Didja hear the one about First Avenue closing?

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I just heard about this on the news:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/919/5065296.html

http://www.first-avenue.com/

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 23:25 (twenty years ago)

Nooooooooo. NO, no, no, no, no, no.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 00:06 (twenty years ago)

It's all legit....talked to several people that would know.

It's closing.

Hopefully, Steve McClellan can get financing to reopen it, but I work with someone who knows lots of folks at Clear Channel and she wouldn't be suprised if they buy the venue....House of Blues is apparently interested too....McClellan's going to have to get a new liquor license and bring the building up to code, which would be a massively expensive project....

the land is super valuable now, wouldn't be surprised if it gets torn down and turned into condos.

everyone in local bands i've talked to just feels gutted.....like I said on ILE this happening on the same day Bush (apparently) won is just fucking devastating.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 15:32 (twenty years ago)

I heard about this today via a friend still in the TC. On the one hand, I find this to be fucking disgusting. On the other hand, this is the perfect opportunity for everyone to say "FUCK YOU" to Clear Channel and investigate your local choral groups and symphonies.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 15:38 (twenty years ago)

yeah, but if first ave closes then the only place for largish club acts (1000-1500 capacity) will be the Quest....formerly known as Glam Slam which is a horribly shitty place to see live music and also a CC venue.....It was made to be a dance club not a concert place so there's these huge fucking pillars that block the sightlines everywhere and the sound is uniformly mucky and muddled.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 16:09 (twenty years ago)

Which is why I'm suggesting that you boycott largish club acts and use the opportunity to get into homespun music performed in churches.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 16:12 (twenty years ago)

What's wrong with jazz clubs?

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 16:22 (twenty years ago)

(maybe no one should answer that)

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 16:22 (twenty years ago)

I'm not against jazz clubs or large gospel choral music, and would probably be 300x more likely to attend either of those than most of the acts that get booked at First Avenue lately, but... I mean... Jesus! That building should be on the National Registry!!!

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 18:31 (twenty years ago)

In our minds, yes. However, history is such that no one will even care about the historical context of First Avenue for another 150 years, and even then no one will care outside of Minnesota.

So, go check out a madrigal group.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 18:36 (twenty years ago)

MF DOOM IS NOT A FUCKING MADRIGAL GROUP

ARGH KILL

― MC Transmaniacon (natepatrin), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 18:57 (twenty years ago)

This is the worst thing to happen to Minnesota pop culture since the Carew trade

― MC Transmaniacon (natepatrin), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 18:57 (twenty years ago)

i'm feeling anti-religion today, don't think church music is going to be on the program.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 19:17 (twenty years ago)

I'm really bummed cuz my band was going to play the 7th St Entry for the first time on Saturday after the Le Tigre show in the Mainroom....I was super excited.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 19:18 (twenty years ago)

If they turn it into a House of Blues I will personally murder Dan Akroyd with a staple gun

― MC Transmaniacon (natepatrin), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 19:19 (twenty years ago)

Um, you know that madrigals aren't church music, right?

If church music is making you queasy, go check out the symphony.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 19:36 (twenty years ago)

Um, you know that madrigals aren't church music, right?

haha! no, actually....dude i'm junk culture all the way, i don't know shit about shit......jazz-zilch, classical-zilch, world music-zilch....

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 20:01 (twenty years ago)

See, this is why this is a perfect opportunity to explore other, grassroots-based genres (okay, shows at The Ordway might be stretching the definition of "grassroots" but bear with me) around the Twin Cities. I don't know who's come into prominence now that the Dale Warland Singers aren't going anymore but last I heard there was a very strong choral scene in the Twin Cities.

Also, most sacred music is miles and miles above the limpid Christian pop/country that's flogged by praise teams across the nation. Palestrina alone kills all that stuff dead, but add in Tallis, Ockeghem, Josquin, Byrd, Victoria, Monteverdi and Schutz and you've got tons and tons of killer stuff without even leaving the Renaissance.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 22:45 (twenty years ago)

Here's what happened and why at First Avenue:

http://babelogue.citypages.com:8080/pscholtes/2004/11/04

― Pete Scholtes, Friday, 5 November 2004 20:02 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

so what's the status on First Avenue right now? the last thing I read about it implied that it may be quickly re-opened under new ownership, and the website seems to imply that everythings up and running as usual: http://www.first-avenue.com/

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 2 December 2004 17:59 (twenty years ago)

From what I understand, it's open weekends but the crowds have been pretty sparse for the dance nights.

I was back in town last weekend, and wanted to pick up some First Ave shirts for some newyawk homies, but it was too rainysnowycraptacular to justify a trip downtown.

How many people can fit into TRSC? That addition felt like a new-fangled Entry to me (I've only been there once, for one of the LFTR+PLLR shows) but that place is stellar.

― subgenius (subgenius), Thursday, 2 December 2004 20:30 (twenty years ago)

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