Lakefront Music Fest adds 90s rock to the lineup

The Lakefront Music Fest has filled out its 2027 bill, and the Friday rock night is the one getting the most attention. The festival, held at Lakefront Park in Prior Lake, has added two 90s rock bands to the lineup, giving the rock night a double dose of nostalgia to go along with its headliner. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 9, and the whole thing runs into a country night the following evening.

Headlining the rock night is Train, the San Francisco Bay Area band that formed in 1994 and became a household name with 'Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)' and 'Hey, Soul Sister'. Their 2001 album Drops of Jupiter sold more than three million copies, and the title track hit number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and took home the Grammy for Best Rock Song. 'Hey, Soul Sister' reached number three on the Billboard 100 in 2009, and the band is coming off their 2026 album Mad Dog in the Fog. Joining them are the two new additions: The Gin Blossoms, the Tempe, Arizona band that broke through with 1992's New Miserable Experience and its quadruple-platinum hit 'Hey Jealousy', and Vertical Horizon, the Washington, D.C. group whose 1999 album Everything You Want went double platinum and gave the Billboard Hot 100 a number-one title track in 2000. Adam West of KOOL 108 emcees the night.

If you're staying for the weekend, Saturday, July 10, flips the script with a country night headlined by Jon Pardi, the California-born singer-songwriter with fourteen RIAA-certified singles and six number ones, including the 6x-platinum 'Head Over Boots'. He's supported by Lee Brice, who has eighteen singles and eight number ones of his own, and the night is emceed by K102's Chris Carr. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. again, so the two nights mirror each other in timing.

Tickets are on sale now, and the pricing gives you a few ways to do the weekend. General admission is $100 for a single night or $135 for both, and a two-day pass is also available. For something closer to the stage, there's a PIT Pass at $175 a night, which is standing room only with no chairs allowed but comes with a separate bar and separate restrooms this year. The top tier is the VIP ticket at $320 a night, which adds front-stage access, a catered hospitality tent with a private bar, shorter lines, and private restrooms, though you have to be 21 to buy or enter the VIP area. Children 10 and under are free but need to be with an adult at all times, and one ticket per night is still required for them, scanned at the gate.

It's worth remembering what this festival actually is. It started in 2010 as the Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival, put on by the Prior Lake Rotary, and grew into one of the largest outdoor music festivals in the metro area, more than 32,000 people through the gates last year. It's a private fundraiser, with proceeds going to the Prior Lake Rotary Foundation and local schools, so the ticket money does some good in the community. One practical note before you go: tickets aren't sold at the gates, so you'll want to sort yours out online through Tempo Tickets ahead of time.