The hottest weekend of the year (so far) dawned bright and sunny over Tempe Beach Park to kick off the seventh edition of Innings Festival. Friday’s lineup had dedicated Fall Out Boy fans running for the barricade the moment gates opened while the rest of the crowd milled between stages, participated in the many brand activations and even caught baseball legends in Left Field. Atlas joined the action once again- here are our favorite moments from day one!
Yes, Chef!
Newcomers Winona Fighter opened the Right Field stage with a set that kicked the early crowd right in the teeth. Their unapologetically brash tunes woke up an audience slowly adjusting to the heat of the afternoon and won over anyone simply passing through. The band is celebrating the release of their debut album and dropped several of those new songs into a power-packed setlist. Singer Coco Kinnon was a force of nature onstage, whipping her microphone cable and crashing playfully into her bandmates during “I Think You Should Leave” and “Attention”. They also threw in their own take on the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” before ending with “Hamms in a Glass” for the perfect start to a long day.
Fans just coming through the gates in the high part of the afternoon caught angsty singer-songwriter Jack Kays at the Home Plate stage. With his brutally honest lyrics and gritty vocal sound, Kays slammed through a set that lamented his familial relationships, struggles with addiction and an unexpected cover of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold”. His sincerity combined with his tongue in cheek stage presence was welcomed by fans baking in the Arizona sun and they cheered Kays on as he closed the set with “Feel Like Me”.
Golden Hour Nostalgia
Okay, so it wasn’t quite golden hour when Neon Trees emerged at the Right Field stage, but the fans were prepared to dance the day away with the Utah natives. Singer Tyler Glenn was resplendent in his trim black fit and poured body and soul into the band’s 13-song setlist.
“This is a song for the kids”, he joked right as the opening notes to “Animal” got the audience up on their feet to sing with gusto. The choice to cover The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” slotted perfectly with their upbeat sound and that was only the beginning. Watching drummer Elaine Bradley bash away at her kit to “El Diablo” and “Cruel Intentions” is always a treat- the band as a whole was in pristine form for this festival performance. After tossing in a chorus of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” for the penultimate song, Neon Trees jumped right into “Everybody Talks” to round out a picture perfect afternoon.
Things can absolutely always get weirder at Innings Festival and The All-American Rejects put that firmly to the test. Strutting onstage in matching full baseball uniforms with the AAR branding, they immediately flexed their catalog of hits by opening with “Dirty Little Secret”. Singer Tyson Ritter is always a whirlwind of chaotic energy onstage, grinning maniacally at the crowd and spinning circles around Nick Wheeler and Mike Kennerty as they couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his antics.
AAR has a deep well to draw from- fan favorites like “I Wanna” and “Sweat” made the cut this time, alongside a new song just to shake things up. Naturally, the nostalgia took over at the end of the performance as the crowd swayed to “It Ends Tonight”, danced to “Swing, Swing” and shouted every word to “Gives You Hell” as the sun went down.
Real Rockers Only
Incubus is no stranger to Arizona and served as the direct support for the Home Plate stage as day one headed into the welcome chill of the night. The audience had been gathering in larger numbers throughout the day in anticipation of the final bands, waiting for Incubus to deliver all the hits. The band obliged immediately with “Wish You Were Here”, a kickoff to a driving set that also included “Warning”, “Nice to Know You” and a fitting cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together”. Fans of all ages couldn’t get enough but even the best things must end- the audience waited till those final notes of “Drive” before hurrying back to Right Field for the first headliner of the night.
Year after year, Innings Festival brings together genre-diverse lineups to ensure that there’s something for everyone and The Black Keys were another unexpected but hugely welcome addition. The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney took the stage in a manner so casual, it surprised the cheers right out of the audience. They had well over an hour to journey through their own impressive discography while the crowd shook off their tiredness to stomp along.
From “Tighten Up” to “Howlin’ for You” to “Lonely Boy”, the band touched on every step of their career and kept the setlist divas at bay with song choices that no one was disappointed by. Hard to believe that the first day flew by so quickly but the last chords of “Lonely Boy” had everyone running for Home Plate and the final band of the day.
What a Catch, FOB
One could say Chicago natives (and huge baseball fans) Fall Out Boy were destined to headline a festival like Innings and that would be absolutely correct. Their first performance of 2025 found the band reinvigorated after their last tour. With a reimagined stage configuration and a fresh outlook on the new year, FOB took an ecstatic audience through their own version of the Eras Tour. Songs from every album starting with Take This to Your Grave were represented and the diehards knew every word.
Patrick Stump was largely contained behind his guitar and microphone but took every opportunity to dance and pump up the already energetic audience. Bassist Pete Wentz went through his typical shedding of layers while guitarist Joe Trohman was reticent between songs but lent his stellar vocals behind Stump’s impressive runs. Meanwhile, drummer Andy Hurley slammed away at his kit while mugging at the front row as they all shrieked words of love at the group.
Fall Out Boy’s humble Midwest roots took them from tiny rooms to massive festivals and they are the first to point out that only the support from the fans has put them in that position in 2025. Wentz waxed both poetic and grateful, shouting out The Nile in Mesa and a little band from Phoenix called The Maine while the natives shouted their appreciation. Stump and Wentz bantered back and forth between songs, giggling about their paper mache stage setup before basically lighting the place on fire during “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” and “The Phoenix”.
The American Beauty/American Psycho era was represented by a host of mask-clad cheerleaders that surrounded Wentz during “Uma Thurman” and “The Kids Aren’t Alright”. Stump then climbed the recently added mountain FOB built onstage for a piano medley of “Golden” and “What a Catch, Donnie” before moving fans to tears on “So Much (for) Stardust”.
The Innings Festival Magic 8-Ball song was the classic “Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet”- staying with the baseball motif, of course. Not one for encores, Fall Out Boy drew the curtain on an incredible night by launching Wentz into the crowd during “Saturday” and sending everyone home with scratchy voices and the knowledge that day two was just over the horizon.
Check out all the photos from day one!
