Exploring the Music Scene: Live Music Venues in Minneapolis

There’s so much spontaneity to listening to live music venues. After all, there are no two performances that are alike. Every time you play a video, it comes off the same, but with live music, there are so many moving parts, and every gig is different. Aging musicians can often barely remember what they had for breakfast, but when you ask them even the tiniest detail of a gig they did forty years ago, you’re in for a story. 

So, if you too are a sucker for live music, here are the top five places you should in Minneapolis to get a feel of the local music scene. 

1. Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant

If you’re looking for a great place to listen to some Jazz, there are not many places better than Dakota Jass Club & Restaurant. You see, the place hosts something fun every night of the week, and if you’re interested, you can just go to the site and check out their events calendar. 

While the place technically accepts third-party tickets, they can only guarantee the tickets bought at the Dakota box office. Others might not be valid, and since the tickets are not cheap, you want to avoid getting scammed. 

Also, door times are posted on the individual event pages, which is why you may want to check when the seating starts. If you’re interested in ordering something while you listen to the music, it’s important to remember that the kitchen stays open through the first half of the second show. 

It’s also worth mentioning that while the place is meant for all ages, it might not be appropriate for children due to the volume or content concerns of some songs. Still, this is best left to the discretion of parents. 

2. Acadia Cafe

Ascadia Cafe is one of the places where beer enthusiasts are drawn like moths to the lantern. The place has an impressive array of 30 rotating taps, unlike anything else you could experience in Minneapolis. The place also has a great menu and a lot of regular patrons. The majority of people, however, come for the music.

Most people describe it as reminiscent of the iconic New Riverside Cafe. Overall, it’s a place to relax, enjoy good music, and enjoy some of the best hoppy beers. In other words, it’s an amazing way to indulge all your senses.

The place is also renowned for being very supportive of up-and-coming artists. They try to have a band there seven nights a week, meaning it’s a great place to go when you want to hear something new. Who knows, the artist you’re hearing there might end up making a significant career, and you’ll have the bragging rights if they do.

The place had an unfortunate accident earlier this year when a bus crashed into the cafe. Fortunately, the bar is again open to the public.

3. The Exchange

What if you’re interested in more than just spending a quiet night at the bar sipping beer while listening to a local band play their heart out? You might want to look for a nightclub in Minneapolis, and The Exchange is the best in this regard.

This is where you can dance the night away or reserve one of the best VIP seating options in town. Most clubs have to keep up with the modern social media culture (Instagram and clubbing are inseparable in 2023), so the place even has a built-in photo area. In other words, even if you could find a better place somewhere else (which is highly unlikely), the photos would never look half as good. 

The place can take about 750 guests, and it’s usually packed, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to see it for yourself. 

The place even has a virtual tour, which means that you can have a little preview yourself. Just play some tunes and immerse yourself in what the night there would look like. Still, you have to be there to experience it.

4. Icehouse MPLS

This is one of the liveliest clubs in Minneapolis, located in the heart of Minneapolis’s famed Eat Street. The place is renowned for its amazing events, not all of which are live music events. Here, you can also enjoy a great night of stand-up comedy or just grab a drink with some friends. 

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! No one’s had more practice with all sorts of live music events than Icehouse. From their humble beginnings to one of the best-regarded places in the city.  

One thing that separates Icehouse from all its competitors is that it takes a musician-first approach. This way, they can give their guests what they really came for. You come for good music, and you leave with experience and memories. 

5. First Avenue & 7th street entry

Everyone knows about First Avenue; however, there’s a smaller venue attached to it called the 7th St. entry. The space was, at one point, the restaurant, but, at the moment, it’s one of the hottest live music spots in the city. 

Not only that, but there’s an argument to be made about First Avenue as one of the longest-running, independently owned, and operated venues in the whole country. In other words, it’s a place that has left a deep mark on this city and its culture. 

The thing is that this place helps new musicians start off, but it was also home to the likes of Eminem and U2. The place is a great mixture of huge names and up-and-coming bands that are just waiting for you to discover them. In fact, Hippo Campus, Soul Asylum, Lizzo, Prince, and many more started right here.

Wrap up

Ultimately, the choice is yours, and it’s more of a musician than the venue anyway. However, the place’s acoustics, crowd, and setting are more powerful at setting the mood than you think. So, go through the event calendars and see if there’s anything that’s really interesting. We recommend that you visit every single place on this list.