After a phenomenal day of music, Innings Festival Florida continued with Day 2 on Sunday, March 19th at Raymond James Stadium Grounds. The day started off early at the Home Plate stage with The Ries Brothers. The duo from St. Petersburg, FL uses a blend of rock, blues, funk, and reggae. The band started performing as young teenagers touring around the state before being discovered by the band Chicago. Sadly, I missed the opportunity to photograph them, but from what I heard, I was extremely impressed with their sound. Their rock vibe was energetic, rhythmic, and fun. They recently released their newest single “Your Friday Night”. You should check them out.
I took some time to walk around and check out some more of the vendors that were at the festival. Diplomatico Rum had a beautiful booth and was serving mixed rum drinks all weekend. Tito’s Handmade Vodka had a huge line going offering fans a chance to win merch via a crane game. George Dickel has bourbon and whiskey tastings running all weekend at their booth. But, my favorite booth was Aviation American Gin which had their booth set up like an old-school airport terminal. It was very creative and looked great.
Over at the Right Field stage, the rock band The Heavy Heavy performed. The rock band from Brighton, UK brought out their retro, psychedelic sound for the crowd. Musicians Will Turner and Georgie Fuller have a beautiful harmony on vocals and their rock just allows you to get lost in the music as you listen. The fans were all grooving along with their songs enjoying the moments. The Heavy Heavy put on a fun show that day and will be releasing their debut album within the next year.
During the time they were performing, former Major League Baseball player Tom Herr was signing autographs at the speed pitch cages. Tom was a second baseman who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was on the World Series-winning team in 1982 and was voted on the All-Star team in 1985. He was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2020. Over at the batting cages was the legendary Cecil Fielder. Cecil was a first baseman who played most of his career with the Detroit Tigers. He was known as a power hitter and was the American League home run leader in both 1990 and 1991. He was also the American League Runs Batted In (RBI) leader from 1990-1992. He was also a Silver Slugger Award winner in 1990 and 1991. He was on the All-Star team in 1990, 1991, and 1993 along with being on the World Series-winning team in 1996.
The Bronson Arroyo Band was playing over at the Left Field stage. Bronson was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. The majority of his career was with the Cincinnati Reds. He was part of the All-Star team in 2006 and won the Golden Glove award in 2010. In 2005 he released his debut album Covering the Bases and continued his musical career after baseball. He had a solid crowd at the stage as he performed and sounded fantastic.
At the same time at the Home Plate stage was the artist Faye Webster. She is a singer and songwriter out of Atlanta, GA, and currently has four studio albums. Faye Webster has beautiful vocals and very smooth guitar-playing skills. Her set list that day included “Better Distractions”, “A Dream with a Baseball Player”, and “Kingston”.
Following Faye on the Right Field stage was the alternative rock band The Breeders. The band formed as a side project from Kim Deal who was the bassist for the Pixies. Her sister Kelley Deal joined the band a few years after it formed. With five studio albums and three EPs, The Breeders became very well-known in the alternative rock scene and their 1993 album Last Splash went platinum less than a year after the release of the album. At the Innings Festival, the crowd absolutely loved them and went crazy when they performed their most notable single “Cannonball”. The band also performed singles “Divine Hammer”, “Walking With a Killer”, and their cover of the Beatles’ “Happiness is a Warm Gun”.
For baseball lovers, over at the speed pitch was the legendary pitcher Goose Gossage. Personally, this was a thrill to meet him as he played for the New York Yankees when I was a kid in NYC following baseball and won a World Series with them in 1978. Goose was also a nine-time All-Star team member and was the American League Saves leader three times. Over at the batting cages was Edwin Encarnacion. Edwin played both third and first base and was a designated hitter in the American League. He spent a good portion of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was a three-time All-Star team member and was the American League Runs Batted In (RBI) leader in 2016.
Back over at Home Plate, fans were already bunched in droves for the rock band Third Eye Blind. The band started in 1993 out of San Franciso, CA, and found immediate success with their self-titled debut album and their album Blue. Their debut album went platinum six times and Blue went platinum once. The band released a total of seven studio albums and show no sign of slowing down. Their performance that afternoon was energetic, fun, and most definitely entertaining. Vocalist Stefan Jenkins was having fun on stage and even made a Canadian fan’s day by wearing a hat he brought for him. Some of the songs they performed that afternoon included “Never Let You Go”, “Jumper”, and “Semi-Charmed Life”.
The energy continued over at Right Field when The Revivalists hit the stage. The rock band from New Orleans, LA started in 2007 and has been nothing but spectacular. The eight-piece band has multiplatinum albums, over 800 million streams, and four studio albums. Their fifth studio album, Pour It Out Into The Night, releases on June 2nd. But, seeing them live is a whole different experience. Fans are absolutely enamored by them and I completely see why. Vocalist David Shaw is completely engaging with his audience and willing to get up close and personal with the fans. And their music will have you jumping, moving, and singing along. Some of the songs they performed included “All My Friends”, “Kid”, and “Wish I Knew You”.
Coming back to the Home Plate stage was the vocalist for Mumford & Sons. Stepping out solo with his acoustic guitar, Marcus chatted with the crowd and played songs making it feel more like a storytelling performance. He jokingly said “We’ll just fuck about for an hour” and introduced his imaginary band of Gandalf, Frodo, and Sam. He performed a mix of his own solo work and Mumford & Sons songs. Some of his songs that day included “Awake My Soul”, “The Cave”, and “I Will Wait”.
Closing out the Right Field stage was The Avett Brothers. Comprised of Scott and Seth Avett and company, the folk band out of Concord, NC performs a variety of bluegrass, county, and folk songs with extreme energy. The entire band is constantly moving and getting the fans amped up as they perform. Whether it be cellist Joe Kwon or violinist Tania Elizabeth, the members of this band are all about high output and putting on a show for their fans. Their setlist included “Satan Pulls the Strings”, “Vanity”, “Kick Drum Heart”, and “No Hard Feelings”.
Last, closing out the day was Dave Matthews Band. The rock band out of Charlottesville, VA has been around since 1991 with nine studio albums and their tenth titled Walk Around the Moon being released on May 19th. Dave Matthews Band is highly well known for their live performances and the energy and vibe that comes from their shows. And it’s so true. You can feel yourself getting lost in their music as they played through their set that evening. And the festival attendees were treated to a two-hour setlist from Dave Matthews Band that included “So Much to Say”, “Crush”, a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”, and “Ants Marching”. It was a great way to close out the Innings Festival Florida.
While Day 2 was a little more mellow than Day 1, it had a great lineup of artists for the day. And from the reactions I saw from the fans, they were more than pleased with all the performances. The second Innings Festival Florida was definitely one to remember with artists Imagine Dragons, Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, The Avett Brothers, Pitbull, and Marcus Mumford. I’m looking forward to seeing how the festival tops off year three with hopefully another fantastic lineup.
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