Banging Tunes, Bountiful Food, And Baseball Celebrations: Innings Festival Tempe 2024

Springtime has sprung and the sounds of baseball are in the air, as were the sounds of music. 

Major League baseball’s Cactus League Spring Training games kicked off this past weekend alongside the annual Innings Fest Tempe music festival. Two days of food, drinks, baseball figures and experiences, and a lot of rocking music.  Festival goers could jam out to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hozier, Third Eye Blind, Macklemore, Greta Van Fleet, Jimmy Eat World, and more throughout the two days. 

Being my first ever music festival, I must say it truly was quite the experience. 

Walking through the open and lively festival space at the Tempe Beach Park & Arts Park was a real blast. 

The experience began before entering the park, as various individuals from all walks of life filled the streets, headed for the day’s entertainment. Some used the chance to set up and show off their beautifully artistic wares, to sell or advertise. Hustle and bustle, of the best variety, was found up and down the streets as the wide variety of local eateries were packed, the delicious aromas of their offerings hanging in the air. 

Inside the park offered two different experiences depending on the time of day. 

Early in the afternoon, when the crowds were thinner, was a more chill vibe. People milling about, checking out some of the opening acts, and getting the lay of the land. Food vendors spread out, offering so many different well-priced and plentiful bounties. From standard event-type foods to more specialty things, like the cactus that I sampled (It was delicious btw). 

As evening approached, throngs of tightly packed people were found singing and dancing as the headlining acts sent the crowds wild.

Hometown band Jimmy Eat World took the stage Friday night to serenade the crowds with:

• A Praise Chorus
• Big Casino
• Sweetness
• Something Loud
• Lucky Denver Mint
• For Me This Is Heaven
• Let It Happen
• Hear You Me
• Work
• All The Way (Stay)
• Always Be
• Pain
• Bleed American
• The Middle

I was thick in the crowd on Saturday as Macklemore took the home plate stage. The energy was electric and palatable, as he started right into “CHANT,” hands were in the air and the shouts rang through the night. Everyone got even louder as he proclaimed it was time to go back to the beginning and the first beats of “Thrift Shop” fired up. Truly incredible. 

His full set list for the night consisted of:

• CHANT
• Thrift Shop
• No Bad Days
• White Walls
• Same Love
• Downtown
• And We Danced
• Dance Off
• Glorious
• Can’t Hold Us

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this festival outside of knowing who would be there. As someone who deals with anxiety, I had never really gotten up the nerve to attend such an event. Just walking into that park, there was no anxiety to be found.

It felt welcoming, energetic, and fun beyond measure. No judgments were levied, as everyone was there to hear the music, celebrate baseball, or both. Caps, jerseys, and shirts rocking favorite MLB teams were found alongside the most eclectic colorful display of festival wear. 

As a San Francisco Giants fan, seeing former pitcher Jake Peavy (also of the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres) and his band was a must. The Left Field Stage of the event was where all the baseball happenings were going down, centered right on an actual baseball diamond. 

Peavy and his band led the crowd through several cover songs, alongside the band for fellow former pitcher Ryan Dempster (Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox) who brought his Off The Mound talk-show live to the festival for multiple sessions. 

Keeping with the baseball theme of the event, fans could practice speed pitching or jump into batting cages. Along the way, they could meet and hang out with MLB Legends such as Dontrelle Willis (Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers), Dave Stewart (Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics), Luis Gonzalez (Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks ), Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City Royals, New York Mets ), Matt Kemp (Dodgers, Padres), Eric Gagne ( Dodgers), Mark Grace (Chicago Cubs, Diamondbacks ), Brandon Webb (Diamondbacks ). Currently playing superstar Mookie Betts, of the Dodgers, appeared on Friday. 

As crowds grew through the day, the headlining acts saw bigger and bigger attendance. By the time Red Hot Chili Peppers and Hozier took the Home Plate stage on Friday and Saturday, things were beyond packed. It’s easy to see why Friday’s one-day passes sold out so fast. 

On Friday the Chili Peppers sent the crowd rocking with:

• Intro Jam
• Can’t Stop
• Scar Tissue
• Universally Speaking
• Here Ever After
• Snow (Hey Oh)
• Soul To Squeeze
• Eddie
• Right On Time
• Californication
• The Heavy Wing
• Tell Me Baby
• Black Summer 
• By The Way
• I Could Have Lied
• Give It Away

While Hozier went with a shorter but no less powerful set, he closed out the night with:

• Eat Your Young
• Francesca
• Cherry Wine
• Would That I
• Sunlight
• Take Me To Church
• Jackie and Wilson
• Nina Cried Power