First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis

First Avenue and 7th Street Entry are two music venues housed in the same building in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The names are derived from the building's location: the corner of First Avenue and 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis. Locally, First Avenue and the 7th Street Entry are respectively referred to as The Mainroom and The Entry. They are considered to be a cornerstone of the Midwest music scene, and serve as a landmark of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States.

[edit] History

The building was initially named The Depot because it was originally a Greyhound bus station. Built in 1937, the building was noted for its art deco style and amenities of air conditioning, shower rooms, and public telephones. The floor inside was a checkered terrazzo, while the sidewalk was made of shiny blue bricks with white trim.^[1] The club got its start when the twenty-five year old owner, Alan Fingerhut opened the doors for the very first time on April 3, 1970 to showcase a two set evening with Joe Cocker. A few years later, during the height of disco music, the venue was renamed Uncle Sam's and was part of a national franchise of the American Events Company. Steve McClellan and Jack Meyers, the club's financial manager, took control in 1978, shortening the club's name to Sam's for a brief time before finally renaming it as First Avenue. McClellan opened the 7th Street Entry in 1981. It was previously used as a restaurant area in the bus station. ^[2]

The club was shut down by then owner Alan Fingerhut in the late fall of 2004 for financial reasons, causing protest from music fans in Minnesota and elsewhere. The issues were quickly resolved (even the judge presiding in the bankruptcy case noted, "I gather there is some urgency about this"), and the club was reopened by owners Meyers, McClellan, and long time business manager Byron Frank, resuming shows after only one week. Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak promised to do a stage dive at the first show after reopening, but ended up dropping the idea when he discovered that the show would feature the heavy metal band GWAR. Rybak had previously crowd surfed at a "Rock for Democracy" event earlier in the year.

McClellan ended his 32 year stint at First Avenue in 2005 and formed the non-profit Diverse Emerging Music Organization. He still serves as an outside consultant to the venue.

[edit] Notable events

The nightclub has been the starting point for virtually every single band to come out of the Twin Cities, including The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Prince, Soul Asylum, Semisonic, American Head Charge, Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Dillinger Four, Dosh, The Jayhawks, Curtiss A, and many others. Bands and artists have performed at the nightclub and influenced the Minneapolis music scene from 1970 onward, as exemplified by the silver stars that adorn the black building's exterior (every star has the name of an artist who has played at First Avenue or 7th Street Entry). First Avenue also appeared in Prince's 1984 film Purple Rain.

[edit] 7th Street Entry

The 7th Street Entry is a smaller venue attached to the side of the historic First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "The Entry", as it is called, is a venue where smaller and lesser known bands will play (more popular bands play the First Avenue mainroom). The 7th Street Entry was originally a coat room. Several recordings have been recorded live at the Entry, including Hüsker Dü's first album Land Speed Record, the song "Cables" on Big Black's Atomizer album, Rifle Sport's live album Live at the Entry, Dead at the Exit, and Motion City Soundtrack's Commit This to Memory live DVD.

[edit] Trivia

The encounter retold in the song "Minneapolis" by that dog. is often mistakenly thought to be set at 7th Street Entry, based on the song title and the line "he saw me at The Entry." However, as one can see from the first line of the lyrics, it in fact takes place in Los Angeles coffee house.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• First Avenue and 7th Street Entry
• The First Avenue Massacre - What Steve McClellan's Pink Slip Said by Jim Walsh
• First Avenue's Black Tuesday by Peter S. Scholtes
• The Band Files documenting musical engagements at First Avenue and 7th Street Entry are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.

Coordinates: 44°58′41″N 93°16′33″W / 44.97800°N 93.27594°W / 44.97800; -93.27594