With spring training in the air and Cactus league kicking off—the Innings Festival 2026 ushered in the duo of the baseball and the music themed party weekend at Tempe Beach Park.
MLB stars like Torii Hunter, Brandon Crawford, Miquel Montero and others would be showcased and mingling throughout the festival.
But the crowds were there—well, for the music.
Saturday night was the second evening of music headliners. The sky was crystal clear at the eighth annual Innings Festival and it was also abundantly clear who the star headliners were as crowds formed outside made up of devoted fans positioning themselves stage front in a set up familiar to them—black balaclavas and yellow tape—a signature for Twenty One Pilots.
The tone of the day was set by artist Catie Turner, who opened up on the main stage “Home Plate” and yelled to the crowd, “My name is Catie, and let’s just have a fucking good time.”
The Innings Festival has become an essential event as Phoenix resident and first-time attendee Adrian Adame told Northeast Valley News, he heard the even was growing bigger every year.
“People get feared away by the heat, but being out in the sunny days and when it turns right into night and the performance lights are on stage. I think people should really just give it a try.”
The heat is something event coordinators take very seriously, with security on hand and workers handing out recyclable water cartons with easily accessible water stations dotted around the grounds.
Others believe the Valley sun is the luxury
Seattle resident, Mike Heck, encouraged all to “Enjoy the sun too.” Heck may be wanting to escape the Seattle rain and overcast but told Northeast Valley News he also comes to the Valley to take in Spring training in order to “See a couple of Mariners games.”
The music inspired day continued with the Silversun Pickups—and many in the crowd went crazy for their hit song “Lazy Eye.”
Immediately following was The Fray, who brought the crowd together as thousands sang along to “How to Save a Life” and “You Found Me”.
Cage the Elephant were up next on the main home plate stage and for one young first-time Inning’s festival attendee, Zacharias Jensen, Cage the Elephant were his most anticipated act.
And they did not disappoint Jensen.
“They were awesome, definitely the best ones before Twenty One Pilots.”
From the moment Tyler Joseph, lead singer of Twenty One Pilots jumped onto the stage, thousands came to life. The duo had it all, pyrotechnics, strobe lights, spot lights, and all other forms of light.
They stunned fans by performing three live debuts of popular new songs, along with their setlist covers of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes and “Stolen Dance” by Milky Chance.
The night included, “Breach,” which topped the Billboard album charts recently and their breakthrough album, “Blurryface,” including “Stressed Out” and “Ride.”
Crowd pleasing hits from “Tear in My Heart” to “Heathens,” while several songs received their live debut, including “Center Mass,” “One Way” and “Drag Path.”
For a veteran fan of the band, Isaiah Mazon had already been to three of their performances but told Northeast Valley News, “Magical night— I’ll always remember, they just mean so much to me. They make me feel comfort, safe, and well— happy.”
