Not much… and somehow, everything.
To be fair, I haven’t been to a lot of “real” festivals, maybe one, tops. So take this with a grain of glitter (there was a lot of it), but what happened at Minnesota Yacht Club 2025 was nothing short of dazzling
Enter C3 Presents, the Austin-based production company, with corporate overlords LiveNation, behind Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and Bonnaroo, to name a few. They pulled the metaphorical fire alarm and showed up this year with hoses blazing. MYC 2.0 was tight, smooth, and dare I say downright delightful.
Everyone I talked to (and my own experience) pointed to the same thing: this year’s festival was exceptional.
Were there complaints? Sure, I heard a few grumbles about slightly long lines and an overflowing trash can or two.
Prices? Let’s just say everything might as well have been rounded to the nearest 5 or 0.
Lastly, no yachts. Though I did hear whispers about a “flotilla”?
That’s about it.
The weather played nice, and the sound quality was phenomenal no matter where I walked, the music was clear and pure, as if piped straight from Lake Minnetonka. The blanket areas were clearly marked, crowd flow was intuitive, and the setup made it easy to settle in without stress. Bars were abundant, and the food section was tucked neatly up the east stairs.
Now, the music. Every day brought its own flavor.
Friday later afternoon slots had summer-smooth vibes from Gigi Perez and Father John Misty. The 502s brought high-octane alt-folk, complete with banjos and sax solos. Then there was the easy listening royalty, Sheryl Crow and Train, soundtracking every department store memory.
Unfortunately, Hozier got rained out (so no musical church service).
Saturday delivered a full-on punk rock revival with Weezer and a show-stopping, fire-blazing set from Fall Out Boy. Even if you weren’t a diehard fan, their performance was a pyro-laced spectacle that left you wondering how could anyone not be entertained.
Sunday was the perfect fusion of alt-rock and local pride. Landon Conrath repped the home team,. While 19-year-old guitar prodigy Grace Bowers absolutely shredded. Female-led powerhouses The Beaches and Beach Bunny kept the afternoon sun-soaked and rowdy. Then, Garbage stepped in and crushed the late afternoon slot.
And of course, the night crescendoed with the main event: Green Day. Billie Joe Armstrong tore through American Idiot classics and sent everyone home sweaty, hoarse, and thrilled—well past St. Paul’s 10:30 curfew.
MYC 2025 was a wrap.
I genuinely hope this festival becomes a permanent summer tradition. It proved that 35,000 people can comfortably fit on Harriet Island—and more importantly, have a damn good time doing it. The event was well-run, efficient, and carried real heart.
Oh, and shoutout to Motion City Soundtrack. With Justin Pierre out sick, they didn’t cancel; they got creative. They brought in a rotating cast of guest vocalists: Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Kathy Callahan, Nadirah McGill of Gully Boys, and Ber. Watching that kind of real-life, festival-style karaoke unfold live was wild, unexpected, and genuinely inspiring.
Plus, seeing Jackob Nowell, the lead singer of Sublime, casually extinguish a cigarette, or possibly a joint, on his tongue was a display of disgusting badassery. It’s the kind of unhinged rockstar moment you rarely witness these days.
If I had to nitpick one thing, it’d be the stage-to-stage “music migrations” between The Skipper and Crow’s Nest during changeovers were tricky. A few bottlenecks arose, but I quickly identified the workarounds.
Also, huge props for being a nearly plastic-free event. Everything came in aluminum, even the pint glasses. That commitment to sustainability was both refreshing and rare for a festival of this size.
And finally, if the same general managers behind MYC and the Stone Arch Bridge remodel could please take over the Southwest Light Rail (SWLRT) project? That would be the cherry on top of my Minnesota summer. Take notes, Met Council.
This is how you execute a big event
