Cover Photo by Charles Reagan. Words and Photos by Casey Carlson.
When the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival announced its return after a star-studded debut in 2024, the collective reaction from local music fans was one part excitement, one part skepticism. Last year’s bill had already swung for the fences—Gwen Stefani, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Where do you go from there?
Turns out, you expand. For its second year, the festival not only topped its inaugural lineup, it added an extra day, widened its genre reach, and honed in on its identity as a fest with feel-good familiarity with a hint of new-blood.
While many first-year fests stumble into year two—burned by budget overruns or bogged down by logistical regrets—Minnesota Yacht Club doubled down and proved that they’re serious on making this a destination festival akin to Lollapalooza or Summerfest. Only in it’s second year, the festival is the most widely attended music festival in the Twin Cities.
TSLN was on the ground all weekend. Here’s a breakdown of some of our favorite moments from all three days.
Maygen & The Birdwatcher
Local act Maygen & The Birdwatcher was the first band to kick off the festival just after noon on Friday, And we couldnt think of a more fitting band to do it. Friday was the more “Indie-Americana” lineup of the three days, and their set was a great, joyful sound to start the day for the festivalgoers who showed up early. Plus, they’re the only band of the weekend to sell birdcalls at the merch booth. The band was smiles all around as they played their whole set, clearly just as excited to be there as the fans themselves.
Mike Kota
Mike Kota is no stranger to the Twin Cities Music scene, those in the know will remember her as the frontwoman from Good Luck Finding Iris. Now spinning her own threads in the music scene, she performed next on the larger Skipper Stage to an emerging crowd. Kota herself admitted that this is the largest stage, and the largest crowd, she’s ever played to. She also timed the release of her EP perfectly, releasing her “Through Fire” EP the night before, giving both old and new fans something to look forward to hearing after her set.
The 502s
Now getting closer to the heat of the day, Floridian band The 502s cruised onto the Skipper stage to a large crowd of their own fans. Perhaps the most family-friendly band of the day, We saw lots of kiddos with their parents dancing along to the band, and nearly out-dancing them. Which is hard to do with as much stage presence as this band has.
Gigi Perez
Gigi Perez had an excited crowd of dedicated fans in front of her as she walked onto the Crows Nest Stage. Dubbed a Tik-Tok sensation, Perez brought an intimate kind of edge to the early evening. Her confessional songwriting and flamenco-tinged guitar felt raw and personal, a counterpoint to the grandeur that followed.
Sheryl Crow
I’ll be honest, It feels weird to see someone like Sheryl Crow this low in the lineup. While perhaps one of the more tenured artists in the lineup, Crow showed she still straddles arenas and alt-folk cred, even if her set starts before 5:00. Although that may not be a bad thing given her demographic. Regardless, her quick 11 song setlist packed the hits, and for the first time that day – the sun. “So glad the sun came out to play” she said right at the end of “If It Makes You Happy.”
Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes was probably one of the most anticipated acts of the 2025 Yacht Club Lineup, having not revealed their full reunion tour yet when the festival lineup was announced, The group was one of the more surprising acts on the list given their hiatus since 2018. In their only second show of the tour, the band roared in, channeling southern gospel power through Brittany Howard’s seismic voice. A cathartic experience that had the riverfront buzzing with excitement for one of the 2010’s favorite musical groups that have come back in full force.
Hozier
Hozier has done a good job of making sure us Minnesotans are taken care of when it comes to his music, This would be the third year in a row where the Irish singer-songwriter has come to town for us, although his Yacht club set was unique in that it was cut short due to rain – a first for him. “My heart was breaking having to leave that stage early” He posted online the next day. “In all my years of touring I don’t believe I’ve ever performed a set without getting to play TMTC for the crowd. I’m sorry to leave you right before the last number. Thanks for being so kind and understanding, and for clearing the site for the sake of everyone’s safety… and thank you most of all for being such a wonderful audience.”
While fans were upset at the call to evacuate due to lighting, many were content with ending the set with the powerful Nina Cried Power instead. “It’s ok, we got Hozier in the rain” said one fan.
Day 2 kicked off with a smal slew of technical issues that truncated sets from both Minnesota acts, LAAMAR and Raffaella. LAAMAR was a cool-breeze to start the day, and a counterpoint to Raffaella’s pop sound. Both delivered a great hometown charm during their sets, even cracking jokes during the sound issues they faced to a crowd that was rooting for both of them.
