2022 PLAYLIST CELEBRATES RETURN TO TRADITION
Thursday, April 21, 2022. Louisville, KY. – In anticipation of Thunder Over Louisville’s return to the Waterfront, Thunder Officials ran their first soundcheck of this year’s fireworks soundtrack in the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Command Center at the Galt House this morning. This year’s theme – “The Legend Returns” – will feature a musical playlist that has a little something for everyone. Songs spotlighting a variety of artists over multiple music genres will entertain guests as they view one of the largest fireworks displays in the nation.
“We are excited to be back and in-person at the Waterfront for Thunder Over Louisville to officially kick off the Kentucky Derby Festival,” said Matt Gibson, President & CEO of the Derby Festival. “We’ve got a special soundtrack this year to turn up the volume as we celebrate one of our favorite Festival traditions with the community.”
Thunder fans can enjoy music from Ray Charles (“America the Beautiful”); Elton John and Dua Lipa (“Cold Heart”); LeAnn Rimes (“God Bless America”); Miley Cyrus (“Party in the U.S.A.”); Pink (“We Are the Champions”); Bruce Springsteen (“Dancing in the Dark”); Coldplay (“My Universe”); The Weeknd (“Take My Breath”); Panic at the Disco (“The Greatest Show”); Outkast (“Hey Ya”); Lil Nas X and Louisville’s own Jack Harlow (“Industry Baby”); and many more.
“It is nothing like we have ever done before,” said Wayne Hettinger, Producer of Thunder Over Louisville, about this year’s soundtrack. “The excitement level is through the roof, and I am expecting the community will feel the same. It’s going to be the greatest show yet.”
Thunder fans don’t have to worry about hearing this year’s fireworks soundtrack loud and clear. Shepherd Insurance is the Official Sound Sponsor for Thunder Over Louisville. Their sponsorship helps offset the costs of the sound towers and the sound feed throughout the venue.
“We are excited to return as the Official Sound Sponsor for the 2022 Thunder Over Louisville celebrations. It is our honor to partner with the Kentucky Derby Festival and the amazing volunteers that help make this event happen,” said Trent Hunt, Executive Partner at Shepherd Insurance.
With multiple sound tower locations throughout the venue, fans can enjoy the narration of the air show, event announcements and the fireworks soundtrack. Towers are located at the Belvedere, Thunder Chow Wagon, North Great Lawn, South Great Lawn, and Big Four Bridge Lawn. Plus, on the Southern Indiana side, the Festival provides a sound feed to Upland Brewing Company.
The launch sequence to start the fireworks and the soundtrack are all orchestrated in the Command Center. Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is sharing its name with the Command Center again this year as the Title Sponsor of the show’s communication hub.
“We are pleased to continue our support of the Kentucky Derby Festival and Thunder Over Louisville as the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Command Center,” said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “Not only is this iconic and well-known event a great way to celebrate our community, but we’re glad to a play such a key role at both Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Bowman Field supporting the Thunder Air Show. We look forward to this year’s event as the festivities return to the Waterfront.”
Thunder’s fireworks show is choreographed to an original soundtrack each year. Over time, those soundtracks have included a broad range of music from Top Ten and country, to urban and contemporary, even rock’n’roll and Broadway show tunes. Anywhere from 25 to 60 different tracks or sound effects are used to build the musical score each year.
This is the 32nd consecutive year that UPS has been a presenting sponsor of Thunder Over Louisville. Caesars Southern Indiana has been a presenting sponsor for 23 consecutive years. LG&E and Meijer have both been Thunder sponsors for the past 16 years in a row. This is Humana’s first year as a presenting sponsor of Thunder.
In addition to the presenting sponsors, Ford Motor Company returns as title sponsor of Ford’s Thunder on the Ground. Shepherd Insurance is the Official Sound Sponsor, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport returns as title sponsor of the Command Center, and The Galt House is the Official Hotel of the event. Official Boat and RV Sponsor is My Financing USA. Thunder Over Louisville’s 2022 Official Broadcast Partners are WLKY and SummitMedia’s MIX 106.9.
Thunder Over Louisville is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. It provides an estimated impact of $56 million to the area’s economy. The Derby Festival is an independent community organization. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually every spring and is one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
