[b] That Sucks big time...

I just watched "Under the Cherry Moon" for the 99th time...

Was going to visit your fair city in May 2005...

What now?????

This is really fucking lame.

This place is a part of music history, and I never got to go!


Let's hope something is done to re-open it.

i cant believe this...

even though i never got the chance 2 go, this is big news 2 me...tragic even

i think it would b totally great if prince would do something 4 1st ave- that would b greater than great...it would b awesome!!!

i just sincerely hope that it reopens and they dont change the name...it just wouldnt b the same

endorphin74 said:

I remember seeing The Minutemen there back in 1991 - was a bloody killer gig too!

eyewishuheaven said:

Well, near my home is "60th Street Desserts & Delicatessen," even though the establishment is at 74th Street.

i have not been this sad since they turned the The Northland Greyhound Bus Depot into a nightclub.

erm im only f*****g only 14 i was waitin till i was 21 to go there!
that sucks!

Oh i want to go give first ave a hug. I grew up there! going to every sunday night dance party in the 90's! first avenue opened my life to new music and new people. I saw so many amazing shows there too many to name.Oh im such a nerd im going to cry.

PRNelson said:

shame it was on my places 2 go list

endorphin74 said:

With all the "Block E" stuff going on across the street, can you just *imagine* the crap they may pump into that building if not razz it altogether to make way for another trendy business...

Now with the Hard Rock already across the way that's about the ONLY thing I could see going in there...maybe make it a 2nd Hard Rock Live like the one in Orlando. All the better if they could keep the First Ave name, I don't know...it just all seems so wrong.


the think before I type edit
[Edited 11/3/04 5:56am]

Where am i gonna get me some more of those delicious 1st Avenue mints Darin once sent me

bananacologne said:

D. Boon died in 1985 so I doubt you saw the Minutemen in '91.

I am sad to see this happen to our beloved First Avenue,i have alot of fond memories of this place.I used to pratically live there,went every friday,saturday,sunday,had so much fun dancing the nights away.On the other hand,we have to embrace change,makes all of us grow.I think a tee shirt or sweatshirt is a good idea to have for keepsake,like the downloads of First Avenue,makes me feel like im there again thanks!!!

DAMN, DAMN, DAMNA, DAMN, DAMN!!!! I AM SO PISSED OFF!
IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I'M GOING TO GO THROW MYSELF IN FRONT OF A TRAIN NOW! AND I NEVER GOT TO GO THERE! FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK!

I'm so glad I got to visit it first.

This is an expanded version of the Star Tribune article regarding the closure of the Ave.:

Bankruptcy closes First Avenue nightclub

Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
November 3, 2004


First Avenue was closed indefinitely and its employees were let go Tuesday after the nightclub's operator filed for bankruptcy.

Allan Fingerhut, the founder of Minneapolis' most legendary music venue, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on the club at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, two days before his company was supposed to vacate the premises.

Fingerhut was evicted by First Avenue's landlords over unpaid real-estate taxes and rent. Two of those landlords are former managers Steve McClellan and Jack Meyer, who plan to start a new company to run the club.

Exactly how long it will take the two ex-managers to take over was unclear. Fingerhut said he does not plan to give the liquor license necessary to operate the club. New liquor licenses often take two months or more to obtain.

Fingerhut also does not want to hand over the name of the club, although the name is now part of the assets that are part of the bankruptcy trust.

"First Avenue might pop up again someplace else in the city," Fingerhut said, hinting at the possibility of putting the name over some other music club.

For some of the 120 laid-off employees, the building is what matters most. Some of them gathered at a bar a few blocks from the club to commiserate Tuesday afternoon after Fingerhut gave them their paychecks.

"We were told to cash them -- not deposit them -- as soon as possible," said Sonia Grover, one of the talent bookers.

"Our loyalty is to the club, not whoever owns it," said Grover, who is working on finding new venues for some of the acts booked into the club for the next few months.

None of the concerts now on the club's calendar are likely to go on there. Representatives of other clubs in Minneapolis, including the Fine Line, Quest and 400 Bar, were inundated with calls from booking agents about rescheduling First Avenue shows there.

Storied background

Since 1970, the former bus station at 701 1st Av. N. has played host to live music and dance nights. Bands such as U2 and Nirvana played there on tour, while innumerable local acts got their start there, including the Replacements, Soul Asylum and Prince, who filmed "Purple Rain" there in 1983.

