Highs, lows of Innings Festival 2024: Macklemore talked smack and dust flew over the weekend
It was a great weekend for baseball and music fans at the sixth Innings Festival, a music fest timed to coincide with Arizona's Cactus League spring training, which also features opportunities to meet MLB legends. Things kicked off on Friday, Feb. 23, at Tempe Beach Park with Red Hot Chili Peppers headlining an opening day that also featured a hometown appearance by Jimmy Eat World headlining the second stage, plus Greta Van Fleet, 311 and more. Saturday brought Hozier, Third Eye Blind, Macklemore, Cannons and other bands.
The highs included stunning performances and overall great vibes, while the lows included overpriced concessions and dust storms.
If you missed it, you have another chance to get in on the action. New this year: Innings Festival is going into Extra Innings with a second weekend Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, with Chris Stapleton and Dave Matthews Band topping the bill.
Here's a look back at the highs and lows of Innings Fest 2024 in Tempe, Arizona.
Best and worst things we saw at Innings Festival 2024 on Saturday
Innings Festival day two was filled with musical highs and a few environmental lows on Saturday, Feb. 24.
High: Hozier 'took us to church' to close Innings Festival
Hozier made Innings Festival feel like a religious experience. The headliner came out swinging for a crowd of screaming fans. Even after a full day of amazing music in the beautiful Tempe weather, festivalgoers were in excellent spirits as they sang along like a church choir to Irish-born Hozier's hits.
— Meredith White
High: Third Eye Blind offered a 'semi-charmed' finish
Third Eye Blind still knows how to entrance a crowd over 30 years later. The fans were the epitome of chill, as was the band, who seemed relaxed and comfortable in their wheelhouse. The audience swayed along to the biggest hits as neon lights illuminated the Tempe night sky. Nothing beats throwing your arms around strangers and singing goodbye together as Third Eye Blind closes out with their top charting hit “Semi-Charmed Life.”
— Meredith White
High: Macklemore built the suspense, then delivered
Macklemore was five minutes late and the crowd started to get rowdy. A particularly loud man set off a few iWatch high-decibel notifications. But it was worth the wait for the opening bass drop of Macklemore’s set, which rattled the rib cage and had the crowd screaming like teenage girls at a Taylor Swift concert.
After the opening song, Macklemore said he’d been in town since Monday doing “weird stuff” like neon miniature golf and he doesn’t recommend it, because his 2-year-old thought it was “creepy”.
— Meredith White
Low: Not enough baseball
Though the big sell at Innings Festival is the music, in theory it is still a celebration of baseball to kick off spring training. While there were opportunities to meet and greet baseball players they seemed to be few and far between.
— Meredith White
High: Young the Giant woke up the crowd
Around 4 p.m. the crowd made their way to the Home Plate stage to claim their place for Young the Giant. The excitement from the crowd percolated intensely as the minutes passed until Young the Giant hit the stage to open with "Wake Up", which the audience did.
— Meredith White
High: Chill vibes and wide open spaces
The sprawling venue allowed the festival to spread out the stages, bars, food stands and activities for a low-key, chill atmosphere — especially for a music festival.
Closer to the stages, especially the main stage, the vibe cranked up a few notches as people swayed and danced along to the performers.
For more of the chilled vibe, the green areas had people taking quick naps, working on their tans or watching videos until the next act.
— Meredith White
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Low: The food strikes out
Despite the diverse culinary offerings at the Innings Festival, including Mexican, Asian and barbecue cuisines, attendees found the fare lacking in exceptional flavor and quality. Additionally, the prices of food items were on the higher side, further detracting from the value proposition for festivalgoers.
El Jefe Tacos, First Base Flatbreads, Frites Street Fries, Island Noodles, Pork On A Fork BBQ, Pupusa Princess, Tot Box and White Mountain Food Co. were some of the options, but the best seller seemed to be Danzeisen Creamery, which saw long lines of crowds clamoring for ice cream to cool off.
