Girl at the Rock Shows

There was an air of excitement in my car as I drove to the brand new Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota, on Monday night. It wasn’t excitement because I was in a car full of excited friends; it was more because I was about to see the Twin Cities’ area’s newest venue. I had heard things. I had seen it from afar. I had read up on it and mapped everything out in my mind so I was prepared when I got there, but nothing could have prepared me for actually seeing this giant and truly stunning amphitheater. The traffic was terrible. I was getting more and more anxious as the minutes ticked by and my call time inched closer and closer while I sat at the same red light for more than twenty minutes. Normally, this would set me off, but not on Monday night. I had planned for traffic and knew that, between this being a brand new venue and the fact that it was in an area that doesn’t get much traffic, it wasn’t going to be a fun ride, so I just rolled the windows down and took in the anticipation and excitement that comes with me checking out a new venue. Long story short, I was geeking out.

Although it felt like it took forever to get through traffic, it didn’t take forever to park. Sure, I was a bit further away than the lot I had planned on, but I loved how coordinated the parking process felt with all of the people helping guide cars into their spots. I also loved that the parking was free. I know that sounds so silly, but this is one of those venues that could easily charge some money for parking, no matter how far away said parking was, because there’s just not street parking out in this area like there is at other venues. They didn’t do that. Instead, they let you park for free, and I feel like that’s something that should be commended.

After a small walk, the structure that is this amphitheater came into full frame. I was stunned. Not only is this a huge space, but it’s also a beautiful one that really becomes more and more beautiful once you get inside and really see it for all of its glory. Whether you hone in on the details that went into the construction of this venue or get lost in the free and open concept of the various areas that make up this venue, you will absolutely find yourself standing there just trying to take it all in. I loved the attention to detail when it came to building this venue. It was the small rocks that made up some of the bleachers that really got me. It just looked so pretty, so organic, and almost made you feel like you were at Minnesota’s own Red Rocks-style amphitheater. I also really appreciate the space. If you go up the daunting staircase (I promise, it’s not that bad when you start walking up the stairs, no matter how bad it looks from the bottom), you find yourself in an open beer garden kind of space, complete with a few bars, food trucks, picnic tables, and even some yard games. I don’t know why, but I felt like this was genius and, between shooting acts on Monday night, I found myself just meandering around this area while listening to the as-perfect-as-an-outdoor-show can get sound coming from the speakers.

I could go on and on about this venue. I was in love and enamored, clearly, but you’re not here to read about me gushing over this place. You’re here to hear about the show, so let’s talk about that.

Mod Sun was the first act to take the stage. Unfortunately, due to photo restrictions, I wasn’t able to capture any photographs of the homegrown rockstar. I also didn’t even get a chance to put eyes on him as the traffic made me a bit late to the show, but I did hear him performing as I was walking up, and it sounded great. It was clear that Mod Sun was paying homage to his Minnesota roots throughout the set and that it was an honor for him to be opening up the first show at this gorgeous venue, especially since this venue was just about three minutes away from where he wrote some of the songs from his first mixtape. That was kind of the tone of his set– roots and home. At one point, he asked one of his oldest and dearest friends to take the stage with him. Mod Sun explained that this friend was the first one to encourage him to pursue the Mod Sun project (he was the drummer for a few acts before Mod Sun was created, including a personal favorite of mine – Four Letter Lie), so it felt right for this friend to be by his side at a hometown show. That wasn’t all, though, said a friend, who had brought his daughter on stage to sing a song with Mod Sun. Unfortunately, this is about when I was reaching the gate to get into the venue and, due to some hiccups that inevitably come with a first ever show, I was left running around the venue mulitple times trying to figure out where to get my credentials and where I was supposed to go so I didn’t get to hear the song or anything much after that but I have a feeling that this was a heck of a way to kick the night off.

Following Mod Sun was a set from Wiz Khalifa, and it was my first time being down in front at this venue. It was just as beautiful, just as perfect down there as it was from the edges of the venue where photographers were being kept during Mod Sun’s set. I feel like you really don’t understand the size of this place or how many people it fits until you get down on the floor, and it was hard to come back to earth to do my job after standing there and just taking it all in for a couple of minutes. Thankfully, Wiz Khalifa is the kind of performer that will instantly grab your eyes, your heart, and your soul. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t think I knew a lot of Wiz songs when walking into this show, but was pleasantly surprised and, quickly frankly, shocked to hear just how many songs that I did know and, not only know, but enjoy. Wiz Khalifa and his band sounded perfect and did a great job of creating a party-like atmosphere on stage that radiated into the audience perfectly. At the same time, there was something effortless about the performance. Wiz Khalifa is a megastar. There’s no debating that or the larger-than-life kind of style he has to him, but that didn’t stop him from taking the time to wish someone behind me a happy birthday and throw out inflatable blunts to the audience so they could feel like they could be part of the smoke session happening on stage.

The transition between Wiz Khalifa and headlining act MGK was smooth, and it gave me a chance to wander a bit more, but now my anticipation had shifted from excited anticipation about the new venue to being about seeing MGK.

Look, I know that MGK (fka Machine Gun Kelly) is not for everyone. Even I have a love/hate kind of relationship with this performer, but something about his 2020 album ‘Tickets to My Downfall’ just hit me so hard. Maybe it was because it felt like such a COVID record, or maybe because it’s truly an album made up of bop after bop. Regardless, the pop-punk era of MGK had me hooked and had me in love. I know that this guy hops genres like they are puddles on the ground after an epic rainstorm, but I was at this show just hoping and praying that he would perform at least a few songs from that 2020 album. He did and then some. We got to see all of the eras of MGK on display on Monday night, from my favorite pop-punk era to the almost country-pop-leaning side that comes with his new album, ‘Lost Americana’. We also got to see his rap side and got a little peek into his own playlist, with covers ranging from The Killers to a Zach Bryan song. Really, the set was all over the place, but that’s what made it fun. Maybe there were certain moments that seemed to run away from my own personal preference, but with the backdrop of the setting sun, the perfection of this venue, and the fresh summer air in my face, nothing was going to ruin this night, and nothing was going to wipe that smile off my face.

Every new venue has issues. There are always bugs to work out, and the Mystic Lake Amphitheater definitely has some work to do if they want this inaugural year to be one for the record books (which is kind of already is, as they already have over thirty shows scheduled), but overall, I was impressed. The venue was clean, everything was organized, the staff was friendly and helpful– literally, this place checked all the boxes I could have asked for when it came to a brand new venue. The wide span of genres, styles, and vibes currently booked at this venue means that there is truly something for everyone. On top of that, the “lawn” tickets seem to be super affordable for most of the shows, and, if you ask me, that lawn area is the best place to enjoy one of these shows, so what are you waiting for? Grab a ticket and go

Line Up:

Wiz Khalifa

MGK

Venue: Mystic Lake Amphitheater

Smell-O-Meter: So many jazz cigarettes

Average Age of the Crowd: 37

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 1 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Wiz Khalifa – 1

MGK – 3

Show on Deck – Lew Apollo / Social Animals

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist HERE!