Get Ready for Innings Festival in Tempe With One Song From Every Musician

Arizona festival season has arrived, and live music is always better when you can sing along. I know it’s impossible to truly get into every single band on a lineup, so I’m here to help you start with one song from each. The annual Innings Festival, which coincides with the start of MLB spring training in Arizona, is coming up on February 25 and 26 at Tempe Beach Park. Here’s exactly one song to check out from every artist scheduled to perform, and click here for our comprehensive guide to the event.

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

'Maps for the Getaway'

Andrew McMahon, the former frontman for Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, has released three studio albums under his solo moniker, none more commercially successful than his self-titled debut. The low-hanging fruit from that record would, of course, be “Cecilia and the Satellite,” an ode to his daughter and his biggest solo hit. But the album’s outro is even more of a standout. “Maps for the Getaway” fits McMahon’s songwriting mold — catchy, keyboard-driven, and didactic — and focuses on his complicated relationship with stagnation as he’s grown older. “All we have is time,” he sings on the hook, delivered between verses about sitting outside the house he once lived in. This song is about as emotionally tangible as it gets for recent radio rock.

Annie DiRusso

'Infinite Jest'

Lyrically, it’s not explicitly clear why Nashville’s Annie DiRusso named her 2022 single “Infinite Jest” after author David Foster Wallace’s opus, but we can make some inferences. Given Wallace’s popularity among the exact type of guy maligned in the song (As DiRusso says on the opening verse, “He loves the sound of his own voice,”) the listener can put two and two together. “Infinite Jest” is a soaring indie rock anthem that rails against toxic complacency in a relationship. With a minimalist, yet gravelly, guitar riff and a cathartic final bridge, it is seemingly built for Innings’ big stage.

Eddie Vedder

'Mrs. Mills'

As Sunday’s headliner, Eddie Vedder will be the final act of the weekend at Innings Festival. His solo career stands in stark contrast to his Pearl Jam days, but still carries the grandiosity of a final act. Ringo Starr plays the drums on “Mrs. Mills,” a Beatles-esque ballad off Vedder’s 2022 album, Earthling. The song is a love letter to a century-old Steinway piano housed at Abbey Road Studios, and includes Vedder name-dropping Madonna, Stevie Wonder, and John Lennon. It was included in almost all of Vedder’s setlists from his tour dates in 2022, so Innings attendees should expect to see it, too. “Mrs. Mills” is firmly in the upper echelon of songs about Misters and Misses — below “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby,” but above “Mr. Roboto,” if I’m keeping score.

Green Day

'Jesus of Suburbia'

I’ve sat here for hours trying to settle on a Green Day song. I considered “She” and “Sassafrass Roots,” some overlooked tracks from Dookie. I listened to “Redundant” and “Walking Alone” a few times to try and head that way. But here we are. I’m fully aware this story’s target audience has probably heard it, but I can’t bring myself to write another song down — “Jesus of Suburbia” is the crown jewel of '00s punk rock’s best A-side. It’s an era-defining explosion of suburban frustration that almost always comes near the end of Green Day’s setlist, and thus will be one of the last songs played on the festival’s first night. My recommendation for Innings attendees is that, sometime between now and the festival, you take a drive through your Valley suburb of choice and memorize the words to “Jesus of Suburbia.” Cheers to escapism, '00s rock, and almost 20 years of American Idiot.

Hazel English

'It’s Not Real'

With Innings’ current stage schedule, indie pop rocker Hazel English will be the second artist on the big stage on Sunday. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Hazel English only has one album out — 2020’s Wake UP! — so attendees will have an opportunity to get in on the ground level of fandom. And if they want to be true real ones, they should look a bit further back at her 2017 double EP Just Give In / Never Going Home, where “It’s Not Real” is a standout. On that track, a simple, crooning bass line and a softly strummed chord progression back her filtered vocals. If you’re a fan of indie pop staple Day Wave, who she collaborated with on his most recent record, this one will be right up your alley.

Heartless Bastards

'Low Low Low'

Heartless Bastards, staples of the alternative country and Americana scene, are best known for “Only For You,” the single off their 2012 record Arrow, which has amassed over 50 million streams on Spotify. But later on that same album, “Low Low Low” is a gem. Its stripped-back acoustics and spellbinding “low low low low low” refrain by frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom are addictive. For a song about finally getting out of a rut, it sure as hell feels free. They’ll be up first on the Right Field stage on Saturday.