“We are super busy and we are trying to keep up with the line and the people, but every time we look up there is more. It’s crazy,” said Korrine Denman, an employee at Danzeisen Creamery.
— Tiffany Acosta
High: The crowds were lively, but far from overwhelming
While there were a lot of people, there weren't enough to inhibit movement or the enjoyment of the music. The lines for food, photo ops, meetups and the merch were short, and even the longer ones moved pretty fast. There also was plenty of space to sit down and eat or stand and listen to a favorite artist. Overall, it was a very chill vibe.
— Tiffany Acosta
High: Pitcher Dontrelle Willis was a fan favorite
Pitcher Dontrelle Willis arrived just a tad late, but he made sure to spend quality time with each fan, displaying a fun and positive vibe that left a lasting impression. His attitude encouraged attendees to line up for a picture and conversation with him and he signed any baseballs and memorabilia handed to him.
“He made baseball cool, he had really cool ESPN highlights, and elementary school me would be so excited and hyped to see him,” said Ben Dyer, a baseball fan.
— Tiffany Acosta
Low: Whoop whoop, here come the fashion police
When thinking of festivals, many things come to mind: overpriced food, great tunes and diverse fashion statements.
Unlike the meticulously planned outfits seen at events like Coachella, the atmosphere at Innings was more relaxed, with attendees sporting casual attire ranging from boho vibes to baseball gear and cowboy aesthetics, alongside bursts of bright colors.
Despite the array of styles, no one outfit truly stole the spotlight, allowing everyone to blend seamlessly into the vibrant festival ambiance. That said, it was disappointing that there weren't any truly memorable outfits.
— Tiffany Acosta
Low: Even more dust
The Innings Festival is a lively celebration filled with music, laughter and camaraderie, where attendees immerse themselves in the joy of live performances and the thrill of being surrounded by fellow music lovers.
However, amid the revelry, there was a moment when the atmosphere changed and the fun and games were momentarily interrupted by a dusty assailant.
As people walked, jumped and danced, they stirred up clouds of debris, dirt and dust that inevitably found their way into eyes, noses and mouths.
“As long as you can deal with the dust, you will have a good time,” said festivalgoer Isela Resendiz.
— Tiffany Acosta
High: Nat and Alex Wolff set off a wave of nostalgia
Right Field Stage kicked off with a blast of nostalgia as Nat and Alex Wolff took the spotlight.
The crowd was electrified as they witnessed the iconic brothers, a duo many had grown up watching and still cherished years later.
Their presence onstage ignited a wave of fond memories, reminding attendees of their shared journey through adolescence alongside the Wolff brothers' rise to stardom.
Despite the passage of time, their unmistakable personas and talents remained as captivating as ever. As they belted out tunes such as their iconic “If That’s Not Love” and charmed the crowd, it became evident their legacy transcended generations, leaving an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of all who had the pleasure of witnessing their performance.
— Tiffany Acosta
Low: Parking was an event unto itself
As festival anticipation mounted, organizers issued a crucial advisory: "Onsite parking is a no-go. Attendees will need to strategize ahead, consulting the festival's 'Getting Here' page for transportation insights."
By 11 a.m., it took almost 20 minutes of circling to find parking. The road closures made it even more difficult.
Acknowledging this inevitable chaos, the consensus among savvy festivalgoers was clear: sidestep the parking pandemonium altogether and opt for an Uber or a Lyft.
— Tiffany Acosta
Best and worst things we saw at Innings Festival 2024 on Friday
Red Hot Chili Peppers brought opening day of the Innings Festival to a crowd-pleasing finish at Tempe Beach Park with “Give It Away." But it wasn't all fun and games on Friday, Feb. 23.
