Innings Festival 2020 – Death Cab for Cutie, Weezer, The Struts and More Take the Stage

Photo Credit: Roger Ho
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Innings Festival is more than a music festival, it’s a festival highlighting local favorites and not to mention Major League Baseball legends. The crowd on Sunday thought it would be a more tame day compared to the high energy dance party that occurred on Saturday was that happened to trickle into Mill Ave.afterwards, however the performers on Sunday had other plans! Filled with classic nostalgic favorites such as: Dashboard Confessional, O.A.R, Weezer, and more. Sundays lineup was similar to binge watching all of your favorite rom-coms while still catching all. the feels!

Photo Credit: Charles Reagan Hackleman for Innings Festival 2020

Attendees were able to shop hundreds of awesome vinyl + CD releases at Zia Records’ onsite pop-up shop inside the fest. Shop merch, live the indie local record-store lifestyle and meet and greet with The Struts prior to their set! It comes as no surprise that The Struts took the stage with undeniable energy. Frontman Luke Spiller commanded the energy to be reciprocated by the crowd in which they happily obliged. The Struts opened with “Pre-Maddona,’ and later lead into a crowd favorite, “Kiss This,” which had the crowd jumping!

Photo Credit: Charles Reagan Hackleman for Innings Festival 2020

“We have been signed by record labels and dropped by record labels,” Spiller admits. “But one thing we never stopped was being THE fucken Struts!” Watching a show by The Struts is exactly what you think it will be. The energy is off the charts similar to the lyrics but only heightened in person. Their mission seems to be to make an unforgettable impact on the crowd, which is no easy fete – but The Struts dominate every time! “We believe in giving our absolute all every night, because that’s what our fans deserve,” he says. “The goal is always to get everyone dancing and screaming and shouting, and to make sure they leave dripping in sweat with huge smiles on their faces.” 

During the set they played older singles as well as a few new hits from the latest. “One of the things we most want to do with our music is to inspire young people to pick up a guitar again,” says Spiller. “We live in a time that’s very much dominated by hip-hop and dance music, and that’s a great thing, but we want to give the world a big reminder that there’s something else going on out there,” Spiller mentioned. “This album is our way of saying, ‘If you feel a little out of place, there’s always an electric guitar – and just look at what you can do with it.'”

Photo Credit: Roger Ho

O.A.R took the stage in the early evening. No stranger to performing, O.A.R has a twenty year-career that spans sold-out stands at both Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks Amphitheater. With millions of albums sold over the course of what will be nine full-length releases, and multiple chart-busting entries – let’s just say the performance at Innings Festival lived up to the hype and was worth a watch. 

Photo Credit: Charles Reagan Hackleman for Innings Festival 2020

One of the major let downs of the evening was when Death Cab for Cutie only performed for 20 minutes due to lead singer, Ben Gibbard falling ill. A short four songs into the hour-long set. His voice failed to hit through the notes and more particularly on the performance of “The New Year.” “I’m as sick as fuck up here,” Ben Gibbard said. “I’m going to do my very best.” Visibly frustrated, Gibbard removed his guitar and walked off stage. It was announced that Gibbard’s voice couldn’t hold out, and the band apologized for cutting the show short. Moans and groans whirled through the audience as many attended on Sunday for Death Cab for Cutie, however at least he gave it a shot verses other artists who simply don’t show. 

Photo Credit: Randy Ho

Weezer, a personal favorite picked up the slack of the day with an incredible set. Of course some songs such as “Beverly Hills,” and “Pork and Beans,” don’t do justice to what the band has to offer, albeit a favorite for karaoke, it’s not personally their best. However the energy shifted when festival favorites “Say It Ain’t So” and “Surf Wax America” began.
Innings Festival may be over, however the dates for next year have already been announced. February 27th and 28th 2021 – we will see you at the home plate!

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