Mary T.
Yelp
I normally head to the Twin Cities for Minnesota Wild games. I am rarely there during the summertime. Well, I finally returned to the state in early August.
Why? My first concert and visit to Xcel Energy Centre was a John Mayer concert eons ago. Opening for him was Guster, a band from Boston. I fell in love with their music, and how awesome their bongoist was. I have been a fan ever since.
The band rarely comes up to Canada. I have only seen the band once up here at Danforth Music Hall. I tend to head over the border when they are playing.
I found out that they were playing a show at Utepils Brewing. It made sense to return to the Twin Cities where I was first introduced to Guster.
I got a VIP ticket. It meant that I got to sit in a specific area, have access to the bar and washrooms in this sectioned-off area, and get a special Guster beer.
The show was on Friday. It was open at 5 pm. I drove over here, which was straightforward. However, parking was limited.
I spoke to the nicest man standing by the railroad tracks in front of the brewery. I asked where I could park. He said that I could either park at Anwatin Middle School and take a shuttle over here (it runs every twenty minutes), or park on the road, just up the hill. Nice!
I thanked him and tried street parking. It was perfect. I found a spot and walked down the hill to get to the venue.
You do have to prove that you are 21 years old. I had my Ontario driver's licence. The man doing the check looked at it and thought that I was born in 2003. I need him to compliment me all the time... haha!
I didn't have a ticket. I had to show my VIP receipt on my phone. I then got a wrist bracelet, my VIP ticket, and my drink ticket. Yay!
I had to use the washroom. I used one of the portable ones. It was clean, as I was early for the concert.
I was hungry and got a smokey bratwurst from Gerhard's. There were several food trucks there, which I liked. I also got a bottled water. I paid with a credit card. Done!
The VIP experience was nice. I showed my ticket to the woman at the gated area. I found a nice table and sat down. My bratwurst was yummy. It was great eating and drinking in this cool space.
I had the Guster special brew. It was refreshing on a fairly humid day. Luckily, it got cooler throughout the night. Everyone was friendly and cheerful. It was nice chatting to a man next to me about Guster songs that we hoped would be performed.
It's a nice outdoor venue. It's on the banks of Bassett Creek, which is between downtown Minneapolis and Theodore Wirth Parkway. I was at a Yelp event at the latter in May, so I now know that it's not far away from this brewery!
I had a great time. It was an excellent concert.
I used the brewery washroom for VIPs. It was clean and nicely maintained. The brewery is nice and large.
Staff at the brewery were nice. There was a photographer taking professional photos throughout the night.
I liked that food trucks were still going on strong after the show. I was hungry again.
I have had food from KCM Egg Rolls before at a food truck event last year. I went ahead and got a foot-long pork egg roll. I paid with a credit card and got my egg roll on a stick immediately. I thanked the nice man and headed up the hill to my car.
I ate in my car. The egg roll hit the spot. It was packed full of seasoned ground pork, vermicelli noodles, and veggies. It was so good to have it again.
I had a terrific concert and beer experience at this brewery. I'd love to return when there isn't a concert to check out what the ambience is like. Parking is a bit of an issue, but I now know that street parking is decent.
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