Ain't it fine in 2009?

Long time no see! Yes, yes, I know - life has been getting in the way. The Vikings season is done so I get my life back, kind of.
have you been to any good shows lately? I haven't. I think the last time I ventured to First Ave was for Conor Oberst. I did, however, make it to the Oasis and Ryan Adams show in December. Sitting front row and center was great, but my old Ryan Adams is gone forever. He only played 2 songs off of Cold Roses, which was disheartening. I managed to finagle my way into some Minnesota Vikings tickets when the Chicago Bears were in town. And we even won! We may be out of the playoffs, but it was a great game nonetheless.
As for First Ave, there is a big show happening this Thursday. Pop rockers, The Frey, are making a stop in Minneapolis while on their club tour. Are you looking for First Avenue tickets for this show? Good luck! They are completely sold out, as in unless you knows someone who can get you in on the list - you are out of luck!

The Pretenders are playing February 20th - another sold out show! It's nice to know that even though the weather is crappy and snowy bands still want to make it to Minnesota!

The Faint show was awesome!

Due to being a little short on cash this month, I decided to go to the Faint show at First Avenue instead of the super sold out Coldplay show at the Xcel Energy Center. If you were looking for Xcel Energy Center tickets for the Coldplay show you were probably having to look far and wide for tickets - the show has been sold out since it went on sale at the beginning of the summer!
However, First Avenue tickets for the Faint were still around on Friday, but I got in for free!
I love having friends that can do cool favors like that for you.

The Faint played a great show! I didn't get to hear 'Southern Bells in London' - which is one for my favorite jams. They also played 'Paranoia Attack,' 'Drop Kick the Punks,' and 'Glass Dance.'
The band is so much fun to see live because they put a lot of energy into the show and actually look like they want to be playing music and are not up there simply because they have to.
Its a rare occasion that they come to down (which is sad considering they live only in Omaha, NB).



Next up at First Ave: I'm going to Darker My Love this Friday night at the 7th Street Entry!
I can't wait!

Tough Decisions

This Friday twin cities music fans will have a difficult decision to make: to see the Faint or to see Coldplay? Coldplay has a nearly sold out show at the Xcel and the Faint have a show at First Avenue.
Xcel Energy Center tickets for Coldplay are insane! There has not been a great ticket released yet within the first 10 rows of the floor and very few in sections 102 and 118. I am positive that Ticketmaster is holding onto all the good ones until the last minute!
First Avenue tickets for the Faint will definitely sell out, they haven't been here in a really long time and they sell out every time they are in town! I've seen the Faint just about everytime they've been in town and I've even taken a road trip to Milwaukee to see them. They are just a super fun band to go and dance to.

If you're looking for great Coldplay tickets - good luck! I've been looking and I haven't been finding, but if you act fast you can still get Faint tickets!

So did anyone make it to Girl Talk last night for the super sold out show at First Ave. There was not a First Avenue ticket to be found for the show. The only way you could have gotten in to the show is if you knew someone that could get you on the list. First Avenue tickets have been difficult to find these past few days. Atmosphere was on Sunday and that was sold out, you had to know a guy who knows a guy just to get in! Even the Halloween party on Friday was sold out. I went their early enough to get in, but around 12:30 they stopped letting people in that didn't have a pre bought because First Ave was wayyyy over capacity!

I just found out that one of my new favorite bands, Darker My love, will be headlining a show at the 7th Street Entry at the end of the month. First Avenue tickets for this show will not be as difficult to find as Atmosphere or Girl Talk, but the show will be better! I love these guys!

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.