Springtime means many things, but in America it will always be associated with Major League Baseball’s Spring Training, when pitchers & catchers & the rest head down to Arizona or Florida. Adding some music to the pastime is Innings Festival, first in Arizona, and now at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium Grounds, Saturday & Sunday, March 19th & 20th.
[note: though there might be no spring training this year, even no baseball, with the current strike/lockout. The start of training & the regular season has been delayed due to the impasse; one prays to the gods of the ballpark that we’ll play ball soon – UPDATE: The lockout has ended, spring training will return, so play ball!]
SATURDAY, MARCH 19th
Home Plate Stage |
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Green Day, 9:20 PM – 11:00 PM Tampa welcomes one of the most successful punk bands ever, Green Day (QRO photos at a casino). Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool, and Mike Dirnt emerged out of the late eighties/early nineties Bay Area punk scene and burst onto the world with 1994’s Dookie and such earworm singles as “Longview”, “Welcome To Paradise”, and “When I Come Around”, bringing punk rock to the masses. Unlike many of their fellow early nineties alt-hits, Green Day (QRO live review) have stayed highly popular into the twenty-first century. They had their 2004 Bush era rock-opera American Idiot (that was later turned into an actual Tony-winning musical), 2009’s follow-up 21st Century Breakdown (QRO review), and even an honest-to-god triptych, ¡Uno! (QRO review), ¡Dos! (QRO review), and ¡Tré! (QRO review). They come to headline Innings behind 2016’s political Revolution Radio (QRO review) and 2020’s Father of All Motherfuckers (QRO review), not to mention last year’s massive ‘Hella Mega Tour’ (QRO live review) of actual baseball stadiums. |
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Incubus, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM A band that’s been more successful than you realize, for longer than you realize, is Incubus (QRO live review). Deftly balancing between styles and scenes, acceptable to the mainstream and the indiesphere, Incubus (QRO photos) come behind 2017’s eighth studio album 8. So, catch Incubus (QRO photos at a festival) at Innings (QRO photos at a festival) – If Not Now, When? (QRO review). |
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Jimmy Eat World, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Jimmy Eat World (QRO photos) set the standard for emo-rock in 2001 with Bleed American and “The Middle” (QRO video). Though have never lived up to that (but did play it & prior Clarity in full – QRO live review), 2010’s Invented (QRO review) and songs like “Movielike” (QRO video) and “Coffee and Cigarettes” (QRO video) still kept the band in the top tier of emo – though they’ve kept repeating themselves with 2013’s Damage (QRO review) and the subsequent tour (QRO live review). They come to Lollapalooza (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2016’s Integrity Blues (QRO review) and 2019’s Surviving (QRO review), returning to the festival stage (QRO photos at a late ’19 festival). |
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David Duchovny, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM Yes, we all know David Duchovny (QRO interview) as an actor, as Fox Mulder on The X-Files, Hank Moody on Californication, and much else, but he’s also a director, writer, and musician (QRO spotlight on). He brings the Americana of last year’s Gestureland (QRO review), his third full-length, to this American festival (QRO photos) – but will he run into Sunday’s baseball legend/pseudo subject of his novel, Bucky F*cking Dent?… |
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We Are Scientists, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM The Brooklyn-by-way-of-Claremont, California act (QRO photos in Brooklyn), We Are Scientists (QRO live review) has had a habit of appearing & disappearing (QRO spotlight on), like after hits like “It’s a Hit” (QRO video) and debut With Love and Squalor (QRO anniversary live review), but returning in 2008 with Brain Thrust Mastery (QRO review), then disappearing again, but came back again, with 2010’s Barbara (QRO review), then away, but back with 2014’s TV en Français (QRO review), 2016’s Helter Seltzer (QRO review), 2018’s Megaplex (QRO review), and last year’s Huffy (QRO review), and songs like “Buckle” (QRO video), “Dumb Luck” (QRO video), “Make It Easy” (QRO review), “I Cut My Own Hair” (QRO review), “Fault Lines” (QRO review), “Contact High” (QRO review), and “Handshake Agreement” (QRO review). The band’s powerful indie-rock (QRO photos at a festival) has won PhD’s across the country and beyond (QRO photos at a foreign festival). Their live show (QRO live review) is known for singer/guitarist Keith Murray (QRO interview) & bassist Chris Cain’s (QRO interview together) humorous between-song banter and audience participation (QRO live review), from COVID lockdown livestreams (QRO livestream review) to festivals (QRO photos at a festival) & more (QRO ’21 live review). |
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Right Field |
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311, 8:00 PM – 9:15 PM You know you want to get “Down” and enjoy 311 (QRO live review). The Omaha band (QRO photos in Middle America) is into their fourth decade of both rocking & chilling, even incorporating turntables well before it was cool. They come to Innings (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2019’s Voyager – and only a week after their latest special ‘311’ concerts (QRO photos of them on 8/11). |
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Highly Suspect, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM Cape Cod rock outfit Highly Suspect (QRO photos) come to Innings (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2019’s MCID. |
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Wolf Alice, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM North London’s Wolf Alice (QRO live review) may have debuted in 2013 with single “Fluffy”, but they’re anything but (QRO interview), as they come to Innings (QRO photos at a festival) behind their living-up-to-the-buzz follow-up records, 2017’s Visions of a Life (QRO review) and last year’s Blue Weekend (QRO review). Indeed, Wolf Alice (QRO spotlight on) are the rare band (QRO live review) to have appeared on QRO’s ‘Top Albums of the Year’ lists for all three records (QRO Top 10 Albums of 2021). |
