PRNelson touched on a couple good points on this thread about keeping one's memories of a certain place, rather than just relying on a physical outlet (i.e. a building, a sculpture, etc.) for any sentimental values. i think the two are somewhat intertwined, but it's a great point nonetheless. with that, i've started up this thread so that those of us who have any memories about goin to first avenue can share 'em with everyone else here.

I am so elated that I got a chance to visit First Ave - and only a couple of weeks before it closed!

I'll never forget:

• standing out on the sidewalk with Dansa and TOFKA, in awe of all the stars with the names of...uh, all the stars. ...trying to find the "Prince & the Revolution" star, and screeching when I did!
  
  
• ordering a Corona at the bar, and being handed a huge 24-oz bottle like it was no thang.
  
  
• purposely getting my foot stuck in the door and groaning, "ooooh!" just like Apollonia in Purple Rain.
  
  
• cuddling up with a big buncha sexxxies for a picture in front of the Purple Rain star.
  
  
• not caring that it was a dead-ass night with crap music, 'cause I was at freakin' First Avenue!
  
  
• the last stall.

[Edited 11/4/04 12:08pm]

FunkMistress said:

did you really do that?!

o-tay, my turn...a few certain orgers may remember this:

at the new year's party last year, me and a few other folks were in the VIP room (back before they made you pay a $2.00 cross-over fee to get in the friggin room ), gettin our dance on...there was this couple dancin next to all of us, a guy and a girl. the girl was wasted off her bee-hind, ya'll--she kept bumpin into us n'shit. anyway, we were dancin and all the sudden she stumbled, fell backwards, and hit the floor. hard. the back of her head hit the floor so hard that i could hear the "thud" of the impact over the loud-ass music. we were like, "oh shit!"

...hopefully she still don't have that goose egg on the back of her head.

another memory: for a time durin this past spring/summer, first ave. had these karaoke/lip synching nights (cornball city, i know) where you could win prizes or whatever...i went to one of these outta curiosity on a saturday night. there was this one dude who lip-synced van halen's "ice cream man"...he started out pretty tame, but when the song picked up...omg.

first thing the dude did was a full backflip off of the stage on to the dance floor--the floor was totally empty (save for the judges' table towards the bar). the dude flipped and landed flat on his back...everyone in the place went "oooooh!!!" for a brief moment, then we were all like "yeaaaaah!!" dude got up off the floor, ran up the stairs on one side, ran through the upstairs bar, ran through both the mens' and womens' bathrooms, then slid down the bannister on the other set of stairs on the other side.

needless to say, he won the contest that night.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

And yeah, I really did the door thing.

FunkMistress said:

the guy had to have been on speed or sumfin...

FunkMistress said:

so did i

Aww, thats sad that this place is closing! Specially aince it's seems to have had such good times in it! I'll never get the chance to go there...

Anxiety said:

not you, too!

Come on, make with the sharing!

It's okay if your only memories come from the movie. We promise not to flame you if you post something like "Remember when they were doing the Bird up on the balcony? Yeah, that was cool."

Wait, that's another memory: Me pointing at the balcony and squealing something just like that.

FunkMistress said:

nooooo, i'd rather have testimonials from folks who actually set foot inside the club and spent their time there, not just folks who've seen pr and all that...too typical. 'sides, that'll wind up gettin my thread jacked, probably.

i thought this thread would have been a biggie.

* I saw Alice in Chains back in 1992 (I think), and Mike Starr, the bassist, axed me for a cigarette Made my week back then

* Meeting all the members of Imperial Teen at a show in 2002 and my rockstar bf Roddy Bottum staring me right in the eye everytime he sang "take it like a man, boy." Yeah...good times.

Actual grafitti in one of the men's room stalls a few years back:

Prince peed here

I didn't step foot into 1st Ave until a few years back when Greazy Meal was playing there. I hadn't gone back there until this past spring for the pre-concerts party they were having there and I came in my hospital scrubs ala Dr. Fink. I met quite a few of you there and had a blast.

I didn't meet you then, but I'm sure I saw you there!
You just reminded me of another of my favorite moments - the Asian Prince in white lace with a swash of lace over his eyes.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yep, I remember that guy!

The first time I saw Prince at First Ave was the summer after ATWIAD came out. It was just a regular dance nite (P wasn't performing). My friends & I were standing at the bottom of one of the staircases when I noticed Prince was standing right behind us. He was wearing a bright red jumpsuit and had the Liza Minelli 'do that he sported in the Raspberry Beret video. Of course none of us said anything to him but we were in awe.

The last time I saw Prince at First Ave was his infamous "for those of you on valium" show in 1987, the day before SOTT was released. I remember the local radio station WLOL announced that Prince was playing that nite, and it was like $3 to get in.

JEFF
Mpls
[Edited 11/7/04 8:32am]

In February 1985 I went on a High School field trip to Minneapolis to go to a cultural diversity type convention at the Civic Center (I think).

I went with the language clubs from the school. I was in the Spanish Club. (No I don't speak it.)

Anyways, I was the only one into Prince, so I was the only one FREAKING OUT when the bus driver made a special detour and drove past First Avenue.

One of my few regrets in life is that I was such a TREMENDOUS CHICKEN and did not sneak out of the hotel and go check out First Avenue.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to get by there before anything more awful happens to it.