at least not in it's current form. Rumors have flown around for years about the demise of First Ave. and we'll just have to wait and see how this pans out I guess but Steve McCllelan who has been the manager of First Ave for close to 25 years, all through the Purple Rain days until two days ago was fired on Tuesday. He is the man who has worked tirelessly to make the club what it has been for so many years, what made Prince feel comfortable there... All kinds of music, a different vibe every night, dance nights, concerts, funk, punk, jazz, latin whatever. It has been losing money recently and my fear is that it will become just like every other sterile Clear Channal lovin' club in town. Oh well... It was fun. Here is an article in todays Startribune, I'm sure many more will be coming (keep an eye on next weeks City Pages!)

http://www.startribune.co...43853.html

actually there's an little article about first ave. in this week's issue of shitty pages (i like callin it that...heh). from here:

First Ave To Mcclellan: May We Cut In?

by Paul Demko

Is the dance party dead at First Avenue?

In the last year or so the late-night dance crowds at the club have dwindled to economically perilous numbers. Roughly 400 to 500 people are showing up to dance on Friday and Saturday nights--or about a quarter as many as just a few years ago.

Although First Avenue is revered as a showcase for rock bands, the dance crowds have made up a large chunk of the club's revenues, owing in part to the comparatively low overhead costs. "It used to be a majority of it until we went off the deep end and made it concerts, concerts, concerts," says Allan Fingerhut, who opened the club as the Depot in 1970. First Avenue has also been hurt by competition from glossy upstarts such as Escape and Tonic.

But Fingerhut is vowing to reclaim the dance-club turf. At his behest, former assistant general manager Chris Olson has returned to the club (after a roughly six-month hiatus) and will be overseeing late-night programming. Olson says that he'll be revamping the dance formats throughout the summer.

The personnel shake-up is, at least in part, a rebuke to longtime First Avenue manager Steve McClellan. "Steven, bless his heart, doesn't think at all about dance nights," Fingerhut says. Asked how McClellan reacted to having the duties wrested from his control, Fingerhut is of two minds. "He's not all that happy, but he's happy-go-lucky," he allows. "So he'll live with it." McClellan will continue to oversee band booking.

McClellan insists that he was never in charge of the dance nights and dismisses Fingergut's meddling. "He's going to run them from San Francisco," McClellan scoffs. "That's what he told me."

Recent promotional gambits have not gone well. A couple of new weekly events intended to bolster the nonconcert hours were failures, with neither karaoke nor lip synch/air-guitar contests drawing large weekend crowds. Both have now been shelved. In recent weeks, First Avenue has returned to a straight dance format on weekends, featuring DJs such as PD Spinlove. And Olson says go-go dancers, giant smoke rings, and "other weird visual things to enhance the night" are part of his future plans.

But the club's financial stability also continues to be dogged by a lingering dispute between Fingerhut and his longtime friend and business partner, Byron Frank. Fingerhut had sued Frank in Hennepin County District Court over a contract dispute related to the club, but the parties reached a tentative settlement in November. As part of that agreement, Frank would gain a larger ownership share of the First Avenue building in exchange for giving up his interest in Fingerhut's California art galleries.

But according to Fingerhut, the suit has not yet been wrapped up because the parties are still waiting on an appraisal for the galleries. "It's like herpes," he sighs. "It keeps on coming back and back." No doubt he hopes dance nights will be as resilient.

also, i wanna add somethin: i got to meet steve mcclellan last thanksgiving. very, very cool guy...this rots. if first ave. closes up, there ain't no other place here in mpls that i'd be able to go to on a friday night or whenever and feel at ease. fuck all these "ultra-lounges" that have popped up like little weeds in downtown over the past year.

may as well go and copy n'paste the article from the strib for those who can't be bothered to click on a link or two:

First Avenue managers out
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
June 24, 2004 AVENUE0624


Patti Smith rocked and a couple of heads rolled at First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis late Tuesday.