Read the review: Red Hot Chili Peppers rolled out the hits between jam sessions at Innings Festival in Tempe
High: Performances that included sign language interpreters who rocked out
Performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greta Van Fleet and 311 at the Home Plate stage and Jimmy Eat World, Phantogram and Matt & Kim at the Right Field stage included an American Sign Language interpreter. And not only did they sign the lyrics being sung, but also the instruments that were played. There were fast strumming motions for guitar solos, fists moving downward for drum solos and fingers in a downward twinkling motion for piano.
The interpreters had to accurately translate the intensity of the band performances. Not only did they provide a service to the deaf, but they genuinely rocked hard.
Hozier, Macklemore, Third Eye Blind and Cannons will have interpreters for their performances on Saturday.
— Michael Salerno
Low: Dust in the Wind
The air was thick with dust at Tempe Beach Park on Friday. You could see it in the air and feel it in your lungs, which is never a good thing. If you’re headed out there Saturday, you may want to bring a bandana or even a surgical mask.
— Ed Masley
High: Phantogram’s allure
Sarah Barthel of Phantogram was by far Friday’s most alluring presence, commanding the stage in her silver short shorts and matching top as she and Josh Carter led their bandmates through hazy electro-pop classics as haunting as “Don’t Move,” “Black Out Days” and a breathtaking “Cruel World.” Tasked with following Matt and Kim’s performance on the second stage, which had audience members tossing inflatable sex dolls through the air, it served as a timely reminder that sexy and sexual can be very different adjectives.
— Ed Masley
High: Greta Van Fleet got the Led out
Greta Van Fleet have never shied from embracing the sillier aspects of the classic rock that’s done so much to shape their whole aesthetic. An Arthurian sword was thrust into a sand dune on the screen behind them as they worked the stage in costumes that seemed like something you’d wear to a Dungeons & Dragons convention. The drummer wore a cape and lead singer Josh Kiszka appeared to have raided the wardrobe of a magician in Vegas.
For all the distance they’d like to think they’ve put between themselves and their obvious debt to Led Zeppelin, it’s still unmistakable, especially in Kiszka’s keening vocals, which occasionally sound like Geddy Lee, but mostly favor Robert Plant. He's an impressive singer and his bandmates clearly have the chops to back up their ambitions, especially Kiszka’s brother Jake on lead guitar. Rock purists of a certain age are always crying “rock is dead” because the new rock doesn’t sound like rock as they were raised to understand it in the early ‘70s. This set would’ve shut them right up.
— Ed Masley
High: Jimmy Eat World built this city, after all
Hometown heroes Jimmy Eat World chose “We Built This City” as their walk-on music, a move so brilliant, it hardly mattered what came next.
As luck would have it, though, their set was every bit as entertaining as their entrance as they made their way through such crowd-pleasing classics as “A Praise Chorus,” “Lucky Denver Mint” and “Bleed American” before sending the fans on their way to Red Hot Chili Peppers with their breakthrough hit, “The Middle.”
Jim Adkins was in great voice, bonding with the locals on the joys of Valley winters (“February is kind of why we live here, right?”).
It was great to see them treated like the stars they are at a festival in their own backyard. As the guy behind me said, "I hear their singer lives here."
High: 311's hit parade included 'Beautiful Disaster,' 'All Mixed Up'
Late Friday afternoon, Nick Hexum of 311 had the Innings Fest audience waving their hands from side to side and jumping on command from pretty much the time he hit the stage, leading his bandmates in a genre-fluid hit parade that made its way through such crowd-pleasing highlights as “Beautiful Disaster,” “Come Original” and “All Mixed Up.”
They also dusted off their haunting cover of the Cure hit “Lovesong” from the soundtrack to the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore rom-com, “50 First Dates,” which 311 took to No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
— Ed Masley
Low: The main stage got crowded very quickly
Obviously, a headlining set from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a big deal: One-day passes for Friday were sold out. That meant the main Home Plate stage got very crowded very quickly. Fans packed the general admission pits for Bully’s 2:50 p.m. set, and by the time 311 took the stage around 4:40 p.m., the crowd was overflowing well past the Centerfield Deck bleachers.
