Mill City Nights

I went to a show here with some trepidation after reading the reviews. I was particularly worried about the sound quality, especially after reading complaint after complaint. I dunno, maybe I'm deaf (highly possible) but sound wasn't an issue for me. I wondered too if the band we were seeing maybe brought some gear because I really didn't have issues with the sound quality.Moving on... we had a good time really.. Mill City Nights isn't going to be the fanciest, nicest venue you've ever been to for a show. It also isn't going to be all historic like First Avenue. But it is a totally fine place to hang out in the dark and listen to some music. I did really dig the hard wood floor, which was worn in the best possible way. Fun for stomping around as you were dancing. We found the security procedure at the front door to be fine -- Carded us, patted us down not very thoroughly, took a peek into my purse and that was about it. The ticket buying procedure could have been better. Seemed to take a long time. But once we were in the door, no issues. I found the bar staff to be friendly and competent. Security seemed a little intense at times (like, who's going to jump the stage during the set break really?) But whatever.I didn't have to go to the restroom, so can't comment there. Since we were downstairs, I also can't comment on the balcony situation, except to say that whoever spilled a beer on my head sucks. Is it my favorite venue in the Twin Cities? No way. Would I go back if the right band was playing? Sure.

This was not the best venue for a concert. 1. It was extremely hot with all the bodies crammed in there. 2. It was difficult to see with the odd long retangular shape of the room, even with the stage being raised.3. The sound and acoustics are bad. Not sure why but the sound needs improvement.4. There are large pilars throughout the main floor, so if you are far back towards the bar, good luck trying to see any part of the show.The one good thing was there were multiple, easily accessible bars and clean bathrooms downstairs.

It's really not a great venue. If the show isn't sold out, there's the chance you can find a spot to see the stage. But if it's a packed house, it's really difficult to find a good place to stand. The stage is oddly in the corner, and because of the balcony there's a ton of pillars that always seem in the way. On top of that, the whole flow of the place is awkward, and it seems like no matter what you have to push through a crowd or a line of people to get to the bar or bathroom. The sound is clear, but not as loud as it could be. But maybe it's for the best so that we're all no deaf by our midlife-crisis.The beer selection isn't great. They don't have anything on tap, everything's in a bottle. But they do have a could good craft brews (like Fulton, Odell's) but otherwise it's your standard "domestic" choices. The beer is $6, which could be worse I guess.

I attended a concert here last night to see Matt Hires who was opening for Parachute. I was excited to see him in concert for the 3rd time, the first two times were awesome! But I am sad to say the venue ABSOLUTELY RUINED the experience. The first opener (who I have never heard of) sounded TERRIBLE, and I thought maybe it was the band since they seemed so young. Well, when Matt came on, he didn't sound much better! There were large portions of time that you couldn't even tell if he was singing or not. The only time the sound seemed like they had a sound manager was for Parachute. They must not have done ANYTHING for the openers, which is who I paid to go see. The stage was so overcrowded with each bands equipment basically lined up first opener all the way in the front, 2nd openers in the middle, main act last that the first two bands had no room to maneuver around. The sound was SO awful that I got into it with another attendee because her friends and her were talking so loudly I COULDN'T HEAR THE MUSIC, so I asked them to quiet down.I would NEVER recommend this travesty of a venue to anyone. It was THE single worst concert experience I have ever had, and I've gone to about 8 in the last 3 years.

Difficult to see the stage if you're not right up in front; however, there are large t.v. screens in many areas so you can always view the live stage on the (more visible) t.v. screen.Asked a bartender for a Jameson and water. I received a shot of whisky in a plastic cup with 12 ounces of water poured on top; thus, I had very lightly-flavored water. I did not order another. If I go to this place again, I must try to remember to ask for a whisky with a "splash or two" of water.Security working the V.I.P. area entrance/exit seemed ready to make some heads roll.

I was at this place for Richard Marx. I have heard his songs growing up and when I heard he is coming, I had to go. This place is not a huge place. Pretty small, almost like a bar. I don't mind the setting because there is not one bad seat in this place. It's cozy. The sound and acoustic can be improved for better experience but they are not too bad. Bartenders are friendly and drinks are good. If you have to use the restroom, you have to go downstairs. Overall this is an OK place for a concert. You will not get the great acoustics but you will get a better view.

I saw Postmodern Jukebox here and it was an awful experience. They oversold the place. It was so packed you could barely move around to get to the restroom. It had to be a fire code violation.The sound quality left a lot to be desired. I think it's the way the space is set up. Unless you're right in front, you'll have issues.All those bodies in a space like that, with barely a way to get around, also makes for bad air. It was hot. One lady near us was having issues. Since there are no seats to be had, she had to be ushered to a spot up near a VIP section where the Savalas family was seated during the show. There she sat for a while until they could usher her elsewhere.I would never return here for a show. If hot, airless, cramped chairless nightclubs where you can't hear, are you're thing, then give it a try. Otherwise, I'd recommend enjoying a concert somewhere else.

