Tempe Music Festival: A look back at the iconic Arizona concert event

Phoenix’s festival scene owes something of a debt to the Tempe Music Festival. Long before the local concert calendars were dominated by blockbuster music extravaganzas nearly every weekend, TMF thrived.

The annual two-day event drew thousands to Tempe Beach Park each year with lineups starring big names like John Mayer, Blues Traveler and a pre-breakthrough 30 Seconds to Mars.

Launched in 2003 by Scottsdale-based event management company Entertainment Solutions, Tempe Music Festival became a staple. While it mixed genres, rock and pop were heavily featured. In those days, large-scale music festivals were largely the domain of Valley radio stations like KUPD. (Going back even further, KUKQ had its annual Q-Fests in the late ’80s into the ’90s.)

Ken Koizol, co-owner of Entertainment Solutions with his brother Kevin, says the company wanted to parlay its experience putting on Tempe’s annual New Year’s Eve block party into a music festival.

“It was such a success that we wanted to try something new,” Ken Koizol says.

The inaugural Tempe Music Festival was headlined by The B-52s and Theory of A Deadman. Providing support were a slew of local acts like cover band The Chadwicks, R&B group Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns and the now-defunct Azz Izz.

Business was so good that the Koizol brothers brought it back for a second year in 2004. Sugar Ray headlined while punk legends Pennywise and Unwritten Law played the second stage.

“I’d say it was one of the first large festivals in Tempe Beach Park for sure,” Kevin Koizol says.

By 2008, when Fergie and My Chemical Romance topped the bill, Tempe Music Festival was attended by more than 10,000 people. The festival lasted until 2010 when the Koizols canceled the event due to booking issues.

Here’s a look back at some of the highlights of Tempe Music Festival during its seven-year run.