Live: Hozier and Day 1 of Minnesota Yacht Club cut short by storm

The second annual Minnesota Yacht Club music fest kicked off Friday at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul and will continue through the weekend.

10:40 p.m.:

10:09 p.m.:

If anyone had wondered how “Take Me to Church” hitmaker Hozier made it to the top of the MYC lineup Friday, the Irishman’s set took them to school.

He opened with “Nobody’s Soldier,” one of the many hits he has amassed since his 2013 breakout, and played a lot more familiar tunes early, including “Jackie and Wilson” and “From Eden.” He also showed off an expanded and mighty impressive band. A team of backup singers created shimmering, church-worthy harmonies in “Would That I” and “Work Song,” the latter also featuring Gigi Perez (who performed earlier in the day).

Rain started falling lightly midway through Hozier’s set, just as he walked out to the middle of the crowd and performed “Cherry Wine” on acoustic guitar on a platform behind the soundboard. The trickle became a steady pour by the time he got to his biggest hit yet, “Too Sweet,” but of course the weather did nothing to dampen the Irish singer’s delivery. His set had to be cut short by about 20 minutes due to lightning, depriving the crowd of “Take Me to Church.” It’s a testament to his performance that a good chunk of the crowd hadn’t already left.

— Chris Riemenschneider

With showers and thunderstorms descending upon downtown St. Paul since about 9:30, Day 1 of Minnesota Yacht Club will end about a half-hour early. Headliner Hozier, citing the weather, said he would finish up with one final song. Hozier apologized profusely to fans before walking off the stage.

— Lincoln Roch

9:18 p.m:

Headlining Friday’s #MNYachtClub lineup, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier offered some graphical political commentary during “Eat Your Young,” flashing statistics that touched on the wealth of billionaires, defense spending, and the homeless populations in the US, Ireland and France.

— Lincoln Roch

8:36 p.m.:

7:46 p.m.:

“We sure did miss y’all.”

Brittany Howard hollered that three songs into her old group Alabama Shakes’ third performance in eight years. Maybe no other comment from a Yacht Club stage this weekend will be felt so mutually by the crowd.

Festival organizers blessed Minnesota music lovers with an early look at the acclaimed Southern boogie-rock band’s return from hiatus, and it did not disappoint. Brittany and her childhood pals sounded as tight as ever as they kicked off their set with “Hang Loose.” They seemed to be channeling a little extra emotion and energy in the comeback gig too. The emotions came up in their ode to resilience, “Hold On,” and their silkily soulful penultimate tune, “Sound & Color.” The energy oozed during a pair of funky new songs that seemed like a promise this isn’t a one-off reunion. Hold on, indeed.

7:27 p.m.:

7:15 p.m.:

7:04 p.m.:

6:42 p.m.:

You can often tell how playful and sassy a performance by smooth indie-rock bard Father John Misty is going to be by how far down his dress shirt is unbuttoned. Friday’s hourlong late-afternoon MYC set by the Los Angeles singer doubly known as Josh Tillman started out mid-chest and stayed there.

“This is a song for everybody else, the people who are not doing good,” Tillman said. Clearly, there were plenty of those in the audience, based on the strong reaction.

— Chris Riemenschneider

6:18 p.m.:

5:55 p.m.:

Sheryl Crow related a story about a question Lionel Richie asked her. “Do you know when you play new songs? Never,” he had said. “Then the crowd goes to the bathroom.” That was Crow’s way of introducing the new song “New Normal,” which dropped today. The crowd didn’t leave.“ That’s a good sign,” she declared afterward.

5:53 p.m.:

“I’ve been engaged three times,” said Sheryl Crow, who has never married. “And I hope none of them are here tonight.” Then she sang “Strong Enough,” asking “Are you strong enough to be my man?” Wonderful vocal harmonies on this one.

— Jon Bream

5:22 p.m.:

4:50 p.m.: Coming up is Sheryl Crow, who dropped the new single “New Normal” today. It’s an almost-muscular rocker with funk undertones that discusses the state of the world, mentioning robots, algorithms, George Orwell and unnamed leaders. It’s the second new single this year from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer who said she’d made her last record with “Threads” in 2019 and has since released another album in 2024 and two new singles.

4:25 p.m.:

4:04 p.m.:

3:56 p.m.: How efficient is #MnYachtClub? Less than one minute passed between the end of the 502s on the Skipper stage and Gigi Perez starting on Crow’s Nest stage.

— Jon Bream

3:33 p.m.:

2:40 p.m.: Here’s a little stage banter lifted straight from today’s headlines, courtesy of Hamilton Leithauser as he looked at the video cameras in front of the stage: “Raise your hands if you’re having an affair,” the Walkmen frontman quipped near the start of his midafternoon set on the Crow’s Nest Stage.

That backhanded reference to the Coldplay Jumbotron scandal was a rare lighthearted moment in what proved to be a heavy, howling set by the New York indie-rocker with his new band spotlighting his latest solo record, “This Side of the Island.” The highlight was “Ocean Roar,” his three-part ode to late Walkmen collaborator Richard Swift. That probably won’t be the last song we hear about death today, what with Alabama Shakes and Father John Misty both bringing their dramatic rock songs to the festival later this afternoon.

— Chris Riemenschneider

2 p.m.:

1:43 p.m.:

*Surly beer cans (16 ounce): $15.60

*Miller Light (24 ounce): $17.68

*White Claw (19.2 ounce): $16.64

*Riverbend Margarita and other poured cocktails: $16.64 (single) or $29.12 (double)

*THC seltzers (2-3 mg): $14.56

*Soda (12 ounce): $5.20

And some of the food options:

*El Burrito Mercado Quesabirria Taquitos: $18.72

*Bennett’s cheeseburger and fries: $15.60

*Bao Bao Buns crispy pork Bao: $19.76

*Lumpia Bros chilled ramen: $18.72

— Chris Riemenschneider

1:05 p.m.:

12:40 p.m.: Let’s hope this is a sign of untroubled waters for the next three days at the Minnesota Yacht Club festival: Gates opened right at the advertised 12:30 p.m. time, and several thousand of the 35,000 expected attendees who showed up early were funneled inside within about 10 minutes. Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” played over the speakers as they entered; maybe a nod to Harriet’s neighboring Raspberry Island.

Several hundred fans went straight to the front of the Skipper Stage (main stage) as they went in, planning to camp out there until the day’s headliner Hozier takes them to church. At the start of the fest, the weather was mostly overcast and comfortable with a light breeze. The first act, local rockers Maygen & the Birdwatcher, is due on at 12:50 p.m.

12:30 p.m.: