First Avenue is a concert venue in a converted 1937 Greyhound bus depot on Hennepin Avenue at 7th Street, and is one of the most historically significant live music venues in the United States. The list of artists who performed here in the 1980s and 1990s — Prince, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Atmosphere — captures a period of Minneapolis musical creativity that produced some of the era's defining records.
The main room holds about 1,500 people, with a wide open floor and excellent sightlines. The adjacent 7th St Entry is a smaller room (capacity 250) that functions as an incubator for emerging acts. First Avenue programs approximately 300 shows a year across both rooms, covering rock, hip-hop, electronic music, and everything between. The black exterior walls are covered in gold stars honouring local performers, a tradition started in the 1980s.