Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Event: Inning Festival
Photos © by Fred Kuhlman 2024, All Rights Reserved
Starting at the end of February each year in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area starts Spring Training for Major League Baseball. In the last few years, we have had a 2-day music and baseball festival at this same time. This year the organizers decide to expand the event with a second weekend and called it the “Extra Innings”. This year they moved the weekend events to Friday and Saturday. So the crowds on Friday afternoon were a little smaller since people had to work, but by 5PM the event was crowded.
This year we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Temperatures were in the mid-70s to low 80s each day and by the end each night it was only about 65. It was also sunny or partly cloudy with high clouds. The wind was not an issue until the last day and even then, it was not really bad. This is one of the reasons Major League Baseball has been having spring training here in the greater Phoenix area for longer than I have lived here (I got here in 1973).
The music each year is typically a couple of headliners each night with a mixture of Indi and Alternative bands filling the rest of the day. In past years we have such great bands as Green Day, Foo Fighters, Weezer and The Offspring. These weekend festivals are designed as family events so more extreme or metal bands are not typically included. So sorry my metal friends, No Mosh pits.
The festival is set up like a baseball field with the main stage being “Home Plate”. Then the other music stage is called “Right Field”. There is another area called “Left Field” where all of the baseball related events occur. At the “Left Field” stage and area they have baseball discussions with some ex major league players, and skill tests that you can participate in. There is also some meet and greet events with some of these ex-players. My partner, Val Tapia covered the baseball side of the event while I concentrated on the music. Please see Val’s reviews for the baseball and overall coverage of the weekends.
For a large festival (over 20,000 people each day) there was very few incidents. Most of the issues were people not drinking enough water and passing out. At times the food lines did get a little long but that was typically between 5:30 and 8PM. The one exception was the ice cream vender. From about 4PM until the finally performance, it was packed. The festival opened the doors at 12:30PM each day and the final performance got done just prior to 11PM. This was my one issue with the organizers: on the second weekend the first bands started each day at 12:35, so no one was at the start of the first band’s performance. In the future could you please open the doors a little earlier to allow fans to get the different stages in time.
A few things I have learned by being at the festival for multiple years:
1. Drink a lot of water. In the Phoenix area it is very dry and you don’t realize that you are sweating and can dehydrate fast. Also watch alcohol intake, it will dehydrate you.
2. Wear very comfortable shoes/boots. If you attempt to see bands at both stages, you will end up walking a lot.
3. Bring layers. We started out in short sleeve shirts in the afternoon, but after the sun sets it does get cooler and you might want a long sleeve shirt or light jacket.
4. It can get dusty, so if you have breathing issues, you might consider bringing a mask. Also take allergy medication as needed.
5. All of the venders ONLY take debit or credit card.
6. Food is available and Vegan options are available.
7. You will have to make a choice to either attend the musical events or the baseball events because some occur at the same time. However, the baseball events are done prior to the headliner taking the stage each night at Home Plate stage.
8. If you really want to see all of the bands, I would recommend getting either the VIP or Platinum pass. The VIP allows you access to closer viewing areas at each stage and is not that crowded. The Platinum is the best (but one of the most expensive) but offers some of the best viewing areas and free rides between the Right Field and Home Plate stages. This could be nice because it is .3 miles between the stages.
9. If you have a General Admission pass (GA) and you really want up front (at the fence) viewing, then you must get there early and pick the stage that has your favorite band. But be prepared to hold your position for up to 9 hours waiting for your band to hit the stage if they are the headliner.
10. There are port-a-potties positioned around the area with the majority between Home Plate and Right Field stages. The lines can get long so allow time.
11. Please put on sunscreen. I saw a lot of people that had deep red skin by the end of the day and especially those attending the second day of the weekend.
And above all, Have fun. Hope to see you at next year’s event.
I will be posting a separate article for each day’s performer’s photos. It is also very strange for me to have only seen one of the 41 bands that performed over the 4 days. I have seen well over 700 different bands and the Gin Blossoms were the only band I had seen before. There were many great bands I was looking forward too including Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind and Greta Van Fleet to my list of bands I have seen. I also love seeing the smaller and lesser-known bands and figuring out which ones I like and would like to see again.
Day 1 – Friday February 23rd
The first day seemed to have more of the rock style acts. Being mainly a metal and classic rock concert photographer, today was the day I was most looking forward to. We had the privilege to see Greta Van Fleet, Jimmy Eat World and the amazing Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were the headline group and the Home Plate area was packed. I did get to see both 311 and Matt and Kim and was very impressed by both bands.
Day 2 – Saturday February 24th
Today was more of an Indi & Alternative band day. Hozier was the headline band at the Home Plate stage. Third Eye Blind was one of the other main bands. The standout band for me this night was Macklemore. With Macklemore you get both great music and a fantastic stage production. It was a real joy to watch. I do want to give a shout out to my fellow photographer, Mary from Tucson who in my opinion got the shot of the weekend when she got Macklemore in mid-air after he jumped of a riser on stage. Congratulation Mary.
Day 3 – Friday March 1st
This was the day that country came to the Innings Festival. The majority of the acts were country oriented. Chris Stapleton was the headliner and was on the Home Plate stage at the end of the night. The Turnpike Troubadours and Ryan Bingham were the other big draws of the day. For me the standout and surprise was Kaitlin Butts. I was impressed by her music having never heard her before. The crowd today started out small, it being a workday for most people. But by around 6PM the venue started to get packed and by the time Chris Stapleton hit the stage the crowd around Home Plate stage was very large.
Day 4th – Saturday March 2nd
This was the last day of the Extra Innings weekend. Not to be outdone, this day had a number of great Indi/Alternative bands. I was really excited to see and photograph Sheryl Crow. However, her people only allowed the 2 major outlet photographers. I did go and listen to her perform and she did a fantastic job. We also got to see the Gin Blossoms, a home town band. Dave Matthews Band was the headliner, but Noah Kahan was on the Home Plate stage first. It was amazing to hear all of the young women screaming for Noah. It reminded me of Beatles Mania back in the 60s. It was a little strange and wonderful to hear Dave Matthews Band perform one of my favorite David Bowie songs, “Let’s Dance”.
So, after 4 days, 6.5 miles of walking each day and a little sunburn, did I have a great time, HELL YES. I have never been to one of the other large festival concerts, but it is on my bucket list to go to and photograph one of the large metal festivals in the US or Europe. Until then, I am very happy to review and photograph the Innings Festival here in Tempe, Arizona. I hope to see you all there in 2025.
Shout out to both Gaby and the gentleman from Sierra Vista on the first weekend. It was great talking with you and I hope you and your friends had a great time at the show. I hope to see you again at future concerts.