— Michael Salerno
High: The guy who threw boxes of water to the crowd
Between Bully's and 311’s sets at the Home Plate stage, one of the security workers tossed boxes of water to people in the general admission pit. It was a welcome relief from Friday’s 79-degree heat.
— Michael Salerno
High: Matt and Kim are a fabulously NSFW good time
Matt and Kim were a ridiculously good time as always, taking the stage on Friday to “Singin’ in the Rain” offset by violent shards of noise before diving right into the deep end with “Block After Block.”
They were less than 15 minutes deep into their midday set, by which point they’d already slipped a snippet of the OutKast song “Ms. Jackson” into “Cameras,” before Kim was twerking and flashing the crowd on “Make a Mess.”
As Matt said, “You know it’s a good one when it’s only a handful of songs and Kim’s boobs have already come out.”
And somehow it only got wilder from there with the audience tossing inflatable sex dolls in the air and Kim pounding her drums with giant sex toys.
Chances are it’s not for everyone, but it certainly seemed to be for everyone crowding the second stage at Innings Fest.
— Ed Masley
High: Zia Records pop-up includes signed vinyl
Zia Records had a pop-up store for fans looking for vinyl records from Innings performers. People filing through the pop-up were most interested in the selections from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, Hozier and Dave Matthews Band. At 2 p.m. Friday, the pop-up had signed copies of records from Breakup Shoes, the first band to perform that day. Signed albums from Greta Van Fleet and Matt & Kim were expected later Friday.
— Michael Salerno
High: Free subs from Jersey Mike’s
Food and drinks at festivals are typically overpriced. But one sandwich shop chain with a pop-up at Innings Festival offered its fans a hot deal: Members of Jersey Mike’s Shore Points reward program could get a free turkey or ham sub simply by scanning a QR code in the Jersey Mike’s app on their phones.
— Michael Salerno
High: Bully stirred up a glorious racket
Alicia Bognanno of Bully is blessed with a glorious rasp of a voice, which only added to the ragged glory of a feedback-laden main-stage set that bristled with punkish intensity in the Friday afternoon sun. Highlights ranged from “Hard to Love” to the electrifying whisper-to-a-scream dynamics of “Change Your Mind” and “Days Move Slow.”
They stirred up quite a racket, bringing their set to a noise-rocking finish with the aptly titled “All This Noise” after ceding the spotlight to Bognanno for a solo electric rendition of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You.”
The only downside was the way Bognanno’s vocals, as urgent as they were, kept getting overpowered in the mix.
— Ed Masley
High: Baseball highlights of Innings Festival
Baseball fans at Innings Festival could test their swing at the batting cages and their pitch speed at the pitching cages.
Player appearances were scheduled throughout the festival, starting with former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Gagne on Friday. He signed fans' baseballs and trading cards, including an item belonging to Craig Lane, a baseball fan who came from Medina, Ohio, to attend the festival and several spring training games.
“It’s great having these guys here and the chance to get an autograph,” Lane said.
— Michael Salerno
High: The sunny alt-pop of the Beaches
The Beaches rocked the second stage with a Friday afternoon set of contagious alternative rock that could’ve found a warm embrace on MTV back in the post-Nirvana ‘90s if only they’d been born in time to make that happen.
Bassist Jordan Miller is an unassuming natural with the perfect voice to put the kind of songs they do across and bandmates well-equipped to underscore her vocals with sweet harmonies that reinforce the pop smarts of their strongest hooks.
Highlights ranged from “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” and “Everything Is Boring” to their viral TikTok hit “Blame Brett,” which Miller introduced with “It’s time to blame our (expletive) exes, Tempe.”
— Ed Masley
High: Local heroes Jimmy Eat World and Breakup Shoes take the stage
It’s always nice to see the home teams get some stage time at a festival as huge as Innings Fest.
