Gen-X music fans seem to be steering the ship for the inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club festival, which announced its lineup Tuesday with such 1990s-era names at the top as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette, the Black Crowes and the Offspring.
Chili Peppers, Alanis top ’90s-heavy lineup for first Minnesota Yacht Club Festival in St. Paul
Gwen Stefani, Black Crowes and Offspring will also play the event from Lollapalooza promoter C3, scheduled for July 19-20 on Harriet Island.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 30, 2024 at 6:00PM
The maiden voyage of the nautical-themed festival — paddleboats and the Mississippi riverfront are part of its branding — is scheduled for July 19-20 on Harriet Island across from downtown St. Paul. Twenty bands will perform on two stages over a Friday and Saturday in the city-owned park.
Along with Tuesday’s lineup reveal came word on when fans can first buy tickets to the festival. Presale options for two-day passes begin Friday at 10 a.m. via minnesotayachtclubfest.com, where concertgoers can sign up now for access. Initial prices are $135 for single-day general-admission tickets or $215 for two-day, while VIP options range from $285 to $925.
Extra anticipation has been built up for the Minnesota Yacht Club lineup since it was revealed the event is being put on by C3 Presents, the Live Nation-affiliated company behind such marquee U.S. festivals as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Shaky Knees.
Twin Cities music lovers have long felt slighted by not having a big music bash in town like those, especially after homegrown festivals such as Soundset, Rock the Garden and the Basilica Block Party were sidelined. Live Nation tried to launch one in 2012 on Harriet Island, River’s Edge, but the festival was canceled after just one lackluster year.
“When you consider that the Twin Cities is a big enough market to support five major-league sports teams, I don’t see why it can’t support one major music festival, too,” C3′s Atlanta-based promoter Tim Sweetwood told the Star Tribune in December when the festival was first announced.
“Major” might be a debatable term when it comes to the artists on the newly announced lineup, but there is certainly ample familiarity with the biggest names.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who will headline Saturday, are Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who drew 35,000 to their U.S. Bank Stadium show last year. Saturday is also when “Self-Esteem” punk rockers the Offspring, Texas guitar slinger Gary Clark Jr., Hippo Campus, the Hold Steady and Soul Asylum are scheduled to perform.
The Friday lineup’s top names, Morissette and Stefani, each put a feminist spin on angsty rock playlists in the 1990s, the former with her megahit album “Jagged Little Pill” and the latter with singles by her old band No Doubt, including “Just a Girl” and “It’s My Life.”
Not entirely a nostalgic affair, the Minnesota Yacht Club lineup also features some younger touring acts making a buzz in recent years, including Michigander, Nico Vega and Wilderado. C3 bookers also pulled in two newcomer rock acts making waves in the Twin Cities scene, Durry and Gully Boys.
One-day tickets to the festival will be sold after the initial round of two-day passes go on sale. The prices will be split up into different tiers, with extra options including VIP and “GA+” passes offering lounges and restrooms.
In keeping with the “yacht club” theme, there will even be a 21-and-up only pass option called “Riverboat VIP,” which will include rides on paddleboats during the event — yet another sign that Twin Cities concertgoers are entering new waters with this ambitious festival.
Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