Magic City Hippies

'Limestone'

If you’re looking for an entry point as a prospective Magic City Hippies listener, look no further than their debut EP, Hippie Castle. There, “Limestone” sets the standard for what you can expect to hear from the psychedelic indie group. The group started out as buskers in Miami, and on “Limestone” you can hear their streetside, improvisational spirit. From verse to chorus to bridge, you can hear the lead guitar melody shift back and forth. It’s catchy, listenable indie rock that will be a good soundtrack for a late lunch on Sunday, as the band takes the main stage at 3 p.m.

Marcus Mumford

'Prior Warning'

Just Mumford, no sons. Marcus Mumford, one of the undeniable faces of indie Americana (even though he's British), released his debut solo record (self-titled) in September, and it contains Mumford’s most emotionally vulnerable work yet. It’s tempting to single out a song with an all-star guest appearance (Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, and Brandi Carlile all feature on the record), but the album’s best moment is on “Prior Warning,” with just him, his guitar, and simple percussion. Lyrically, Mumford details a deteriorating relationship and the song itself withers away too, adding twinkling accents and suffocating drums before the final chorus. “How could you not blame me?” he asks, and we wonder, too. Mumford will be the penultimate act on the main stage on Saturday night.

Mt. Joy

'Lemon Tree'

Based on their album covers alone, it’s hard to tell Mt. Joy’s three records apart. All three are adorned with kaleidoscopic collages with the band’s name simple and plain in the center. But 2022’s Orange Blood, their most recent full-length, may be their best work yet. It doesn’t have a radio-ready single like their ubiquitous folk classics “Silver Lining” and “Astrovan,” but it does have “Lemon Tree,” a song that feels as harlequin as the album art. Its verses are defined by a single kick drum, its choruses by more layered percussion. There are bouncy guitars, crashing snares, and a bluesy piano riff, all at once, with frontman Matt Quin right there in the center. It sounds great in my headphones, and my instincts tell me it’ll sound even better on the Home Plate stage.

Paris Jackson

'adagio' (feat. Manchester Orchestra)

Her father may be regal in the world of pop, but Paris Jackson is a star of her own in modern indie. She’s got collaborations with Caamp, The Struts, and Parker Ainsworth and writes with such devastating lyricism that her songs are anything but forgettable. On 2021’s “adagio,” she’s joined by Manchester Orchestra, and the title, a musical term for slow tempo, doesn’t lie. “Fall asleep now, close your eyes,” she sings over warm, atmospheric acoustics as the song begins. An alternate title? Crescendo. By the end of the six-minute track, instrumentation is crashing from every direction and there’s a cathartic, clamorous finale. Andy Hull and company probably won’t be there to perform this one with Jackson at Innings, but that’s quite all right.

The Black Crowes

'Remedy'

The Black Crowes are best known for their 1990 debut Shake Your Money Maker, but I’m gonna turn to the lead single from their 1992 sophomore record, The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion, which went two times platinum on its own. “Remedy” is a shining example of the band’s Southern rock sound and seems built for a festival stage, with its countercultural lyrics and gritty riffs. The band is led by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson and has broken up not once, not twice, but three times. Most recently, they’ve reassembled with an almost completely new backing band. “Remedy” celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and has aged well. They’ll be the final act on the Right Field stage on Saturday.

The Glorious Sons

'So Much Love to Give'

“Rock and roll, fuckfaces,” is the first thing you’ll read in The Glorious Sons’ Twitter bio. Fair enough. “I’m a goddamn mess, but I’ve got a head on me somewhere,” the Canadian rock band sings on “So Much Love to Give,” the penultimate song from their 2017 record Young Beauties and Fools. The song moves at the pace of a march, with an anthemic and reckless chorus. Based on the band’s past setlists, this one is a coin flip to be included at Innings. The titular lyric has been stuck in my head for the entirety of writing this piece, and if you’re lucky enough, I’m sure it’ll be stuck in yours at Innings, too.

