Mumford and Sons – Mystic Lake Amphitheater – Shakopee MN – July 31st 2026

Mumford and Sons with special guests Medium Build at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee MN  on July 31st 2026

Review and photos by Kyle Hansen

There was something fitting about Medium Build opening a summer night at Mystic Lake Amphitheater on July 31. Before Mumford & Sons took the stage, the Alaska-born artist brought an intimate, emotionally charged presence to a venue built for thousands.

Medium Build’s roughly 45-minute set moved between indie-pop, alternative and confessional songwriting, creating a surprisingly personal atmosphere despite the size of the amphitheater. Opening with “WMP” and moving through songs including “In My Room,” “Home Depot,” “Triple Marathon,” “Rage,” “Crying Over U” and “Never Learned to Dance,” the set offered a good introduction to an artist whose music can be both vulnerable and playful.

What stood out most was the contrast between the larger-than-life setting and the deeply personal nature of the songs. Medium Build has a knack for turning uncomfortable feelings, relationship frustrations and self-reflection into something that feels communal rather than isolating. Even for people encountering the artist for the first time, there was an accessibility to the performance that made the songs easy to connect with.

“Rage” provided one of the set’s more energetic moments, while “Crying Over U” and “In My Room” leaned into the emotional side of the performance. “Never Learned to Dance” and “Armor” rounded out a set that demonstrated the range of Medium Build’s songwriting without feeling overstuffed.

As an opening act, the challenge is always to make an impression while working within a limited amount of time. Medium Build succeeded by doing exactly what a strong opener should do: giving the audience something memorable enough to make them curious about what comes next.

The biggest compliment may have come later in the evening, when Medium Build joined Mumford & Sons for “Here.” That collaboration turned the opening set into something more than a brief introduction—it became part of the night’s larger musical story.

Medium Build’s Mystic Lake appearance was short, but it left an impression. The performance showed an artist capable of making a large outdoor venue feel personal, balancing emotional honesty with enough energy and personality to win over a crowd that had primarily come to see the headliner.

For anyone who discovered Medium Build for the first time at Mystic Lake, the set offered a compelling reason to listen further. And for longtime fans, it was another reminder of how effectively these songs can connect in a live setting.

After Medium Build’s opening set, the lights eventually dropped and the stage came alive. When Mumford & Sons launched into “Begin Again,” the response from the crowd made it immediately clear that this was going to be a special night.

Then came “Little Lion Man.”

The opening notes were enough to send the audience into full singalong mode. Looking around, it seemed like everyone knew every word. That continued through “White Blank Page,” “Rubber Band Man,” “Icarus,” “Awake My Soul” and “Lover of the Light.”

What impressed me most was how naturally the newer songs fit alongside the classics. “Prizefighter” and “Badlands” didn’t feel like songs the audience was politely waiting through until the older hits returned. They had their own energy, and the crowd embraced them.

But there was something particularly powerful about hearing these songs outdoors. The sound seemed to stretch across the entire amphitheater. The combination of the band’s acoustic instruments, pounding drums and massive lighting production created moments that felt almost overwhelming in the best possible way. “Believe” was one of those moments.

So was “The Cave.” By the time “Ditmas” arrived, the concert had become less about watching the band and more about participating in the experience. Marcus Mumford even made his way through the audience during the song, bringing the performance off the stage and into the crowd.

And then came one of the night’s biggest surprises.

During “Here,” Medium Build returned to the stage to perform with the band. It was an unexpected moment that made the opening act feel like an important part of the evening rather than simply the artist who happened to play first.

From there, the show continued through “Stay,” “Delta” and “The Wolf,” before the band shifted gears for one of my favorite parts of the night.

They moved to the B-stage for a stripped-down acoustic section.

Suddenly, all the enormous production disappeared. The band gathered around a single microphone and performed “Timshel,” “Reminder” and “The Boxer.” After the spectacle of the main stage, there was something incredibly refreshing about hearing the songs in such a simple setting.

“The Boxer,” in particular, was beautiful.

It reminded me that underneath all the lights, amplification and huge crowds, Mumford & Sons are still a band built around songwriting, voices and instruments. The quieter moment somehow made the entire concert feel more personal.

Then the band returned to the main stage for the final stretch.

“Rushmere” brought the new era of Mumford & Sons back into focus, followed by “The Banjo Song.” And then came the song everyone seemed to be waiting for.

“I Will Wait.” Thousands of people singing the chorus together is difficult to describe unless you’re standing in the middle of it. For a few minutes, it didn’t really feel like there was a band and an audience. It felt like everyone was singing the same song together.

As the final notes faded, I remember thinking that the two-hour performance had gone by remarkably fast.

The July 31 show wasn’t simply a collection of Mumford & Sons’ biggest songs. It was a journey through the band’s past, present and future. The classics delivered the enormous singalong moments, the Prizefighter material showed where the band is headed, and the acoustic set provided the intimacy needed to balance everything out.

And Mystic Lake Amphitheater turned out to be an ideal place for it.

Leaving the venue that night, there was still music coming from the parking lots and people talking about their favorite moments. Some were talking about “Little Lion Man.” Others were still buzzing about Marcus walking through the crowd or Medium Build joining the band.

For me, though, it was the feeling of thousands of people singing “I Will Wait” together that stayed with me.

That is what Mumford & Sons do particularly well live. They take songs that may have started as something personal and turn them into something shared.

On July 31, at Mystic Lake, they didn’t just put on a concert. They created a night that felt like it belonged to everyone who was there.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars