5 Must-See Artists at Innings Fest 2026

Every February, baseball and music collide in the sun-drenched sprawl of the desert for Innings Festival, where home runs and guitar solos share the same roar. The 2026 edition promises another stacked lineup that blurs genre lines and generations, pulling together legacy acts, indie darlings, and breakout stars ready for their biggest stages yet.

With so much happening across the bill, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So whether you’re there for the nostalgia, the mosh pits, or the under-the-radar discovery, here are five artists you absolutely can’t miss at Innings Fest 2026.

Deer Tick

Few bands straddle grit and heart quite like Deer Tick. Formed in Providence in the mid-2000s, the group built its reputation on barroom-ready rock that is equal parts ragged and tender, anchored by John McCauley’s sandpaper howl and brutally honest songwriting. Their sound pulls from classic Americana, punk urgency, and country twang, never too polished and always lived-in, making their live shows feel less like concerts and more like cathartic, sweat-soaked confessionals.

Peach Pit

Vancouver’s Peach Pit have mastered the art of sun-faded sadness. Since breaking out with their 2017 debut Being So Normal, the band has carved out a sound that pairs breezy, jangly guitar lines with lyrics that spiral through heartbreak, nostalgia, and self-doubt. Frontman Neil Smith’s laid-back delivery softens the emotional punch, giving their indie rock a hazy warmth that feels tailor-made for late summer drives and festival singalongs alike.

Marcy Playground

Best known for their late ’90s breakout hit “Sex and Candy,” Marcy Playground carved out a distinct space in the post-grunge era with their sly, off-kilter take on alternative rock. Formed in New York, the band leaned into dreamy melodies and subtly dark lyrics, pairing John Wozniak’s laid-back vocals with a woozy, almost psychedelic undercurrent. Decades later, their sound still carries that slacker-era mystique, equal parts detached cool and quiet introspection.

Catie Turner

Catie Turner writes the kind of pop songs that feel like unfiltered diary entries. After first stepping into the spotlight on American Idol, she quickly carved out her own lane with sharp, self-aware lyrics and a voice that can pivot from dry humor to gut-punch vulnerability in a single verse. Her music blends bedroom-pop intimacy with big emotional swings, turning anxiety, heartbreak, and existential spirals into cathartic singalongs.

Silversun Pickups

Emerging from Los Angeles, Silversun Pickups broke through with towering, fuzz-drenched guitars and Brian Aubert’s androgynous, aching vocals, drawing inevitable comparisons to ’90s shoegaze and grunge while carving out a sound that felt distinctly their own. Their songs swell and crash with cinematic intensity, balancing distortion and melody in a way that still hits with full-force nostalgia and fresh urgency.