The Arizona skies may have been overcast but that didn’t stop droves of fans from flocking to Tempe Beach Park for this year’s Innings Festival. The longtime spring training adjacent event brought bands, food and baseball to Tempe for a wonderful weekend of fun for the whole family. This year’s festival is even expanding into a second weekend so residents can enjoy four days of their favorite music.
Weekend one boasted headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers and Hozier, with an undercard that included heavyweights like Macklemore, Greta Van Fleet and so much more. Fans lined up early both days- braving the early spring heat- to stand at the barricade all day for a chance to get as close as possible to the artists at both the Home Plate and Right Field stages.
Those looking to take a break between bands had plenty of chances to explore the activations around the grounds and even get some facetime in with MLB players while waiting to take a swing at the batting cages. Fans of all ages trekked between stages all weekend and huge crowds formed for this incredible lineup. Atlas was in the middle of all the action- check out our most memorable moments from day one!
Fans Get Loud for Early Afternoon Acts
While the early crowds on Friday were sparse at first, the opening bands made sure to get attendees pumped up for the rest of the day. The Home Plate stage kicked off with duo Taipei Houston, who squinted into the sun and delivered a fast-paced set that was pure adrenaline for those watching. Following that was a long walk over to Right Field for Matt and Kim- an absolute staple of the indie rock scene.
Even after all these years, Matt and Kim are clearly the band having the most fun of any artist onstage- the couple blasted through a litany of hits and smiled the entire time while raising a glass to their already massive audience.
Atlas also had the chance to chat with rock legends 311 before their golden hour set and the band showed love for fellow performers Bully before taking to the main stage. Fans were spotted swaying to “Amber” and rocking out with singer Nick Hexum on his signature red guitar.
Rock Music Lights Up the Night
Super dedicated fans placed themselves front and center all day in anticipation of Greta Van Fleet’s return to Arizona and the group did not disappoint. With a wall of fireworks and scorching pyrotechnics, the band had their audience practically falling to their knees throughout the performance. Each member got a spotlight with extensive guitar and drum solos, while singer Josh Kiszka wailed through their setlist. Just how many fans who’d come out of the woodwork to catch GVF became apparent as they popped up all over the sold out crowd that had gathered in front of the main stage to show their immense love for a group that hasn’t been to the desert in a long while.
Hometown heroes Jimmy Eat World headlined the Right Field stage and delivered yet another stunningly consistent set of songs that are ingrained into the fabric of Arizona itself. The band is currently celebrating 25 years of their iconic album Clarity and threw in plenty of songs from that record for a jubilant audience. Naturally, the set concluded with “The Middle” before the fans dispersed to catch the evening’s massive headliner.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage to huge fanfare from a tired but very excited crowd to close out day one of Innings. After a lengthy jam band style intro, Anthony Kiedis emerged from the dust and fog right into “Can’t Stop” and “Scar Tissue”. Fans decked out in their best vintage RHCP shirts shouted the lyrics to classic song “Californication” while the band put instrumentals at the forefront of the set.
The night came to a close with an encore of “I Could Have Lied” and “Give It Away” before the park emptied out so everyone could get ready to come back for one more day of fun. Day one of Innings Festival was a marathon from start to finish but attendees certainly enjoyed the wide variety of music and all the fun to be found at the fringes of the main event.
Check out all the photos!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