Steve McClellan and Jack Meyer, the club's managers for most of its 34 years in business, were forced out by owner Allan Fingerhut. McClellan was widely seen as the heart and soul of the city's best-known nightclub.

Fingerhut said the two managers were suspended and not fired, but they saw it otherwise.

"I'm getting my stuff out of [the office] today," McClellan said Wednesday, adding, "I'm moving to Haiti after this."

McClellan oversaw music operations at the club and was usually the first person thanked by musicians on stage or in CD liner notes.

He declined to comment further. Meyer, the club's business manager, could not be reached.

McClellan and Meyer received a letter from Fingerhut this week that they believe "fully ended their relationship with [Fingerhut]," said Joe Finley, an attorney representing the two managers. The contents of the letter were not disclosed by either side.

"In my opinion, these are two guys who gave everything they had to the club and saw it through tough times, and this is the thanks they get," Finley said.

First Avenue has struggled in recent years from a slumping music industry and growing competition from concert corporation Clear Channel.

Last year, the club was also rocked by a lawsuit that Fingerhut filed against his longtime business partner, Byron Frank. McClellan and Meyer -- who each own 10 percent of the building that houses First Avenue but do not have a share in the company that runs the club -- kept a neutral position in the dispute.

Fingerhut sounded uncertain of the finality of this new disagreement. He described McClellan and Meyer as having a "knee-jerk reaction" to the letter he sent them. The parties are expected to meet Thursday.

"There are some complicated issues we need to discuss before I say more," Fingerhut said.

Fingerhut, the primary financier of First Avenue since its inception in 1970, is flying today to the Twin Cities from California, where he now lives and runs art galleries. Even as the club has struggled, Fingerhut has maintained that he intends to keep the club open and independent.

He recently brought in a new manager, Chris Olson, to oversee the club's floundering late-night dance events, which used to be a staple of its business. It was unclear whether that caused some of the acrimony.

News of McClellan's exit spread with shock in local music circles.

"If it's true, then it's truly a sad day in the Twin Cities music scene," said Erik Funk, guitarist for the popular punk band Dillinger Four and owner of the Triple Rock nightclub on Minneapolis' West Bank.

Soul Asylum guitarist Dan Murphy said: "Steve always ran the club with heart, and not just a business sense, and bands appreciated that. Maybe that's what did him in, though."

Andy Cirzan, a prominent concert promoter with Jam Productions in Chicago, said McClellan should not be blamed for the club's struggles to compete with national concert giant Clear Channel Entertainment, which books shows locally at the Quest and Fine Line nightclubs in addition to Target Center.

"I don't think anybody could have steered that ship against a billion-dollar corporation better than Steve," said Cirzan, whose company has booked shows at First Avenue. Among them were recent gigs by the Foo Fighters and Audioslave -- major bands that chose to play the club instead of bigger venues.

"Steve was widely regarded as one of the last of the independents," Cirzan said.

First Avenue's upcoming concerts are expected to go on as planned, including Friday's show by underground hip-hop act M.O.P. and Monday's with British rock veteran Richard Thompson.

Several of the club's longtime staff members expressed dismay and confusion but could not comment Wednesday.

Chris Riemenschneider is at chrisr@startribune.com.

There's a Prince fan club up there, I always thought they should have their monthly meetings/parties at First Avenue...do you think that would help?

SquarePeg said:

they arent held at first ave.....they are held at the front.

haha...nevermind...i see what you are saying....they should be held at first ave....i mean....they certainly could use all the support they could get....but these prince fan parties are like 20-30 people max...once a month. i dont know how much that would help. what they need is some serious attendance numbers in order to stay open. it sucks. im almost 30....and i have been seeing shows, and dancing at first ave since i was 14.....i grew up there, discovered myself there, expressed myself there, discovered freedom of individualty there...it really will be sad if they have to close their doors

good luck first ave.
[This message was edited Thu Jun 24 11:04:25 2004 by violett]

violett said:

it'd be even worse if they end up becomin another clear channel-run facility.

