TVD Live Shots: Extra Innings Festival at Tempe Beach Park, 3/1

TEMPE, AZ | The inaugural Extra Innings Festival hit Tempe Beach Park as the second weekend in the Innings Festival sequence. Founded in 2018, Innings Festival has kicked off the start of spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona by celebrating the love of music and baseball. This year, the celebration expanded into a second weekend. The valley was gifted with an additional two days for an entirely new lineup and more baseball activities.

The layout for the second weekend followed the same as Innings Festival with two stages dedicated to music and a separate stage for the baseball crossover. Following the same arrangement, the lineup was molded in a different way than the first weekend. Extra Innings, while seemingly a country music festival, offered everything there is under the country music umbrella. Featuring acts in folk, bluegrass, outlaw country, and more, the specific talents created a unique lineup to remember.

4:00 PM: We kicked off our Friday coverage with the mesmerizing talent of Shane Smith & the Saints. Immediately starting off their set with hard hitting, perfectly blended harmonies, the set pulls you right in. Playing at Right Field on the opposite side of Home Plate, Shane’s raspy, big voice could be heard from the entire festival grounds. The group released their first album in 2013, and most recently in 2024. They are certainly a band to tune into as the year continues.

5:00 PM: Alternating music stages, we headed back through the food and vendor entertainment to Home Plate for Elle King. Elle King has been releasing music since 2013, and made a name for herself in 2015. While the sun was high in the air, by 5:00 PM the majority of festival-goers were on the premises. Whether you had been there from the start or just arriving, Elle King’s performance was memorable, kicking off her first show of 2024.

6:00 PM: Back to Right Field for Charlie Crockett. Charlie’s band has quite the look, wearing matching outfits with Crockett in a suede brown jacket and a matching cowboy hat. Reminiscent of classic country legends like Hank Williams to Bill Withers, Charlie’s sound hails from the long line of Texas Country. Influenced by this classic sound, Charlie mixes a little bit of everything from his home state to the Bakersfield, west coast sound.

7:00 PM: As the sun had completely set, Ryan Bingham played the penultimate act on the big Home Plate stage. The Yellowstone actor has proved he is more than just a character. His set covered his entire discography from his early music to the songs that developed through the Yellowstone days. The seven man band creates a big sound for Ryan’s set, while Ryan has a calming energy on stage and exudes a strong passion for music.

8:00 PM: While the night was winding down, the crowd headed back over to the Right Stage for The Turnpike Troubadours. The country rock band hit the stage hard with “Long Hot Summer Days,” a John Hartford cover. While it was not actually a long hot summer day, early March in Arizona feels like summer to everyone else who flew in for the festival. The 6-piece band rocks out with distinct guitar solos, group harmonies, and lots of movement on stage. The group deservingly played high up on the bill and delivered a set to remember. It is safe to say the crowd was very warmed up for the headliner.

9:00 PM: It’s fitting Chris Stapleton headlined the inaugural Extra Innings Festival as he headlined the inaugural Innings Festival in 2018. There aren’t a lot of artists like Chris Stapleton touring today, and his sound is as unique as there is. He is one of the few artists who sounds the exact same, if not better, than his recordings. Playing tunes from his entire discography, he opened with “White Horse,” a track from his newest album Higher. The song set the bar high for the entire performance and Chris lived it up to it and more. Stapleton and his entire band is a well oiled machine and plays every song note perfect, seamlessly going from song to song with minimal breaks in between each tune. Deservingly the headliner of the inaugural festival, Chris is a once in a generation talent.

SHANNE SMITH & THE SAINTS