Review: Blind Melon at Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

It’s that golden hour stretch on Sunday, July 20, 2025, at the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, where the Harriet Island stage hums with the echoes of earlier acts, and the crowd mills about under a sky that’s all lazy summer blue. The clock hits 2:50 p.m. sharp—right on time—and out strolls Blind Melon, the ’90s alt-rock survivors carrying the weight of nostalgia like an old flannel shirt. I’ve got my spot near the front, lemonade in hand, expecting that fuzzy, jam-band warmth they do so well, but as the first chords of “Soup” ripple out, there’s a twinge in the air, a sense that something’s not quite syncing up.

The band’s sound is there, that psychedelic swirl of guitars and grooves that once lit up MTV, but tonight, it feels like they’re chasing shadows. Lead singer Travis Warren belts into the mic, his voice a gritty screamer that strains against the mix—but trying to put the soul behind them. He’s pushing through, no doubt.

But here’s the silver lining, the thread that kept me hooked: those riffs from the lead guitarist. Christopher Thorn, I think it was, weaving these liquid, soaring lines that cut through the haze like sunlight on water. On “Galaxie,” his fingers dance across the strings, pulling out bends and echoes that harken back to the band’s heyday—raw, inventive, alive. It’s the reminder of why Blind Melon mattered, those intricate layers that turned simple rock into something trippy and true. The rhythm section holds steady, Glen Graham’s drums thumping with that familiar pulse.

In fairness, it’s a tall order stepping into the void left by Shannon Hoon, gone these 30 years now. That guy’s charisma was lightning in a bottle—wild, unpredictable, gone too soon after the band’s meteoric rise. Filling those shoes? It’s like trying to recapture a dream you half-remember. Blind Melon trudges on, honoring the catalog with tours and tinkering, but on this afternoon, amid the Yacht Club’s whirlwind of fresh faces and throwbacks, it was a fond echo. As they close with “No Rain,” the crowd perks up a touch—those bee-girl harmonies still a soft spot—but by then, the field’s thinning, folks chasing the next stage.

Brief History of Blind Melon

Blind Melon formed in Los Angeles in 1990, blending musicians from Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Their self-titled debut album in 1992 spawned the massive hit “No Rain,” propelling them to fame amid the grunge era. Tragedy struck in 1995 when frontman Shannon Hoon died of an overdose, leading to a hiatus. The band reunited in 2006 with new vocalist Travis Warren, releasing albums like For My Friends (2008) and continuing to tour, preserving their psychedelic rock legacy through a mix of classics and new material.

Band Members

• Travis Warren – Vocals
• Rogers Stevens – Guitar
• Christopher Thorn – Guitar
• Glen Graham – Drums
• Nathan Towne – Bass

Verified Setlist

• Soup
• 2×4
• Tones of Home
• Deserted
• Change
• Swallowed
• Soak the Sin
• I Wonder
• Toes Across the Floor
• Galaxie
• No Rain

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