carolyn Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Ive mentioned before that I work(ED) at a nightclub here in Mpls called First Avenue. It WAS the club where Purple Rain was filmed. It has a 30yr history of being an independant nightclub which helped bands such as The Time, Prince, Replacements, Soul Asylum, Jayhawks, Semisonic, Husker Du/Bob Mould/Sugar, and Bob Dylan get their start. You can see a full list of bands here Anyway, without getting into too many of the complex details, yesterday the business owner filed for bankruptcy. We were all given 45 minutes to pick up/cash our checks and take any of our personal belongings before the sheriff came. 150 employees lost their jobs yesterday. I have been there 10 1/2 yrs. At least half of those employees have worked at the club for 10-20+yrs. We all got wicked drunk last night. Woke up to the election results at 8am...crawled back in bed to nurse a horrific hangover for most of the day with blankets covering my head. So didnt want to face the day. If interested, you can get a bit more information here And hey alpinek...that means no el vez in a few weeks. Quote
AlpineK Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Too bad about the whole deal and missing out on El Vez, or getting the chance to meet C. I'm sure she would have been happy to meet someone who knew her friends. Quote
ChrisT Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Sorry to hear about your misfortune Carolyn. Maybe you could move to Portland and get a job at the Crystal Ballroom Quote
EWolfe Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 One door slams, another one opens. May you find it soon. Quote
snoboy Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 You know, the Commodore Ballroom used to be kind of like what your club sounds like, then it too went bankrupt. Eventually it came back. New owners now, but the same sort of scene. Tom Waits just played there to kick off their 75th anniversary. Maybe there is hope for Firts Ave. One of the best shows I saw there was No Means No... with my mom! But who knows, maybe MisterE is right, maybe it's just the opening of a new door. Quote
Ireneo_Funes Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 That's too bad, Carolyn. When I lived in Minneapolis, First Ave was the place to see bands play (even though I personally liked the 400 Bar & the Turf Club better). I have a lot of memories from shows in the mainroom & the seventh street entry... I think the first time I went there was to see Soul Asylum do a show in the entry back in like '88 or something. It was always a big deal when a friend's band got a show in the mainroom, even if they were just opening. From the StarTrib article it sounds like Steve McClellan & another guy might try to start a new club in the same space...hope that works out. Quote
carolyn Posted November 5, 2004 Author Posted November 5, 2004 (edited) One door slams, another one opens. May you find it soon. Definately. Ive actually been looking into going back to school. Not having to work late nights, even a few times a week opens my schedule to look for more steady work if I wanted. And yes, the old managers, property owners, and the bankruptcy lawyer were meeting today to see what kind of deals they can strike up. Waiting to hear the results. Who knows, if we DO reopen people might realize how much it sucked to be without it even for a short period of time. Might help us out in the long run. The joke is to rename it, "formally known as First Avenue" to keep the spirit of Prince alive. Bah Hum bug! Blues Explosion was moved to the 400bar tonight Ireneo...18+...how sucky is that. On the other hand, at least they are sticking it out and didnt cancel. Edited November 5, 2004 by carolyn Quote
carolyn Posted November 5, 2004 Author Posted November 5, 2004 Maybe you could move to Portland and get a job at the Crystal Ballroom Was that place once called La Luna? 4 nights of modest mouse! Yowza!!!! And George Clinton...other than G.Love, Ive NEVER seen anyone play so long....5hrs I think at his last show. Quote
ChrisT Posted November 5, 2004 Posted November 5, 2004 Maybe you could move to Portland and get a job at the Crystal Ballroom Was that place once called La Luna? 4 nights of modest mouse! Yowza!!!! And George Clinton...other than G.Love, Ive NEVER seen anyone play so long....5hrs I think at his last show. No La Luna is long gone but that was a really fun place! It was across the town on the other side of the river. I got my son tickets to Death Cab for Cutie on 11/10 and the Monday night show of the MM tour...now I can't afford tickets for myself. The Crystal is indeed a great place with a nice springy wood floor. Next time you're out this way, we'll go see a show there. Quote
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