Weekends don’t get much busier than this past Feb. 23-24 in Tempe, Ariz., when anticipation for the beginning of Spring Training and the sixth annual Innings Festival met in the middle at Tempe Beach Park & Arts Park.
This year’s festival combined the best of both alternative/indie music and baseball, the overlapping fan bases of both gathering together for two lively afternoons and evenings of entertainment.
On the bill were bands including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hozier, local Arizona heroes Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, 311, Macklemore, Phantogram, Young the Giant, Bully, rising Canadian rockers The Beaches and more, spread out across the festival grounds.
One might say excitement was at a fever pitch throughout the two days, evidenced by the sheer volume of different jerseys representing fans’ favorite teams and players.
Far beyond the expected Diamondbacks jerseys -- and there were many, with Randy Johnson’s No. 51 perhaps the most abundant -- nearly every team’s colors made an appearance, from current and classic stars such as Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers and Japanese jerseys), Aaron Judge, Derek Jeter, Buster Posey, Rickey Henderson, Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Julio Rodríguez replicas peppering the grounds alongside deeper cuts like a Mike Trout Salt Lake Bees jersey, Manny Ramirez (Cleveland), Roberto Alomar (Blue Jays), Brandon Phillips (Reds), Francisco Liriano (Twins) and even Kenny Powers.
The baseball theme carried over to a third stage area, where 2013 World Series champion Ryan Dempster hosted “Off the Mound” question-and-answer sessions with musicians and bands and other special guests.
This stage also hosted performances from Jake Peavy and his all-star band, the former pitcher leading the ensemble through covers of Tom Petty, John Fogerty and more.
In this same area were batting cages and a pitch tracker, with iconic baseball alumni making appearances to sign autographs, take photos and, in the case of Matt Kemp, give hitting tips to kids in the cage.
Nine-year Major Leaguer and two-time All-Star Dontrelle Willis is a regular at Innings Fest. One of the game’s great ambassadors and an all-around vibrant personality, he turned up at the speed pitch to take photos and tell stories in his third Innings Festival appearance.
“The fans, the energy’s so great. They just want to vibe out with me, and I love it,” Willis told MLB.com.
Willis characterized Innings Festival as “the one-stop shop for fun. I think it’s the gateway to spring. The weather is wonderful, the acts are awesome -- I mean, who doesn’t love the Red Hot Chili Peppers? -- and to tie in music and athleticism and baseball at this time of year, it doesn’t get much better than this.”
On the bill during his ongoing “Unreal Unearth” tour that has been met with rapturous sold-out crowds around the world, Hozier also spoke with MLB.com, sharing some thoughts about his connection to baseball, one that was forged not all that long ago.
The Irish-born singer/songwriter found himself caught up in Cubs fever during the club’s historic World Series run in 2016.
After some friends moved from Ireland to Toronto, they became big Blue Jays fans.
“I had no concept of the psychology of baseball,” Hozier explained, “so one night when I started to understand, they sat me down. I think he was watching a Blue Jays game, and he described to me the psychology of pitching, the psychology of what's happening, the conversation between the pitcher and the batter in the moment. And I started to really get into it a little bit in that period. Shortly after that they took me to a Blue Jays game and I really enjoyed it, just hanging out, watching the pace of it. I went to a few games, watched some in bars and stuff while I was in Toronto.”
Hozier also referenced the Cubs’ magical postseason in 2016, by which point he maintained interest from afar, while noting that he was familiar with Wrigley Field and the surrounding area following his first gigs in the city earlier in his career.
His walk-up music selection, by the way? “Something comedic and evil,” he considered, before settling on “Bowser’s Theme” from “Super Mario 64.”
For the other bands on the bill with lifelong baseball fans in their ranks, their excitement was evident.
Finish Ticket, an alternative/indie trio from the San Francisco Bay Area, rolled onto the stage early Saturday with front man Brendan Hoye sporting a vintage Oakland A’s jacket.
The band also threw in a cover of “Marlins Will Soar,” the iconic song penned and sung by Creed’s Scott Stapp that has become the stuff of legend.
Hoye spoke lovingly of the “Moneyball”-era A’s, naming Ramon Hernandez as his favorite player, while drummer Gabe Stein reminisced about his memory being at the game in 2012 when the A’s swept the Rangers and secured an AL West title in wild fashion on the final day of the regular season.
