July 20th, 2026
I’m exhausted (physically, emotionally, and heat), satisfied, and still basking in the afterglow of the third Minnesota Yacht Club Festival.
I didn’t attend the inaugural weekend in 2024 and experienced immediate regret. Last year, I went on Saturday because my favorite band Fall Out Boy (who wrote the song “Saturday”) were headlining that night. This year, I went all-in and bought a three-day pass. I didn’t go on Friday (which, from what I heard, is the best decision I made all weekend) but went all day Saturday and Sunday. I saw 19 artists I’d never seen live before and found something to love with each one.
I felt like Saturday was the stronger day overall. Every act brought their best and there wasn’t a bad set in the bunch. Matt and Kim were like a bomb constructed solely of energy drinks; I swooned over Jensen McRae and Lucy Dacus. I finally got to see All-American Rejects after being a longtime fan (one of the first songs my band The Next Step ever covered was “Swing, Swing” back in 2003) and they did not disappoint; frontman Tyson Ritter seems to know he has one of the best jobs on the planet and he was having a blast. Matchbox Twenty absolutely blew me away, a band surprisingly at the peak of their nostalgia-fueled power.
Sunday was more of a mixed bag, mostly because of technical issues I saw plague several sets (at one point, Die Spitz said “This is the worst set we’ve played in five years and we’ve only been a band for four years.”). But there were plenty of highlights and surprises; highlights included local legends Semisonic and Atmosphere, and Passion Pit was a surprise for me, an earnest and electric burst of energy late in the day. There is also an argument that Cage the Elephant could have headlined it all, with their strong set and loyal fans.
But I was there for one real reason, and that reason was The Strokes: one of my favorite bands of all time and one that has eluded me from seeing them in-person all this time. They came on late and left early and I wouldn’t change a thing about their set. They had the swagger and mystery and comedy and brilliant songs that have been a part of their DNA since the beginning and has mutated into part of my own genetic makeup.
Like I said last year, I don’t really have any notes for how the festival is run; I think they do an incredible job and it doesn’t really feel like 35,000+ people. I was disappointed, as a very sober and very thirsty person, that they had completely run out of the LOVE electrolyte drinks before Sunday began and there wasn’t really a substitute for them. I did, however, receive many free cans of cold LaCroix in a variety of flavors and I am grateful for that.
Another thing I’m grateful for? I remembered sunscreen this year. See you next.
The Den 