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The Beaches, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM 2018’s Juno Award winner for Breakthrough Group of the Year, Toronto’s The Beaches (QRO photos) come down to the actual beaches of Florida for Innings (QRO photos at a festival). |
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Left Field |
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Off the Mound, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM Off the Mound, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM Pitcher Ryan Dempster is in a band when Off the Mound, and plays twice on both days (see below). |
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Player Appearances |
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Speed Pitch Lou Piniella, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Rick Ankiel, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM
Batting Cage Ray Lankford, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Gary Sheffield, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Tino Martinez, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
Batting Cage 2 Andruw Jones, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM David Eckstein, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Brian Jordan, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM Meet famed major leaguers from iconic manager Lou Piniella to the master of center field, Andruw Jones. |
SUNDAY, MARCH 20th
Home Plate Stage |
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The Lumineers, 9:20 PM – 11:00 PM Folk trio from Colorado (QRO photos at a festival), The Lumineers (QRO live review) are known for their songs riddled with cello, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and charming vocals. Their songs are jauntily and nonabrasive tunes with a sing-along vibe (QRO live review). They return to touring (QRO photos at a festival) in support of 2019’s III (QRO review). |
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Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff (QRO photos) brings sad indie-folks sounds with his band, The Night Sweats (QRO photos at a festival), as he has successfully climbed the festival ladder (QRO photos headlining a festival) behind 2020’s And It’s Still Alright (QRO review). The road warrior (QRO photos at a ’21 festival – QRO photos playing solo at same ’21 festival) comes to Innings (QRO photos at a festival). |
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O.A.R., 4:45 PM – 5:50 PM While most of the band hails from Rockville (in nearby Maryland), Of a Revolution – abbreviated O.A.R. (QRO photos) – all formed at Ohio State University (QRO photos at an Ohio festival), and have gone on to have a successful career in both the mainstream and jam worlds, including 2016’s career-spanning 20th anniversary compilation XX and latest studio album, 2019’s The Mighty. |
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Neon Trees, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM Neon Trees (QRO photos at a festival) are about as alternative as Utah can get. The Provo natives are the kind of band with a singer who’s got a neon-dyed mohawk, got known opening for The Killers, and toured (QRO photos) with My Chemical Romance. So set your expectations accordingly (QRO photos), as they come to Innings behind last year’s I Can Feel You Forgetting Me. |
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Liz Cooper, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Nashville’s Liz Cooper (QRO spotlight on) brings a propulsive rhythm that feels so good. She plays Innings (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2018’s debut full-length, Window Flowers. |
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Right Field |
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Khruangbin, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM Houston’s Khruangbin (QRO photos in Texas) draw from all over the world (QRO live review), Spain to the Middle East to Thailand, but now come to Innings (QRO photos at a festival) behind last year’s Mordechai and playing their biggest places to-date (QRO ’21 live review), including Austin City Limits (QRO live review of ACL taping). |
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Goo Goo Dolls, 5:50 PM – 7:00 PM Out of the nineties alternative rock scene came Buffalo’s Goo Goo Dolls (QRO photos), who moved to a decidedly more mainstream, and decidedly more successful sound (QRO photos at a Super Bowl event) – they come to Innings behind last year’s holiday album, It’s Christmas All Over. |
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Skip Marley, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Reggae legend Bob Marley didn’t just gift the world with good vibes, but also his skilled family of musicians. Coming up for the third generations of Marley’s is grandson Skip (QRO interview) – who’s also worked with the likes of Katy Perry, and heads north to Florida behind last year’s debut EP, Higher Place. |
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All-Star Baseball Jam, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM It’s an All-Star Baseball Jam, hosted by Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. |
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Left Field |
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Off the Mound, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM Off the Mound, 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM |
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Player Appearances |
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Speed Pitch Bronson Arroyo, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Brett Myers, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
Batting Cage A.J. Pierzynski, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Fred McGriff, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Bucky Dent, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
Batting Cage 2 Dante Bichette, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Ozzie Smith, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Nick Swisher, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM Yes, there are more recent major leaguers at Innings, but you want to meet veterans like ‘Wizard of Oz’ shortstop Ozzie Smith – and the iconic Bucky (bleeping) Dent. |