Had they played professional baseball, they had specific ideas for their positional choices.
“I always loved catcher,” said Hoye of his Little League credentials, “but I also loved second base, center field. OK, everything down the middle, pretty much.”
Guitarist Alex DiDonato, who has maybe a foot on his band mates height-wise, answered in kind. “I mean, I’d love to say pitcher,” he said, “because I’ve got the lankiness, but honestly I played T-ball and I just picked flowers in the outfield the whole time.”
The band also called out helmet nachos and garlic fries as their go-to ballpark snacks, and it’s hard to argue with such sound logic.
Phantogram was another band on the lineup perfectly suited for Innings Festival. Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter call New York their home, with Carter in particular a tried-and-true fan of the New York Mets, calling out Mike Piazza, Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter as his favorites.
What positions would they play, had their paths led to the Majors?
Carter described his Little League days as a versatile utility player. “Sometimes it was left field, I played third base a lot, shortstop. I was a pitcher. I didn’t have a strong enough arm to keep going at that, though.”
Barthel, on the other hand, has the passion required of a hotshot southpaw.
“I would be a pitcher, because I’m a lefty,” she explained. “I’d freak people out, make them real confused, start crying and just run away. And then everyone would quit, because they’re so scared of my left hand.”
When the conversations turned to whether a hot dog should be considered a sandwich, opinions were mixed -- and sometimes heated.
Barthel and Carter became embroiled in an existential debate.
"This came up recently, actually, and I’ve never really thought about it," said Barthel. "It makes sense if someone says yes, but I’m not gonna be that [expletive] that says yes."
Opined Carter: "You have an open-faced sandwich, and you have a sandwich. A hot dog is neither of those things."
Barthel asked, "What about pizza? If you fold it ... "
Carter volleyed, "What about Hot Pockets? Are they pockets? Or sandwiches?"
311 was split on the issue, with singer Nick Hexum saying “a hot dog is its own thing,” while bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills quoted the lyrical phrase "hot dog sandwich" in the vintage Louis Prima song “Yes, We Have No Bananas” as a vote in the “sandwich” column.
Jimmy Eat World was unanimous with a “no” vote, as were Finish Ticket and The Beaches, who laid down the law: “It is absolutely not a sandwich.”
Stephan Jenkins, front man of Third Eye Blind, was offended by the question.
“No. That's a terrible thing to say, even to suggest,” he said. “That sounds like somebody who would, you know, cut it down the center and open it up like that. And then open-face it. It's just blasphemy.”
As for the musicians' choice of walk-up music, a variety of sounds was represented.
Phantogram’s Carter said, “If I was a pitcher, it’d be ‘Walk’ by Pantera, and if I was hitting it’d be ‘We Are the Champions.’”
MLB.com: If you were a pitcher, you’d use “Walk”? That wouldn’t jinx you out there on the mound?
Carter: "Oh, yeah, I didn’t even think of that." [laughs] His band mate Barthel, meanwhile, chose “Win,” by Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar.
Jenkins (Third Eye Blind) responded simply, “Vivaldi’s ‘Spring.’”
311’s Wills chose “New Noise” by Refused, M.C/rapper S.A. Martinez said he’d pick one of the new songs 311 is working on for its upcoming studio album, guitarist Tim Mahoney suggested an AC/DC song like “For Those About to Rock” and Hexum settled on “Sweet Caroline.”
Jimmy Eat World had some solid answers, with drummer Zach Lind -- a lifelong baseball fan with a lineage in the game -- chose “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty, while vocalist/guitarist Jim Adkins cracked everyone up after declaring he’d stride to the plate as a DH to the tune of “Flight of the Valkyries.”
Finish Ticket’s Stein conjured up “a two-part mashup, starting with some kind of Mozart thing and then dropping into ‘Thong Song’ by Sisqo,” with the full band also suggesting Bay Area classics such as a song by E-40, or the “Godzilla” soundtrack version of Green Day’s “Brain Stew," complete with Godzilla howls.
Finally, The Beaches’ Leandra Earl chose “My Neck, My Back” by Khia, Kylie Miller went with “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas and Eliza Enman-McDaniel settled on “Waffle House” by the Jonas Brothers.
All in all, it was another very entertaining weekend at Innings Festival 2024.