On Monday, one of the club's most famous sons, former Replacements singer Paul Westerberg, expressed disappointment in the ownership battle that has been going on for more than a year.

"It's too bad for [McClellan and Meyer], because they were the guys who supported bands like mine when we still sucked," Westerberg said.

The pair's lawyer said the two former managers, who each own a 10 percent stake in the building, tried to negotiate with Fingerhut to work out a smoother transition so the club would not have to close.

"We made him a very fair offer," attorney Sean Shiff said. "For all we know, [Fingerhut] had bankruptcy plans at the back of his mind all along but he was just trying to see what he could get."

LeeAnn Weimar, a publicist hired by McClellan and Meyer and a former First Avenue staffer, sent out a press release alleging that Fingerhut is trying to undo the club's legacy.

Fingerhut and his lawyer told a different story. They said he had to put his company, the Committee, Inc., in bankruptcy proceedings because of a separate lawsuit that McClellan and Meyer filed against Fingerhut over the termination of their contracts as managers.

"It just got to be too much, one lawsuit after another," said Gregory Weyandt, Fingerhut's attorney.

Weyandt suggested that one goal of First Avenue's landlords could be to sell off the building, which sits across from Block E and Target Center.

The building's primary owner is Fingerhut's longtime accountant, Byron Frank, whom Fingerhut sued last year over contract disputes. He owns 60 percent of the property. McClellan and Meyer each have a 10 percent stake, and another 20 percent belongs to a trust fund set up by Fingerhut, based on a purchase of the building in 2000.

"They're good businessmen, and knocking the place down would probably be smart business," Weyandt said.

Frank, McClellan and their representatives have repeatedly denied such claims and pledged their allegiance to the club. McClellan is seen by musicians and other outsiders as being especially dedicated to the music there.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is essentially a liquidation of a company's assets with the intention of ending the company, as opposed to a Chapter 11 filing, which is meant to keep businesses going.

McClellan and Meyer now must negotiate with a bankruptcy trustee to obtain the club's equipment, and possibly its name. They have already begun application for a liquor license.

"Their main concern now is getting the club up and running and having those employees back at work as soon as possible," Weimar said on behalf of McClellan and Meyer.

Arrangements were being made to move shows to other venues. A performance by Jonathan Richman and Robyn Hitchcock will show tonight at the Cedar Cultural Center, and the Matthew Sweet show scheduled for Friday at First Avenue has now moved to the Cabooze bar. Tentatively, Thursday's gig with Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion will move to the 400 Bar, and Saturday's show with Le Tigre will move to the Ascot Room. Tickets would likely be honored at each venue.

Other concert updates will appear on www.startribune.com/music and in Friday's Variety FreeTime section.

This news makes me very sad

sonicfreak said:

oops - my bad Mr Pedantic, it was fIREHOSE.

I'm sitting at my internship trying to hold back the tears because of all the fucking bad news!! I'm still in shock. I want to go down & hold a candlelight vigil before anything happens to the current condition of the building & take pics & maybe hit the denial stage & chain myself to the building....Do not go gently into that good night....RAGE RAGE against the dying of the light!

Wait one damn minute!!
Where's Billy Sparks???
What does HE have to say about all of this??

Hi, I was one of First Ave resident DJ's, and this is pretty depressing. We all saw it comming, but nobody wanted to believe it. That place represented freedom to me, I could be myself, play all kinds of music, people comming to the club were the most openminded people I've seen in Mpls when it comes to music. People came to the club to have fun, not to pose, show off or start fights. When I threw the Prince party last june, we were talking about doin' it every year. And now this. Now we're just hoping that the club will reopen soon. Peace

Cookie said:

Keep us updated!

NOOOOO!!!!!

it's an end to an era (should be saved as a national monument!!!!!)

endorphin74 said:

Yes it was! Weird that we were just there. I'm not too worried about it. They'll get it re-opened at some point. That place is a Minneapolis institution.

I havent gotten my chance to go!! Nooooo!!!!!
Seriously though, I hope they get it back on trip if they can.....

That really, really sucks

Is there any way we can purchase it as the prince.org house???

Maybe P will do something.

EskomoKisses said:

Well, did you hear that where Blues Alley used to be (right across the street from First Ave. and Target Center, they are opening a topless strip club very soon. A "classy" one. Like we need more of those downtown. Damn, all the cool old bars and clubs are disappearing.

Gotta bring in more suburbanites you know!

rant over

bananacologne said:

We were probably at the same show. I used to go see fIREHOSE every time First Ave./The Entry had them.