Friday brought Jimmy Eat World headlining the second stage and Breakup Shoes welcoming early arrivals as the first act of the day on that same stage, where their laid-back brand of indie-pop had to have made those guys some new fans, judging from the crowd response, especially when they dusted off their much-streamed “Unrequited Love (& Other Cliches),” a bittersweet waltz.
And Breakup Shoes were clearly thrilled to be there. As their singer told the crowd, “I’ve just been telling everybody all week that we’re opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
— Ed Masley
High: Plenty of porta-potties
There were about 60 portable toilets near the Right Field stage, each one stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Two larger toilets were marked for disabled use.
Between the merch tables and the walkway leading to the Left Field stage were about 25 portable toilets, including another two larger toilets for disabled use. There were 70 toilets along Left Field and the baseball attractions. These toilets had toilet paper but not hand sanitizer; fortunately, there were sanitizer dispensers outside the units.
— Michael Salerno
Innings Festival 2024 schedule: Friday set times
Here's who's playing, on what stage and at what time on Feb. 23:
Breakup Shoes: 12:50-1:20 p.m. Right Field Stage
Taipei Houston: 1:20-2:05 p.m. Home Plate Stage
The Beaches: 2:05-2:50 p.m. Right Field Stage
Bully: 2:50-3:35 p.m. Home Plate Stage
Matt and Kim: 3:35-4:35 p.m. Right Field Stage
311: 4:40-5:40 p.m. Home Plate Stage
Phantogram: 5:45-6:45 p.m. Right Field Stage
Greta Van Fleet: 6:50-8:05 p.m. Home Plate Stage
Jimmy Eat World: 8:10-9:10 p.m. Right Field Stage
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 9:15-11 p.m. Home Plate Stage
— Ed Masley
High: This year there are two entrances to Innings Festival
The main entrance to Innings Festival was at Rio Salado Parkway and Mill Avenue. This year, there’s also a second entrance at Rio Salado and Lakeside Drive. At 11:30 a.m. there were only a handful of fans gathered at the Lakeside Drive entrance, while a crowd was starting to build at the Mill Avenue entrance.
— Michael Salerno
Low: Road closures near Innings Festival in Tempe
With the second entrance, Rio Salado was closed between Hardy Drive and Mill Avenue, making getting around that area difficult. A section of Mill Avenue was closed for the festival as well.
— Michael Salerno
Innings Festival weather forecast for Friday in Tempe
By noon Friday, the temperature is forecast to be 71 with a high of 78 at 5 p.m. and a low of 63 by the time the Red Hot Chili Peppers are bringing the day to a bass-slapping finish, hopefully wearing more than a single sock each.
It should be partly cloudy through the early afternoon with the sun breaking through from 4 to 6 p.m.
— Ed Masley
How to get to Innings Festival in Tempe
Practice.
Seriously, though, rideshare pickup and drop-off locations are at 222 S. Mill Ave. and on Hardy Drive near the intersection with Rio Salado Parkway.
Valley Metro light rail riders can use the Mill Avenue/Third Street station to get to Tempe Beach Park. There are 13 free park-and-rides lots in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. Overnight parking is not allowed at the park-and-rides. Visit valleymetro.org for more information.
Valley Metro bus service has stops near Tempe Beach Park. Route 48 serves Tempe Beach Park with the nearest stop at Ash Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway. For route and schedule information, visit valleymetro.org.
Light rail and local bus fare is $2 for one ride or $4 for a one-day pass. Purchase at vending machines at rail stations, on board the bus or at a retail location. For more information, visit valleymetro.org/fares.
Driving? There is no parking at Innings Festival. However, there are many parking lots in downtown Tempe, including Hayden Ferry Lakeside Parking Garage and 201 S. Ash St. Parking Garage. See all of the options at downtowntempe.com.
— Ed Masley
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Innings Festival 2024: Highs and lows from Tempe Beach Park
