Why are we so excited for the second annual Minnesota Yacht Club music fest?

“Too Sweet” hitmaker Hozier, slated for opening night, remains as hot as out-of-the-fryer mini-donuts, and the demand to see him hasn’t diminished. Green Day, the festival closer, is one of the all-time great live bands, and its hyperkinetic frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is invariably extra-amped (if that’s even possible for him) when he takes the stage in the Twin Cities, hometown for his wife, Adrienne, whom he met here. Even though Billie and the boys rocked Minneapolis stadiums last year and in 2021, we’re always glad to see Green Day.

Fall Out Boy, not so much. Especially since these Day 2 headliners will have played the metro area in four of the past five years, including the last three consecutively.

The MYC 2025 undercards suggest that not all these artists are “warm-up” acts. Opening day on July 18 is particularly compelling with soulful rockers Alabama Shakes, quirky but cult-loved Father John Misty and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sheryl Crow, an inspiring and underappreciated concertizer — all she wants to do is have some fun.

The middle day — easily the least engrossing lineup — boasts a couple of winners on its undercard in Gen X alt-rockers Weezer, who are as comfortable as an old sweater, and Minnesota’s own Cory Wong, who always puts on a spirited, entertaining show of instrumental jazz-funk.

The final day, the Green Day day, features a delectable mix of top-notch melodic rock bands Semisonic and Beach Bunny, along with party bands 311 and Sublime as well as Garbage, the magnificent modern rockers from Madison, Wis., whose singer Shirley Manson always remembers that they played their first concert ever in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry in 1995.

Overall, we’re pretty thrilled about this lineup. OK, there are a few slots where we’re we might go sit by the banks of the Mississippi River for a break and an overpriced beer. But it looks like the Twin Cities have finally landed a bona fide destination summer music festival just like Austin City Limits in Texas and Outside Lands in San Francisco. We’re not massive like Coachella or Lollapalooza. That’s fine. We don’t have the space for it.