Conor Oberst Review

Last night I went to see Conor Oberst's newest musical venture, which includes him and the Mystic River Band. I don't know his solo catalog nearly as well as I know his Bright Eyes catalog, but I was very impressed by the show. It was way more exciting than TV on the Radio last week!
Bright Eyes' music is more mellow and low key, whereas the Mystic River Band sounds more alive and filled with energy. There is a mandolin/piano player, 2 guitarists other than Conor, bass player, and all band members sing. They were loud, alive and definitely not boring.




First Avenue tickets were still available the day before the show, which surprised me because usually when Conor Oberst is in town it is a difficult ticket to find. Every show I have seen him at in the past 5 years has been wayyyyy sold out!


Next up at First Avenue is the Halloween show on Friday! Costume contest and Thriller dancers at midnight! I can't wait!

TV On The Radio Show!

As you may have heard, TV On The Radio played not one, but two shows at First Avenue this week. Monday's show was the 21+ show and Tuesday's show was all ages. Last time they were in town the band sold out one show at the First Avenue and the supply far exceeded the demand. The band smart enough to have 2 shows this time around!
First Avenue tickets for this show were still hard to find. First Avenue's capacity of 1200 was exceeded, it was wall to wall people! I went with my friend, Shannon, and we could barley move! We stood in the back by the DJ booth where it was elevated so we could see for at least part of the concert.

"Staring at the Sun" - their major hit from 2004 and was the song we were waiting to hear was the last song they played - at 12:30. That was one of my only complaints about the show: it went wayyyyyy too late.

I bet a lot of fans can't wait for them to be back, but I don't think I would venture out on a Monday night to see them again.



TV on the Radio will tour through the end of the year for their new album, Dear Science

Lucinda Williams at First Ave

Lucinda Williams will be at First Avenue Minneapolis not once, but twice in the upcoming weeks. Williams will be putting on a show on Thursday, October 23 and Wednesday, November 5…do you suppose First Ave got some sort of deal for booking two gigs with her?

Lucinda Williams is popular in the Twin Cities, but I doubt she will sell out both shows. Known for her great song writing, Lucinda Williams is practically an icon in the music industry. I am sure it will be a varied crowd at the First Ave Club, but I don’t think I will make either show. I can’t help but wonder what the two shows thing in a matter of weeks means – Does she have that big of a twin cities fan base? Is First Avenue desperate for bigger name acts? LEAVE ME A COMMENT on your opinion! If I get a lot of opinions I will move them to the front page of this First Avenue Blog to promote further discussion about the future of the legendary First Avenue Nightclub.

First Ave Tickets

Need tickets to an event at First Ave? Check out Ticket King. They have tickets to just about every First Ave Concert and they can get you the tickets quickly, even at the last minute. Ticket buying hint: If you wait until the last minute some times ticket prices come down, but be careful, you don’t want to get left out in the cold!

First Avenue Schedule

First Round of Holiday Shows Announced!

It's that time of year again when local staples of the Minneapolis music scene announce their holiday time shows. Soul Asylum will be playing a First Avenue show on Friday, December 19th and the Bodeans will be headlining another show on Monday, December 19th.

Both bands always sell out their shows when they are in town, however, the holiday shows are special because it's a once a year kind of show - it's a tradition. Soul Asylum always has at least one First Avenue show at First Ave and the Gear Daddies always play back to back nights at the Fine Line. It's like Christmas - it only happens once a year!

First Avenue tickets for both shows are on sale now, and both shows will sell fast. I went to a Jayhawks show 4 years ago around Christmas time and tickets immediately sold out. I actually had to go to the second show because I did not get tickets to the first one in time!

The Black Crowes to try out First Avenue

Just off of their summer tour, which included a stop at the Minnesota State Fair with one of my personal favorites, the Black Keys, the Black Crowes will be making a stop on their Fall 2008 tour at First Avenue.
First Avenue tickets for this event will no doubt sell faster than the Black Crowes' show at the State Fair a few months back. I think it is a good decision on their part to play at a venue they know they can sell out. Last fall they played at the Orpheum and the State Fair show a few months back were just too big of venues. I think First Avenue is a good fit.
The Black Crowes are not touring in support of a new album, but rather are celebrating the fact that they are able to all get along and acutally tour together.




Wednesday, December 10 @ First Avenue
(Don't forget! December 10th is also the same day Oasis and Ryan Adams are in town!)