Jake Clemons, mainly known as the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band delivered Springsteen-worthy sax and heartland rock that hit perfectly between yesterday’s power blues and tonight’s electric surge. The Festival was a great way to showcase his own solo work, as well as his talent on multiple instruments, playing keys and guitar on many of his songs.
Motion City Soundtrack hit next, pummeling the audience with emo-pop energy. With lead singer Justin Pierre out sick, The band hinted at some special guests, which included a few members of Minnesota punk band Gully Boys (who performed at the festival last year) Bemidji’s own BER, and Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Who admitted to using the teleprompter for words. “I love the songs of course, i just don’t know the words that well” he laughingly admitted. For those in the know, this became a must-see set right from the start.
O.A.R. glided into the golden hour with laid‑back jam sincerity. Surveying the crowd, they offered California sunshine through a Midwestern lens—campfire-ready rock that felt the most radio friendly of the day – Like the 502’s the day before, this was a family-favorite.
Cory Wong was the highest billed Minnesotan to play the festival yet, and shifted gears completely with funky guitars, tight grooves, and jazz-inflected riffs. His set was a guitar showcase that doubled as a dance invitation, and the crowd obliged. He even welcomed Remi Wolf onstage for a cover of Tell Me Something Good, which he admitted he used to play all the time, as well as a scorching cover of The Way It Is with members of Yam House.
Weezer launched into wedge‑of-cheese alt-rock with brand-new cuts interwoven with “Buddy Holly” and “Beverly Hills.” Rivers Cuomo and the band dug in tight, weathering the nostalgia wave with sharp hooks and, hopefully theatrical frowns despite some of the sound issues in their set.
Remi Wolf was a name that kept getting brought up in the crowd as the day went on, with many people buying the tickets just to see her unleash a delightfully inappropriate and pop‑funk set. Color-drenched, chaotic, and cheeky, her set felt exuberant as the sun dipped into the city skyline.
Fall Out Boy closed the night with full emo‑stadium force. From confessional lyrics to fist-pumping breakdowns, they fused their 2000s nostalgia and rock momentum like no other—big, brash, and unapologetically celebratory, the first band of the weekend to spray the crowd with confetti and fireworks.
Day three of the festival was likely the most anticipated, Green Day fans were most of the first people at the gate, and subsequently the barricade, the moment doors opened at 12:30. Many ran down the steps and through the field to get the best spot they could.
Landon Conrath was the only “local” band on the lineup today, and he did a great job making sure people knew he was right around the corner. “My drive here was only like, seven minutes” he told the emerging crowd. Perhaps also the most honest, he admitted that music is “relatively new” to him, learning how to write and play music over the pandemic.
Winona Fighter was a new band for a lot of people, but a band who grabbed a lot of people’s attention quickly as they entered the festival. Performing on the skipper stage, frontwoman Coco Kinnon wasted no time and quickly made use of the new catwalk installed to get closer to the fans. “This is the last show of a tour we’ve been on since February” she said, but her energy and stage presence was anything but exhausted. While excited to get some much needed rest off the road, the band played this show like it was the most important one yet, and it showed. If there was a rookie-of-the-day award for day three of the festival, they’ve earned it.
Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge have been gaining traction as a guitar-forward group since 2022, and the glowing press behind them continues to grow just as much as they do. While still new in festival circuits, Grace is doing a great job of removing herself from the “Prodigy” label many young guitarists are burdened with. A part of that is surrounding yourself with a talented band and great songs – and she has both.
Blind Melon brought 90s alt‑folk resonance back to life. With “No Rain” still in play at the end of their set, the majority of the setlist seemed to fit in well with the alt-rock vibes the day brought – a surprising and unexpected sound to hear from them, coming from someone who only knows them from the acoustic hit.
The Beaches If there’s one thing the Minnesota Yacht Club is good at, it’s finding some amazing femme led rock bands. The Beaches served up rock‑laden female energy—slick riffs, tight harmonies, and a confidence that made you question your summer situationship (which they highly recommended leaving)
Garbage hit next with dark alt-rock polish. Shirley Manson’s ice‑queen vocals cut crisp across era-defining jams like “Stupid Girl,” reminding the crowd that their sound still feels modernly sharp.
