Mesa Music Festival to bring more than 200 performances, from concerts to stand-up comedy

The three-day Mesa Music Festival is kicking off on Thursday, bringing more than 200 performances across the city.

Headlined by Grammy-nominated Christian nu metal band P.O.D., the festival will feature not just live music but also comedy and a speaker series for artists and music industry professionals.

Visit Mesa and PlayHouse.band are presenting the Mesa Music Festival, which will run through Saturday.

What can music lovers expect at Mesa Music Festival?

P.O.D. will take the main stage at Macdonald and Main streets on Saturday. Other featured bands and musicians include:

• Winterhaven
• Moon Fever
• Hollywood Yates
• Christopher Shayne
• Sonny Sandoval
• Crossing I’s Dotting T’s
• Viper Club
• Pushing Veronica
• PlaYuH

There will be other live music performances spread across downtown Mesa’s venues, coffeehouses and breweries.

Mesa Caliente, a Latin music stage hosted in partnership with Que Chevere, will celebrate Latin music and culture on a third stage.

“The Mesa Music Festival puts emerging artists on the same stage as established names, and it puts visitors right in the heart of downtown Mesa,” said Marc Garcia, president and CEO of Visit Mesa.

What about the comedy element of the Mesa Music Festival?

The festival will spotlight Arizona’s comedy scene on a separate stage called Off the Main, at 36 S. Robson St. Local acts will perform on stage, and there will also be a Roast Battle League on Friday with Poppa Snoop as a guest judge.

Saturday’s comedy events include open stand-up, an improv workshop and live improv performances.

Indian Antao, the festival’s producer, said the speaker series on Thursday is an especially notable part of the festival.

“Our artists travel from across the country and around the world, and the speakers and mentors give the public and future artists a chance to learn from people who have built careers in the music industry,” Antao said.

The speeches will be free and open to the public. Former MTV host and music industry veteran Matt Pinfield will give the keynote speech. Some of the other scheduled speakers are All-American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter and Gardner Cole, a songwriter and producer.

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