Innings Festival successfully launched their maiden voyage in Arizona

Tempe Beach Park, Tempe, Ariz.

March 23-25, 2018

By M.F. Andrews

 

“Baseball and music?” commented The Decemberists front man Colin Meloy. Several of the bands seemed to have the same sentiments, but it worked. There were approximately 33,000 fans that flooded the Tempe Beach Park in downtown Tempe, Ariz. March 23-25, 2018. Arizona is a major spring training destination for professional baseball teams because of the temperate weather. C3 Presents decided to blend music with baseball. C3 Presents produces Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Festivals as well. There were three stages and 36 acts booked for the weekend. The result was a very professional festival with all the bells and whistles one would expect to have a really good weekend for music.

Here are some of the entertainment highlights of the weekend festival.

Queens of Stone Age (QOTSA) headlined the first day. Josh Homme was seen on the festival grounds during the day. Later, Homme sat in with Eagles of Death Metal playing drums. Homme was one of the founding members of Eagles of Death Metal. Queens of the Stone Age garnered the biggest crowd of the day. It was a raucous set filled with all the fans’ favorite and new tunes including “If I had a Tail,” “No One Knows,” “Feet Don’t Fail Me,” and “My God Is the Sun.”

QOTSA are a great jam band that had a amazing drum solo during “No One Knows.” The band was tight and sounded great live. The stage was covered in vertical plastic poles that lit up and glowed. The poles would sway with the movement of the band members. There were no kicking incidents by Homme.

Eagles of Death Metal performed earlier in the evening on the stage across the grounds, approximately ¼ mile from

the main stage. It was a religious experience when Jesse Hughes first took the stage. After a few minutes taking in the love of the crowd, the band proceeded to rock out. Hughes was there to entertain by either singing or swinging his mic-cord like a yo-yo. He admitted that he had gotten stoned before taking the stage. Of course, the icing on the cake was the appearance of Homme during the grand finale.

The new EDM ingenue, Sylvan Esso, entertained the early crowd with their unique electro-pop. Amelia Meath danced through the set while singing and wearing sneakers with six-inch platform heels. Nick Sanborn provided the music tracks accompanying Meath. Their two albums provided the material for the colorful set.

Young the Giant delivered one of the most energetic sets of the night. Sameer Gadhia has evolved into a polished showman over the years. Gadhia was sporting red jumpsuit as he soared across the stage. The songs in the set ranged from the old hits to newer songs from their latest album release, Home of the Strange.

The second day was primarily Americana, folk rock day with the Avett Brothers headlining the night. The Avett Brothers always deliver a set of great songs exuding good feelings with pomp and pretension. Songs performed “Kick Drum Heart,” “I and Love and You,” and “Die, Die. Die.” George Michael’s “Faith’ was the encore. The band has endured because they don’t pretend. Catch their HBO documentary May It Last for a complete picture of the band.

The Decemberists delivered one of the most memorable sets of the weekend. They just released a new album I’ll Be Your Girl on March 16. They emerged from hiatus fully charged and ready to shake things up. They decided to change their sound for their new album and the song “Severed” is an example of that change. Their songs in the set seemed to reflect the political happenings of the day. The song, “Everything is Awful” was dedicated to the anti-gun activists. “We All Die Young” was a perfect example of their cynicism. They played several songs from the new record, but did not ignore their songs from the past. Their new sound was well received by the throng of fans.

Lord Huron had the challenge of not being able to see anything as the sun aimed on their faces as they played. The band has its own unique sound with layered instrumentation. The tasty morsels offered during the set included “Ancient Names Part One,” “Meet Me In the Woods,” “Ends of the Earth,” and “Wait By the River.”

Chris Stapleton headlined Sunday’s country and Southern rock day. Counting Crows may not have fit in that description however. Tyminski or Dan Tyminski started the day’s festivities. Tyminski is a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station. His biggest hit record to date is the vocal on “O Brother Where Art Thou?” He has more recently sung on Avicii’s EDM hit “Hey Brother.” Country crooner, Luke Combs performed his hit record “Hurricane” on the smaller stage. It was a crowd-pleasing set from a singer we are bound to hear more from in the future.

Counting Crows drew a large crowd. They opened with “Round Here.” There were many hits including “Mr. Jones,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” A Long December,” and “Rain King.” Adam Duritz gave the crowd his full freestyle performance.

Chris Stapleton finished the night and the Innings Festival displaying his love of traditional country music and rock music. He spent many years writing hit records for other singers before he decided to step into the entertainer spotlight. Songs performed included “Midnight Train to Memphis,” “Second One To Know,” “Nobody To Blame,” “Them Stems” and “Tennessee Whiskey.” Sadly, the first Innings Festival came to an end.

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Queens of Stone Age set list:

Walk the Night
(The Skatt Brothers song)

If I Had a Tail

My God Is the Sun

Feet Don’t Fail Me

The Way You Used to Do

You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire

No One Knows

The Evil Has Landed

I Sat by the Ocean

Domesticated Animals

Make It Wit Chu

Smooth Sailing

Little Sister

Go With the Flow

A Song for the Dead

Queens of Stone Age Photos

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Eagles of Death Metal Photos

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Sylvan Esso Photos

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Young the Giant Photos

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The Decemberists Photos

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Lord Huron Photos

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