The City Pages article above was in the current issue that went to press before McCllelan was fired, it was just about losing control of dance nights or something. I'm sure there will be a much longer, detailed article in next weeks issue, in fact I think Jim Walsh is gonna do something for sure and there may be more coverage in the Strib etc. in the coming days.

I'm going to go there on Monday to see one of my guitar heros Richard Thompson and it'll be weird thinking "will this be my last time here? What is gonna come of this place?"

Here is a link to a long conversation we have been having about this on a board called TCPunk, mostly old punk rockers yakking about stuff:

http://www.tcpunk.com/for...sc&start=0

While we're at it here is a funny thread I started about Prince on there. Turns out a lot of folks on there like him and ended up going to shows! A few bad mouth him but what do you expect on a mostly punk rock board?

http://www.tcpunk.com/for...php?t=2664

On both of these make sure to click through all the pages to read everything.





[This message was edited Thu Jun 24 11:22:42 2004 by sonicfreak]
[This message was edited Thu Jun 24 11:23:23 2004 by sonicfreak]

sonicfreak said:

Damn, this is bad news!!!! I hope First Avenue doesn't close, that would not be too cool. I remember the first time my friends and I went to Minneapolis, we purposely made a point of going to First Avenue to see it. It was during the day and we didn't get in because it was closed, but we had fun taking each other's pictures next to Prince, The Time, and Alexander O'Neal's stars that are painted on the side of the building. It would be weird to go to Minneapolis knowing that First Avenue was no longer there!

I never got to go inside.

This is sad, sad news...I hope they can work things out. I seriously will CRY if this place closes. I grew up there...

although, First Ave DID need to put someone else in charge of the dance nights. It's a shame what's been allowed to happen to those in the past few years. I would think with the Clear Channel threat that management there would've worked very hard on keeping the club nights as popular as possible to make-up for losses caused by clear channel's stranglehold on the concert market...

Can't say that we couldn't see this coming. Third-rate bands don't even play there anymore. Like the article states, operating a live music venue just doesn't pay... unless you're backed by the Deathstar that is ClearChannel. The Ave. will most definately close it's doors sooner than later.

Fuck, I'm gonna miss that place.

endorphin74 said:

nice useage of the word stranglehold

and i agree..they cleary havent put enough effort into the dance nights and now its gonna close.... and were not gonna have anywhere to go

they should ask prince to help them out.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

ha! that'd be worse than having clear channel run the place...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

violett said:

seriously, kitty--i don't see why some people think that prince should have a hand in either helpin out with or runnin first ave. he ain't what made the place, there's a helluva lot more to first ave. than the whole purple rain shit, y'know.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

it would be a nice gesture.

They should change the name from 1st avenue 2 Prince Ave. He deserves a street named after him in his hometown!

Here's a new Strib article:

http://www.startribune.co...48056.html

First Avenue owner: Club will stay open
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
June 27, 2004 AVENUE0627





