Review by Fred Kuhlman
Photos: © Fred Kuhlman 2023, All Rights Reserved
Venue: Tempe Beach Park, Tempe, Arizona
Date: Saturday February 25th, 2023
Tour: AZ Innings Festival 2023 (https://www.inningsfestival.com/arizona )
After 8 bands, Green Day hit the stage with a “bang”. During the first song, the fireworks started. It was an amazing way to top off an outstanding day of music. This was the first time I have seen any of the bands at the Inning Festival except for Weezer. I was impressed by all of the bands. The first day, Saturday started with a four-piece band called Annie DiRusso and ended the night with Green Day. I will be listing the bands in reverse order with the headliner first.
There were 3 different stages setup throughout the park. Two stage were setup for music and the other was used for the baseball events. The bands were divided between the Main Stage and the Right Field Stage. The Left Field Stage was setup for the baseball events of the day. The first band, Annie DiRusso started on the Main Stage. Then each subsequent band traded stages with Green Day ending the night on the Main Stage. The first few bands were scheduled back-to-back. But the last 4 bands allowed 5 minutes between sets to allow the fans to get between stages.
Green Day
Main Stage 9:05 – 11:00PM
What can you say about Green Day other then they are spectacular. Not only are they fantastic musicians that put on an extremely high energy performance. Front-person, guitarist and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong was all over the stage and the extension they had coming out into the crowd. He was joined by drummer Tré Cool, bassist Mike Dirnt, and guitarist Jason White. They had fireworks throughout the set with confetti at the end. They played for almost 2 hours.
You can find out more about Green Day, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://greenday.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GreenDay/
The Black Crowes
Right Field Stage 7:45 – 9:00PM
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Over the years they have had many ups and downs including breaking up. The current members are frontperson and lead singer Chris Robinson, guitarist Rich Robinson, bassist Sven Pipien, drummer Brian Giffin, guitarist Isalah Mitchell and keyboardist Joel Roblnow. Personally, I really enjoyed hearing The Black Crowes. The band seemed tight and to me Chris’s voice was ok.
You can find out more about The Black Crowes, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://theblackcrowes.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackCrowes/
Weezer
Main Stage 6:25 – 7:40PM
Weezer is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1992 by frontman, guitarist and lead singer Rivers Cuomo and drummer Patrick Wilson. They are joined by guitarist Brian Bell and bassist Scott Shriner. The last time I saw Weezer was at an “Ugly Christmas Sweater” concert in December of 2021. I was impressed by how good they were and really enjoyed the concert. 14 months later and they sounded just as good. With 16 albums under their belt, they have a wealth of music to pull from. If you get a chance to see Weezer I highly recommend it. They will be touring this year and coming back to Phoenix at the end of August. Hopefully I will see you there.
You can find out more about Weezer, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://weezer.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/weezer
The Pretty Reckless
Right Field Stage 5:20 – 6:20PM
The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2009. The band consists of frontperson, lead singer and guitarist Taylor Momsen, lead guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins.
You can find out more about The Pretty Reckless, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://theprettyreckless.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/theprettyreckless/
The Offspring
Main Stage 4:15 – 5:15PM
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Their style is more toward the punk rock style like Green Day. They are a high energy band and really fun to watch and listen to. The current line-up consists of guitarist and lead singer Dexter Holland, guitarist Noodles, bassist Todd Morse, drummer Josh Freese and Jonah Nimoy of keyboards and percussion.
You can find out more about The Offspring, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://www.offspring.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Offspring/
Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness
Right Field Stage 3:15 – 4:15
Andrew McMahon Is a singer songwriter and was in both Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. Andrew has since gone solo and create an be band called Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness. He is rock performer that plays piano and sings. He is joined by guitarist Bobby “Raw” Anderson, drummer Jay McMillian, Zac Clark on keyboards and Mikey “The Kid” Wagner on bass and keyboards.
You can find out more about Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://andrewmcmahon.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/andrewmcmahonmusic/
The Glorious Sons
Main Stage 2:30 – 3:15PM
The Glorious Sons are a Canadian rock band formed in 2011 from Kingston, Ontario. The are a rock band with southern rock influences. The band is currently made up of lead singer Brett Emmons, guitarists Jay Emmons and Chris Koster, drummer Adam Paquette, keyboardist Josh Hewson and bassist Peter Van Helvoort.
You can find out more about The Glorious Sons, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://www.theglorioussons.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGloriousSons/
Heartless Bastards
Right Field Stage 1:45 – 2:30PM
Heartless Bastards are an American rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2003. The band is fronted by lead singer and guitarist Erika Wennerstrom, Greg Clifford on drums, Sam Pankey on bass, Jonas Wilson on guitar, Beth Harris on harmonies, and Doug McDiarmid on keys/guitar/banjo.
You can find out more about Heartless Bastards, check out their website and Facebook page:
Website: https://www.theheartlessbastards.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/heartlessbastards/
Annie DiRusso
Main Stage 1:00 – 1:45PM
They were the first band of the day and started at 1PM. They got a 45-minute set. The band is fronted by guitarist and lead singer Annie DiRuuso.
You can find out more about Annie DiRuuso, check out her website and Facebook page:
Website: https://www.anniedirusso.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/anniedirusso/