The Head and the Heart

'Winter Song'

The Head and the Heart are still one of the darlings of early-2010s indie folk. Their 2011 self-titled album is a paradigm of millennial-flannel-acoustic-core, an aesthetic more prevalent at Innings than baseball, even. While “Rivers and Roads” and “Lost in My Mind” got the most traction off that record, “Winter Song” is the album’s most stripped-back track. The second half of the song is sung primarily by vocalist Charity Rose Thielen, whose warm timbral harmonies set The Head and the Heart apart from most of their peers. The song focuses on themes of moving on and nostalgia for the summer, so when I graduated high school, it was a needed gut punch. What I’m getting at is that this nomination comes from my heart, not my head. (Sorry.)

The Offspring

'Americana'

There are a lot of artists on this lineup who fall under Americana as a musical subgenre. The Offspring is not one of those artists. A staple of late-’90s grunge pop, the SoCal band is responsible for a series of hits from the mainstream rock canon, most of which are from their 1998 record, Americana. Assuming that you already know “Want You Bad,” "The Kids Aren’t Alright,” and “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy),” I’m gonna turn elsewhere on that record and nominate its title track. Like much of The Offspring’s content, the song is both satirical and political in nature, smearing the American pursuit of fast everything — food, fashion, entertainment, cars. “Culture’s defined by the one’s least refined,” sings lead vocalist Dexter Holland. Holland, by the way, has his own line of hot sauce, a cameo in the latest Sharknado film, and a PhD in molecular biology.

The Pretty Reckless

'And So It Went' (feat. Tom Morello)

There is a jarringly small amount of woman-fronted acts on the Innings lineup (something that seems like a pattern, considering past bills for this festival). It’s only fitting we turn to a song hellbent on social change, from a band that holds the record for the most No. 1 songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts by a female-fronted group. The song is an absolute trip of dynamic shifts. At one moment, frontwoman Taylor Momsen sings softly and morbidly over acoustic guitars; moments later, featured guitarist Tom Morello is shredding a solo. The two are a perfect, rebellious duo. Fans catching The Pretty Reckless at Innings can expect to participate in the song’s final gang vocal refrain: “The world does not belong to you, it don’t belong to you, it belongs to me.”

The Revivalists

'Fade Away'

The Revivalists don’t have any issues with false advertising. Musically, “revival” just about sums it up as the band blends elements of New Orleans brass and Nashville country. If Sony can release a new Walkman, then it’s only fitting The Revivalists can sell out Red Rocks Amphitheatre and earn second-to-last billing on Innings’ Sunday slate. “Fade Away” features the band at their best — it’s got their trademark swanky horns, country falsetto vocals and a guitar solo, too. Lead singer David Shaw is just winging it at the end, self-affirming, “Oh, now I’m feeling so goddamn good!” I’m looking forward to seeing this track’s final breakdown on the Right Field stage.

Umphrey’s McGee

'You & You Alone'

It’s almost impossible to find a defining song for Umphrey’s McGee. They’re too jittery to be placed in a box, shifting within each song between funk, folk, prog rock, and everything in between. At the end of the day, they’re a jam band that prefers some harder tracks, but as a true sucker for an acoustic guitar, I’m recommending an outlier from their discography. “You & You Alone,” is an acoustic ballad about parenthood and features some truly outstanding guitar work from Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger, as their arpeggiated, plucky accents throughout are blissful. Despite the song’s streaming popularity, it isn’t played much on tour. For a band celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, I guess they have options, but I’ll be at Innings hoping for the best.

Weezer

'Jacked Up'

How do you pick one Weezer song? Seriously, this was the final boss battle of music curation if I’ve ever seen one. Do I dig deep for a B-side from their masterful first two records? No, you’ve probably already heard “Pink Triangle.” Do I plug a single from one of their latest records? No, I really don’t feel like tying my musical street cred to “Van Weezer.” Let’s meet in the middle at 2016’s self-titled so-called “White Album,” an overlooked piece of late Weezer’s discography. “Jacked Up” is one of the album’s best moments — the bouncy piano line is infectious, and Rivers Cuomo’s voice crack at the end of the first chorus sticks in my head, too. This one may be the post-Raditude Weezer song I revisit most often. The bad news? The band hasn’t put it on a setlist since late in their 2016 tour. Rivers Cuomo, if you’re reading this, let’s get jacked up.