I registered for Yelp just to post this.I went to Mill City Nights last night and saw DRI (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, a name which aptly describes whoever runs Mill City Nights) and Suicidal Tendencies, which I now have from attending the show. What's wrong, you ask? Well, let me tell you...This venue is, in one word, horrible. And that's being forgiving. To say that this place is horrible is like saying cancer is an inconvenience. If you opened a business as bad as Mill City Nights, you'd be bankrupt by the end of the day and should be deported for treason. This place is so bad, I'd report it to the Better Business Bureau, but I'd feel too guilty for the poor soul who would have to investigate it. I'm as far from Christian as you can get, but it's like Club 3 Degrees cut their losses and sold this building to the devil, who now books some great acts with the intention of torturing their loyal fans for an evening. Going to this venue is more disheartening than failing out of home school, which I think is how they hired the sound guy. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure they have a sound guy - in all honesty, I would not be surprised if the sound board was run by a computer programmed only to make people unhappy. This place couldn't sound worse if it was at the bottom of the ocean. Hearing impaired baseball fans will have a more enjoyable aural experience at Target Field. You can be arrested for animal cruelty if you walk your dog past this place while a show is going on. If I die of ear cancer after having attended a show here, my ashes will burst into flames if you try to bring them through the doorway again. But I'm being unfair. Since reopening after the laughable Brick fiasco, they have made a fair amount of improvements. The upstairs, while still pointless, has actual sightlines to the stage. If you're going to see a band, you'll be fine - unfortunately, most people go to concerts to hear bands as well, but going here to listen to a band perform is dumber than going to the library for an oil change.The mafia could learn a thing or two about extortion from the prices at Mill City Nights. As a rule of thumb, downtown drink prices are pretty steep, but a tallboy here is double the cost at First Ave. I assume this place was opened to compete with other local venues, but I can say with full confidence that they have nothing to worry about. I apologized to my checking account for spending money here, and that doesn't even make sense.On one hand, they've apparently learned their lesson about leaving fans waiting in the cold, as our half-block line was inside in less than ten minutes. On the other hand, the cavity search at the door is slightly more thorough than being booked at Hennepin County jail, though it's probably more fun to spend a night in jail than this place. I almost feel sorry for Mill City Nights. I wanted to like it, but it's just so utterly unenjoyable that I've even made it a point to personally tell touring bands to seek out other venues the next time they come through town. I'd complain and try to get a refund, but I assume it'd fall on ears as unabashedly deaf as whoever runs sound there. If it turned out John Lennon had faked his death and The Beatles played a free private reunion show at Mill City Nights, I wouldn't go. My own parents would walk out of my wedding if I paid $9million to book it here. I'm ashamed to admit I've been there twice, but I consider it a public service if this rant prevents even one person from going there. It's that bad. It's worse. It's a blight on downtown and a public embarrassment for Minnesota.

What a weird experience. I went to Mill City Nights last night to see Nick Offerman, and while the show entertained, the venue did not. Flimsy chairs shoved so close together that we were forced to hug our neighbors, servers constantly flitting around and blocking the view, flickering stage lights, overpriced drinks... these are the things Mill City Nights seemed to be made of. We witnessed a patron getting the boot from what the bouncer called the "VIP section", which wasn't at all marked and was, in fact, a collection of seats crowded together off of the side of the stage. I pity the individuals who paid extra for those tickets, as I'm confident the vantage point from them was no better than where my friend and I sat in GA. Watching the lighting change on the stage was a bizarre experience in and of itself - I'll chalk it up to me only having experienced comedy clubs before and not seeing auditorium shows, but as Nick walked back and forth on the stage, the lights would dim, then brighten, then dim again... at the very least, it was distracting, and at its most evident, it was blinding. I won't line up to see another show there, and if it hadn't been Ron Swanson himself, I doubt very much I would have enjoyed this trip to MCN at all.

When did Mill City Nights cease to be the Brick? I guess AEG Live is trying to help Minneapolis forget all about its previous failed venture. I can't say too much about the brief Brick days as I never attended a show there. In fact, I was scheduled to see a show there that was moved to the Myth because the Brick was under renovation. So, last night I attended my first show at what is now Mill City Nights.All in all, it was a fairly pleasant experience. This venue conveniently sits right in the heart of the nightlife area in downtown Minneapolis. It is only steps away from Target Center, Target Field and an endless supply of bars and restaurants. The space itself has a unique layout that consists of a basement, main level and balcony. In fact, the floor plan closely resembles that of the Fine Line, minus the basement of course. This layout seemed to work as I didn't encounter any traffic problems throughout the show. Which was a massive complaint the Brick had. I never waited in line for the bathroom nor did I wait in line for drinks. Everything went very smooth. However, this particular show was NOT sold out. So perhaps the less-than-capacity crowd had something to do with that.The stage sight lines from the main floor were very good. Apparently sight line improvement was also part of the Brick renovation. The stage was raised and stadium type standing areas were added to the balcony. I can't comment on the balcony as I didn't venture up there. The basement offers significant seating areas and bar for those that want to take a break from the show. The bathrooms are also located in the basement and I believe bathrooms were also added to the balcony for the patrons that don't want to go all the way to the basement. The sound was just OK. I've heard better, I've heard worse. Probably the most perplexing thing about the Brick and Mill City Nights is why it exists in the first place. Downtown Minneapolis is saturated with concert venues. Within just blocks you can find at least 6 different establishments that offer live entertainment. I will say though, that Mill City nights has attracted some excellent acts. Their booking agent(s) must know what they're doing. I will return to see another show here.