400 Bar Closed

[ungere]

http://www.startribune.com/entertain...185002281.html

[ChiefCrowe]

very sad to hear.. hope they reopen! i still can't believe that CBGB's in NYC had to shut down!

that pic in the article is amazing by the way! thanks for posting

[NY Fan]

Sad news. Was on my 'must do' list when I came to town...

[Calexico]

Yep, sure is a shame. I read a tweet that everything inside it was up for sale too.

[zebulon]

Are these hard times for venues everywhere? The offer of live acts in my town has never been so big, and probably and easily exceeds the demand. I live in a town of around 300,000 inhabitants and the list of shows for the week is awesome, many times it is hard to decide to which I want to go, but the turn out is usually poor. Sure they don´t cover expenses.

[axeeugene]

I just bought 4 of their barstools. What I wouldn't give to be able to afford the Jayhawks bass drum skin...I've lusted after that for over a decade.

Something has been amiss at the 400. There are a number of other small venues within 3 blocks of the place, and they seem to have shows very often, but the 400 hasn't been bringing people in much in the last year or so. In fact, I honestly can't quite remember the last show I saw there, but it's sure been a long time since I've darkened their door.

Sad to see it go. I hope it does reimagine itself somewhere else, though. I never really did like the nature of the space in the first place; maybe a shift of location could be helpful?

[CaffeineZombie]

Originally Posted by axeeugene

What I wouldn't give to be able to afford the Jayhawks bass drum skin...I've lusted after that for over a decade.

If you don't know what the good Professor is talking about -


Jayhawks bass drum head:


(400 Bar auction link)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAYHAWKS-Dru...item25792cac68


(live pic of Tim's drum kit from 1997 at bottom of page)

http://www.jayhawksfanpage.com/Jayha...C%20drums.html

[mystic_spiral_3]

I was sad to read this too, though I think I've only been there twice: once for a Kraig Johnson show and once when some of Minneapolis's finest held a short notice benefit for Karl Mueller shortly after the news of his cancer broke.

[jcarlile]

Oh, that is sad...my favorite show of all time was there, Golden Smog, Aug 2003. Then The Mark Olson NYE 2004/05 show that turned into a Jayhawks reunion with everyone but Karen.
...Many good memories!

[musicdoc]

Only four hours left to bid.......

[theweekend]

Never been there. Just mapquested it. Weird location.

[axeeugene]

Originally Posted by theweekend

Weird location.

Yeah. Right next to the Triple Rock Social Club, The Nomad World Pub, The Cedar Cultural Center, The Cabooze, The Mixed Blood Theater, a Metro Light Rail stop, and just 4 blocks from the Town Hall Brewery.

Totally Weird.

[Runningpotleaf]

don't know what is weird about the heart of what has been happening on the West Bank for music the past 3 decades or so.

anyway, I never minded going there for shows myself and thought it was a great place to see live music. To each their own of course.

Bummer to see it go though. Thing is, if they relocate, then why did they shut down/move in the first place? Must have had an attractive offer from someone wanting to buy the place.....

[theweekend]

Originally Posted by axeeugene

Yeah. Right next to the Triple Rock Social Club, The Nomad World Pub, The Cedar Cultural Center, The Cabooze, The Mixed Blood Theater, a Metro Light Rail stop, and just 4 blocks from the Town Hall Brewery.

Totally Weird.

Just not my scene, dude. First Ave area /Hennepin Theaters is where almost all my TC music experience has happened.

The area around the Metrodump does nothing for me.

[axeeugene]

Originally Posted by theweekend

Just not my scene, dude. First Ave area /Hennepin Theaters is where almost all my TC music experience has happened.

What's weird is your limited experience in the TC.

All manner of incredibly cool shit goes on in places other than Hennepin Avenue, and none of it is "weird." The Turf Club, The Varsity Theater, the aforementioned long list of great venues in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Saint Paul's Artist's Quarter, the 331 Club... All of these and many more places are in entirely accessible, vibrant, reasonably "upscale" and interesting neighborhoods that would be considered by any sensible urban music fan to be fine places to go to see a show. You're severely - and sadly - limiting yourself if your entire music "world" exists in a 3 block radius of First Ave.

Hell, it seems by your standard even Lee's Liquor Lounge, where I've seen Safety Last, Kelly Willis, Dan Israel and the Cultivators, and even fucking Jimmy Dale Gilmore, is outside the realm of normal. Forgive me, but "that just ain't right."

Oh and BTW, it's a lot easier to get to the "Metrodump" from First Ave than from the 400 Bar.