First Avenue
Live music venue · Downtown West ·
Iconic rock venue, launched Prince, famed for Purple Rain film
Iconic rock venue, launched Prince, famed for Purple Rain film
"An iconic Minneapolis music club that served as a filming location for the movie and is frequently recommended as a nearby stop for visitors exploring the artist-related sites in town." - Bailey Berg
"An iconic downtown concert venue known for launching Prince, First Avenue (and its beloved 7th St. Entry) is where I’ve watched close friends perform—I especially love the 7th St. Entry and have seen my friends' band Kiss the Tiger play both the Entry and the main stage." - AFAR
"The iconic Minneapolis concert venue First Avenue has hosted thousands of musical artists since its opening in 1970, but none has been as profoundly intertwined with the club’s legacy as Prince. The venue was originally called the Depot, then Uncle Sam’s, and then just Sam’s by the time Prince first took the stage on March 9, 1981. By 1983, the purple one was a worldwide celebrity and Sam’s had been re-christened once again as First Avenue. Prince loved the club so much that he bought out the main room for a month so that his 1984 film Purple Rain could be filmed there. The movie was a huge hit, and the club’s fame was cemented. After the film’s release First Avenue painted its black exterior walls with bright, silver stars commemorating key artists who had played there. Prince’s star went up near the main entrance, level with the crowds lined up on concert nights. An aura of mystery surrounded Prince’s connection with First Avenue. Rumors swirled that he secretly owned the club (he didn’t), and that he secretly watched up-and-coming artists from a VIP spot overlooking the stage (he did). And after Prince’s death in 2016, a new mystery emerged: who painted Prince’s First Avenue star gold? Prince Rogers Nelson died of on April 21, 2016. Fans around the world, and especially in Minneapolis, were devastated. A sprawling memorial was held on the street outside First Avenue, with heartbroken mourners leaving mementos and votives beneath their hero’s star. A few weeks later, on the morning of May 4, passersby discovered that the star formerly painted silver had been adorned with shiny gold. Radio stations, local news and social media blew up over the gilded upgrade. It was assumed First Avenue themselves had made the change, but they knew nothing about it. Rumors swirled again. Later that year, the mystery painter revealed himself. Peyton Russell, a local artist with a motley professional connection to Prince, was responsible for the secret refurbishment. On the night of May 3, Russell and a small team of conspirators surreptitiously varnished over the silver star and applied the gold leaf as a tribute to the artist. First Avenue decided to keep the affectionate embellishment and since then the star has become a secondary attraction to the club itself. To this day fans and tourists gather to take photos in front of Prince’s lustrous star. Visitors can easily find the gold star on the right side of the club’s entrance, along with the occasional memento left on the sidewalk for the beloved musician. But to properly pay homage to the man, buy a ticket to a show and party like it’s 1999." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"I've long known it as an iconic club and bar in downtown Minneapolis brought to national acclaim by Prince and recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the best live music venues in America; after 477 days shuttered and silenced, it returns with the Mainroom reopening July 16–17 for back-to-back Pride parties hosted by Flip Phone. Over the past year the venue was far from idle — it teamed up with some 3,000 independent music venues through NIVA to lobby for the Save Our Stages Act, helping secure Shuttered Venue Operations Grants as part of COVID-19 relief." - Ali Elabbady
"I celebrated the return of this iconic downtown Minneapolis club and bar that Prince helped bring to national acclaim and that Rolling Stone has called one of America’s best live music venues; after 477 days of being shuttered the Mainroom will reopen July 16–17 with back-to-back Pride parties hosted by Flip Phone, and the 7th Street Entry will host two sold-out Suburbs shows on July 2–3." - Eater Staff