bottles and stay hydrated. Hydration stations and misters will be placed throughout the festival grounds.

During the previous two festival weekends, there was a total of 71 heat-related calls. Medical teams and EMS were both on site and, organizers said no one had to be transported to the hospital.

After "Louder Than Life" wraps up Sunday, festival organizers plan to come back in November to hold a community meeting with neighbors.

“Our goal is to be in Louisville for a long time, as a partner, a good neighbor and a positive contributor to the fabric of the city,” said Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents.

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