The Death Of First Avenue?

The Minneapolis Star Tribune published an article yesterday, First Ave. (The Club) Vs. 1st Avenue (The Street), that describes upcoming changes to the streets in downtown Minneapolis that could very well spell the demise of the legendary First Avenue & 7th Street Entry clubs. All the details can be found in the article, but the upshot is that changes to the lanes on First Avenue (the street) will result in elimination of the metered parking spots that bands use to unload gear and park vehicles. Starting next week, bands will have to park on 8th Street and haul gear from over a block away – not a fun prospect in the bitter winter months. Given the number of quality clubs in the area for bands to play, it’s hard to see how bands would choose to play First Ave. It’s really disappointing that the City Council wasn’t willing to work out a compromise. The arrogance and insensitivity of City Council Member Lisa Goodman, as quoted in the article, is astounding. Writer Chris Riemenschneider correctly ponders, “For those who prefer ‘Tartuffe’ to Gwar, do you think the city would ever permanently block the Guthrie [Theater’s] loading dock and make its actors walk through the snow?”

First Ave. is a landmark club, popularized in urban lore as the club featured in Purple Rain. If First Ave. were to close after this traffic change, this would attract national attention and shame our local music scene. First Ave. is one of my favorite places to see club shows, and the number of metal bands that have played there is incalculable. There’s certainly plenty of other decent clubs in the area for metal bands to play if First Ave. were to shutter its doors, so I don’t think closure would decrease the number of touring bands booked in the Twin Cities. Rather, this would shift some shows to other clubs. The clearest beneficiary from this would be Epic (the old Quest Club), a horrible, sightline-obstructed club down the street that has lately been dabbling in metal shows. Let’s all hope that the City Council develops some reason and works with First Ave. to come to a sensible solution for the club.