Concert Venues of The Twin Cities
If you are somebody that enjoys music and regularly goes to shows, you know the pain of opening up Instagram to see one of your favorite artists announcing a tour, and seeing they are not coming to Minnesota. I know this pain all too well, and recently experienced it when Olivia Rodrigo released her upcoming tour dates, it was devastating. This is a very common occurrence, and I believe it's because our bigger venues are not the greatest. I went to see Laufey perform at the Target Center back in October, and getting out of the venue was a nightmare. It was a little better but very similar to Hozier at the Grand Casino Arena (at the time Xcel Energy Center). This is unfortunate because we have some incredible venues here. I tend to prefer the smaller venues in the cities, they’re a lot more intimate and they’re usually spaced out better. These are some of my favorite venues to go to, and would highly recommend checking out at some point!
Orpheum Theater I went to go see Marina and the Diamonds here back in 2022 at the Orpheum and it was super cool! The venue is very opera style and the sound quality was good. The capacity is around 2500, which is pretty decent. A huge upside of the Orpheum is that the theater is seated, so if you have trouble standing for long periods of time, or like to take breaks during music concerts, it's a great place to go check out!
The Fillmore This is hands down my favorite venue in the Twin Cities! I went to see Bebe Rhexa at the Fillmore in 2023 and the atmosphere was incredible! Security was super easy to get through and overall just a very nice looking venue. The capacity is around 1500-1800, so it's moderately sized, and you can feel a bit like a sardine when full, but overall a super awesome venue!
Amsterdam Bar and Hall Amsterdam Bar is also another great venue. This is a bar venue, but certain shows offer all ages and it’s a safe and comfortable venue. I went there a couple years back to go see Chloe Moriondo and it was incredible. The capacity is around 650 which is on the smaller side, but that's what I really enjoyed about this venue, it made leaving a breeze!
Palace Theater I was at the Palace Theater a few months back to see Ashnikko and I would highly recommend going to a show there if you have a chance! The architecture is super cool, and the sound system was great as well. The pit can get a little overwhelming, especially if you are at a sold out show like I was, and also it can get hard to see especially if you are near the back, so if you can swing balcony tickets I’d highly suggest that.
Underground Music Cafe I absolutely loved going to the Underground Music Cafe last week! I went to see the Millionaires with their openers Waiting 4 April, and Whitney Peyton, all incredible musicians and artists. Similar to the Amsterdam Bar, this space holds around 540 people, but that leaves space for an intimate artist and fans show! The overall vibes of the place were incredible and super easy to navigate! if you are in town, you should definitely check out one of these venues! This list just scratches the surface of it all! If you want to go to a concert but no artist you know is playing, I’d suggest going to Bandsintown, which is a website that lets you see shows going on around you. If you really want to see a certain artist, you can also go on their profile and request a show. This allows the artist to know where some popular spots might be to go on their next tour!