SUBLIME at the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

The sun was hanging high and hazy over Harriet Island on that sticky Sunday, July 20, 2025, the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival pulsing with the kind of lazy summer rhythm that makes you forget the world outside the chain-link fences. The echoes of Garbage’s industrial groove are still bouncing off the water when, at 4:50 p.m., Sublime ambles onstage—Eric Wilson with his bass slung low, Bud Gaugh settling behind the kit, and there, front and center, Jakob Nowell, all easy smiles and quiet intensity. The crowd, a sea of tie-dye and board shorts stretching back toward the Mississippi, erupts in a wave that crashes hard, and you can see it hit Jakob like a rogue set: his eyes widen, that genuine humility washing over his face as he grips the mic, voice cracking just a touch with overwhelm.

From the opening riff of “Garden Grove,” it’s clear this isn’t some nostalgia cash-grab—it’s family, legacy handed down like a well-worn skateboard. Jakob, son of the late Bradley Nowell, who left us way too soon back in ’96, stepped into those massive shoes when he joined the reunited originals in 2023. And man, you feel it in every strum, every laid-back ska-punk bounce. The band’s sound is that perfect Sublime cocktail: reggae lilt meets punk snarl, horns if they’re sneaking in guests, but mostly just the trio locking in like they never split. Jakob’s got his dad’s spirit, that raw, conversational delivery turning lyrics into lifelines—tales of beachside rebellion, love gone sideways, the grind of everyday survival. The field sways as one, folks from all walks belting along, kids hoisted on shoulders discovering the hits for the first time.

After each song, Jakob pauses, catching his breath, glancing out at the throng like he can’t quite believe it. “Holy shit, look at all you guys,” he says after “Smoke Two Joints,” shaking his head with a laugh that’s equal parts awe and gratitude. “I mean, wow—thousands of you out here in this heat? This is unreal.” It’s no act; the kid’s truly floored, voice softening as he shares glimpses of the journey—the weight of carrying on, the joy of seeing faces light up to songs his father wrote. Post-“Wrong Way,” he leans into the mic again: “You all are incredible; I feel like the luckiest guy alive right now.” The crowd roars back, a feedback loop of connection that turns the set into something intimate, even amid the sprawl. Bud’s drums thunder with that familiar pocket, Eric’s bass lines weaving like old Long Beach tides, and Jakob? He pours it out, humbled strummer channeling ghosts and gratitude in equal measure.

As the sun dips toward the closer—”What I Got,” naturally—the energy crests, the field a living, breathing mosh of memories and new bonds. Sublime doesn’t just play; they remind us why these tunes endure, why a son’s voice can breathe fresh life into a legend. Jakob waves offstage with a final, overwhelmed grin—”Thank you, Minnesota; this one’s for Dad”—and as the amps hum down, you’re left buzzing, the river whispering approval. In a festival full of fireworks, this was the slow burn that stuck.

Brief History of Sublime

Sublime formed in 1988 in Long Beach, California, by Bradley Nowell on vocals and guitar, Eric Wilson on bass, and Bud Gaugh on drums. The band blended ska, punk, reggae, and hip-hop, gaining underground traction through self-released albums like 40oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin’ the Hood (1994). Their major-label self-titled debut dropped in 1996, but Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose days before its release. After years of tributes and side projects, including Sublime with Rome from 2009 to 2021, the original rhythm section reunited in 2023 with Bradley’s son Jakob Nowell as frontman, touring and releasing new material while honoring the catalog.

Band Members

• Jakob Nowell – Vocals, Guitar
• Eric Wilson – Bass
• Bud Gaugh – Drums

Most Likely Setlist

• Garden Grove
• 40oz. to Freedom
• Smoke Two Joints
• The Ballad of Johnny Butt
• Wrong Way
• Date Rape
• STP
• April 29, 1992 (Miami)
• What I Got
• Santeria
• Badfish

(Based on recent 2025 performances; no verified setlist available for this event.)

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