Innings Festival returned to Tempe Beach Park with some major talent this time around. For two days, the baseball-themed music festival brought 20 acts to the stage and a crowd that was bigger than before.

Vindicated By Dashboard Confessional, & Mesmerized by Tame Impalas Visuals at Innings Festival 2022 in Tempe. Photo Credit: Roger Ho

Foo Fighters, St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Black Pumas, Matt & Kim, Dashboard Confessional, Tame Impala, and more took the stage throughout the weekend.

Day one brought opened up on a promising note. However, it was uncertain that even Tempe knew what was in store. With lines that sprawled down Mill Ave., thousands of attendees lined up to get into the festival in an attempt to see Dashboard Confessional at 4pm. “I’ve never seen it like this,” one attendee muttered. “We will be in line for hours. There goes seeing Dashboard,” another attendee stated. Although the lines were atrocious, seeing Dashboard Confessional was well worth the wait.

Dashboard Confessional:

Dashboard Confessional is one of those bands that is so relatable, even after 20 years. The indie rock band brought out the teen angst from the crowd in the best of ways! Of course the beloved group sang their hit singles, but it wasn’t until “Vindicated” where the crowd really got involved. The hyped crowd carried the lyrics, which echoed all-throughout Tempe (I’m sure!). During their hour-long set, Dashboard debut a new song, “Everyone Else is Just Noise,” which is their first single in 4 years!

St. Vincent:

St. Vincent never disappoints! From someone that has seen St. Vincent multiple times, this is ALWAYS a solid performance that leaves me amazed each and every time. “Annie” Clark took over the main stage at Innings Festival with an art-funk colorful set that heavily focused on hits from her two most recent efforts, last year’s “Daddy’s Home,” and “MASSEDUCTION.”

Foo Fighters:

How could you possibly top day one of Innings Festival? By adding Foo Fighters of course! The rock band is not new to the stage as they’ve been rockin out for over two decades. With so many hits, how is it possible to fit it into a two-hour set, (even frontman, Dave Grohl, wondered this!) The band blew through every hit and even left time for some on-stage shenanigans.

It’s easy to see that frontman, Dave Grohl loves what he does as he effortlessly connects with EVERY audience. To the core, he’s a fan of rock!

Fitz & The Tantrums:

Day two kicked off with a few high-energy bands early in the day! Fitz & The Tantrums undouobetley know how to get the crowd involved, especially with their hit single, “Hand Clap.” The audience shook off any late-night blunders from being exhausted from Saturday night and thrived off of the energy radiating from the main stage! Fitz & The Tantrums quickly turned a sleepy crowd into an all-out dance party single-handedly and the rest is history.

Matt & Kim:

The eclectric-duo is the epitome of a “feel good” band that really brought the night to life. The electricity in the air was palpable and truly a one-of-a-kind show! If you get a chance to see Matt & Kim just DO it! From hopping on top of objects twerking to tossing inflatable dolls through the crowd, a performance from Matt & Kim is like no other.

Black Pumas:

Seeing Black Pumas is an outer-body experience as it’s both visually appealing and nourishes your soul.
The set began with red lights and smoke in front of a backdrop depicting the Black Pumas logo. An instrumental intro led into "Next to You," and the church service began. Led by, Eric Burton the duo helped a somewhat rowdy crowd find inner peace through melodic gold.

The duo performed singles "Know You Better" and "Fire," which were well received, but it was Burton's ability to captivate the audience on more philosophical songs like "Touch the Sky" and "Confines." Calling the audience his brothers and sisters, Burton encouraged the audience to "touch the sky — whatever that feels like to you."

"In life's confines, I try to let my soul refine," he sang before urging the crowd to "let your soul refine" in a call-and-response. It was the emotional high point of a set that was so good, it was almost a religious experience

The Austin, Texas, duo of singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada gave the Innings Fest audience a powerful performance that enraptured the crowd and was the perfect segue to the closer of the fest…Tame Impala.

Tame Impala:

Tame Impala closed out Innings Fest with an elaborate, visually stunning production that set the tone for a Sunday evening. Some would say a calmer set isn’t the way to close out a two-day festival, however it was a much needed change.

The groovy rhythms of Tame Impala carried the crowd to psychedelic finish. The sound echoed throughout the festival which matched the mesmerizing visuals, putting the audience in a trance.

The concert closed with "Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control," a song that hadn't made its way onto a Tame Impala setlist since 2015. The grand encore of course was, “The Less I Know the Better,” which was greatly appreciated as it’s a favorite.

The stunning night view at Innings Festival! Photo Credit: Grant Hodgeon

Innings Festival undoubtedly had an even more impressive lineup than previous years. Although the fest is still going through growing pains, it proves to be a contender in delivering a stellar lineup a a reasonable price for festival goers. Needless to say we can’t wait to see what the festival next year will hold!