"Is there a Kleenex around here?"
Fighting off tears, First Avenue owner Allan Fingerhut sat Friday afternoon in the office that used to be Steve McClellan's, longtime manager and figurehead of the world-renowned Minneapolis nightclub.
Fingerhut pledged his commitment to keep First Avenue open while offering little explanation for why he pushed out McClellan and another manager, Jack Meyer, last week.
"It's been an emotional week," Fingerhut said, handling a tissue given to him by new general manager Chris Olson.
The future of the 34-year-old club -- already in question after a three-year business slump -- became a hot issue in the Twin Cities music scene last week after McClellan cleaned out his desk on Wednesday.
On Friday, Fingerhut outlined a new focus for the club: dance nights, DJ sets and karaoke-style events.
But he said that live music -- First Avenue's trademark even before Prince filmed "Purple Rain" there in 1983 -- is not going away, and neither will the club itself.
"I'd have to drop dead before I would ever allow this club to close," said Fingerhut, 60, who has owned First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., since its inception in 1970.
He said he met with the two former managers on Thursday and the meeting ended amicably. He also contended they were only suspended and not fired, and that he has "absolute respect for everything they've done for First Avenue."
Still, McClellan's and Meyer's contract with Fingerhut to run First Avenue has been terminated, said their lawyer, Joe Finley. McClellan and Meyer are not commenting.
"At this point, they're considering all their options," Finley said.
Fingerhut's only explanation for suspending McClellan and Meyer: "Philosophical differences," he said.
Fingerhut said the club has been losing money since 2001. He believes it has catered too much to 40- and 50-year-olds in recent years. He hopes to bring back the diversity it had in the '70s and '80s, he said, "especially the gay community." The revitalized dance nights and karaoke events are a clear pitch for youth and diversity.
However, Fingerhut repeatedly said that he does not blame McClellan or Meyer for these perceived shortcomings. Speaking of McClellan, who worked at the club for most of its 34 years, he said, "I think he may have been burnt out."
The live-music side of First Avenue's business -- which McClellan oversaw -- has struggled to compete with concert-industry giant Clear Channel in recent years. In Minneapolis, Clear Channel books shows at the Quest and Fine Line nightclubs.
Suit for protection
Fingerhut staunchly denies rumors that he might want to work with Clear Channel or sell the club to the company. He contends that the reason for his lawsuit last year against longtime partner Byron Frank was to protect the club from sale. Part of the suit, which is nearing settlement, was over Frank's ownership stake in a 2000 deal to buy the building that houses First Avenue.
"I spent $200,000 in legal fees to protect this club," he said.
Fingerhut is a son of the late Manny Fingerhut, who cofounded the billion-dollar Fingerhut catalog corporation. After a stint in the military, he took over the former Greyhound bus station turned nightclub in 1970 with an initial investment of $100,000, he said.
A father of four, he operates four art galleries in California and owns an art publishing business in the San Francisco Bay area, where he lives with his wife, Rose. He plans to return to California on Monday and run First Avenue long-distance.
"I have full trust in the staff we have now," he said.
Several First Ave staffers past and present said they believe Fingerhut is committed to keeping the club open and independent. But they all clearly regretted losing McClellan.
"Steve is irreplaceable," said Olson, who is in the awkward position of being McClellan's replacement.
Olson, 34, worked under McClellan for 10 years. After a six-month hiatus, he said, he was hired back by McClellan to revamp the dance events. He will oversee live-music booking along with Nate Kranz, who worked with McClellan on shows for the past six years.
"Losing [McClellan] here is like losing our father," Olson said, "but he's passed on his little black book to us and taught us well."
However, Olson said, "Allan is as passionate about this club as Steve is."
Almost on cue, Fingerhut walked into Olson's office to discuss his ideas for the club's new air-guitar competitions.
Gesturing toward the boom-boom-boom of a hip-hop act in the middle of its soundcheck, Fingerhut said, "The shows will go on."

sonicfreak said:

wait--they're gonna keep that karaoke chit after all? oh gawd...i thought they were gonna can that crap.

i dunno about the rest of ya'll, but in all the times i've been to first ave. i've never seen any 40 and 50 year-olds there. sure as hell didn't see any when i was there for the prince party and when peaches played there a while back.

I turn 40 in less than a month. I guess If I show up to First Ave after July 16 I will be one of those damn 40 or 50 year olds they have been catering to for so damn long!

a pal of mine who gigs there on occasion tells me they have bands booked out for months and haven't cancelled yet. rumor has it that just management will be changing.

sonicfreak said:

2freaky4church1 said:

me neither

SquarePeg said:

it's still open, ya'll--but be sure to make it 'round here one of these days so ya'll can come in and party or sumfin!

2freaky4church1 said:

I drove past the outside of First Ave. once in 1985 on a school trip. I never got to go inside either

i never got 2 go inside either

I'm going inside tonight to see Richard Thompson. It'll be a little weird.

[b][i]


I would hate 2 see First Avenue go!! I was hoping I'd get 2 visit there one day,now hopefully that day will come soon, I haven't got to go 2 Mpls yet and that was definitely
one of the stops I was gonna make once I was there.