Sublime was perhaps the loudest act of the night, or at least the most bass-heavy. Their grooves shook my teeth in the pit, their reggae bounce a quick hit with the dancing crowd. Lead singer Jakob Nowell took a quick moment at the end of the set to sign a few records fans brought him at the barricade, and had even tried to invite the crowd to the after-party at their hotel. “What’s the name of the hotel we’re at again?” he asked. After a moment of silence, and perhaps his tour manager saying no, he responded “Come on, that would be sick.”
Green Day
You could tell this was a Green Day crowd the moment the gates opened. Fans sprinted down the hill and claimed their place at the barricade before noon, many of them staying rooted there for nearly ten hours. Even before the band’s signature pre-show anthem—Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”—came over the PA, a few thousand people had already begun singing it on their own, spilling over from the tail end of 311’s set on the Crow’s Nest Stage. When the actual track kicked in minutes later, the sing-along reached full voice, thousands more joining in on the song.
Fans knew the ritual: the dead bunny mascot cartwheeling across the stage, the heart grenade rising up and inflating, And the opening notes to American Idiot which has been their reliable fire-started for their explosive sets. Compared to their 2024 Target Field show across the river, this crowd felt bigger, rowdier, and more deeply invested. From the barricade at the front to the buoys bouncing between the riverboats, this crowd was arguably the largest draw in Yacht Club’s short history.
But what stood out most was the band’s sheer consistency. Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool may be well into their 50s, but they’ll never “grow up.” At least, onstage. The energy hasn’t dipped, vocals are tight, the banter is still bratty and sharp. And while Green Day is unmistakably crossing into nostalgia act territory—defined not just by the longevity of their catalog, but by the generational hand-off from a band you got to see as a kid, and that you now get to take your own kids to as well. It’s a metric that the band has earned.
They closed with “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” Fireworks lighting the sky, confetti flooding the pit, and Armstrong walking offstage without a word. There was no thank-you, just the feeling that You knew what this was.
Last year’s debut impressed not only with its lineup but with its logistics for a first timer—and in 2025, organizers listened to fans on what they wanted more of in their experience. More hydration stations. More bathrooms. And from what we could tell, a few more bars sprinkled across Harriet Island for good measure. Even the weather was cooperative, (exception being Hozier’s set) with most of the weekend with ideal cloud cover and consistent temps. One of our major critiques from 2024—the noticeable lack of Minnesota-based food vendors—was addressed this year with the welcome addition of six local restaurants joining the lineup of food vendors.
Still, not everything was a perfect bite. Pricing at the food stalls did not match expected portion sizes. Modest across the board, one of our staffers shelled out over $20 for a tiny boat of fries topped with what can only be described as lobster adjacent—served cold, no less. Affordable options like pizza slices and ice cream fared better with fans, and lines were shortest wherever the price points hovered above $25. Bars, meanwhile, were plentiful and surprisingly efficient, with minimal waits. Ironically—or perhaps intentionally—the most affordable consumables of the entire weekend were THC-infused drinks and ice cream.
Yet the festival’s biggest obstacle didn’t come from the event itself—it came from the city that hosted it. Ask any out-of-towner we bumped into, and a common issue emerged: St. Paul isn’t quite ready for a festival of this magnitude yet. Comparisons were made to more established multi-day events like Bourbon & Beyond or Milwaukee’s Summerfest, both of which benefit from infrastructure that can absorb and extend the energy of a day-long festival well into the night.
But in St. Paul, that energy easily hits a wall the moment you cross the bridge on Robert and Kellogg Street. With the light rail shut down for construction at the worst possible time (perhaps intentionally) and minimal transit options across the river into downtown, attendees were left scrambling. And when they did arrive downtown—often on foot or by overpriced ride share—they found a city not quite ready to host the party. If bars were not already shuttered by high rents or the Madison Equities fiasco, they were mostly closed by 10PM. Even on Sunday night, post-headliner crowds wandered empty sidewalks in search of a nightcap or a bite, only to come up short unless they wandered down the river towards the West 7th area, or deep into Lowertown to places like the recently reopened Dark Horse. For a fest that otherwise pulsed had great momentum, each night had a disjointed ending because of the city’s lack of energy, and one that didn’t go unnoticed by those visiting from cities where the post-show hang is half the fun.
Still, it’s hard to call any of that a misstep for the Minnesota Yacht Club. Year Two proved that this is a festival that’s being taken seriously. We’ll be there for year three, once again asking the same question we did last summer: How are they going to top this?
We can’t wait to find out.
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