First Avenue

Terry and I, along with Katie and Nikki went to First Avenue last night. Katie heard that She and Him were going to be there. Prior to last evening, my affection for Zooey Deschanel's singing talent was limited to the great job she did singing in one of the best movies of all time...Elf, of course. Just to refresh your memory, here she is.



Anywho, she, Zooey, is the "She" in the band "She and Him". They were at First Avenue.

For those of you who might care, First Avenue is on the corner of 7th Street and First Avenue in Minneapolis. It was the original Greyhound Bus Depot. Then, in the late 60's, the bus depot moved and it became a music club called The Depot. The Depot morphed into Uncle Sam's (remember the blue wall and the entry looking like a top hat?), Uncle Sam's morphed into First Avenue. Throughout the years, Prince showed up, so did U2, and last night She and Him were there singing. Great fun.

Last night was a big night for those closely following the music scene in Minneapolis because The Wiggles were just across the street at the Target Center.

Opening for She and Him was Becky Stark. I love kitsch. And, she is the personification if it. Terry, I'm sure loved the piercing soprano. I loved the polyester green vintage 70's formal, the thrift shop guitar, and the fake red roses in her hair. In honor of the venue, she started with her very own rendition of "Purple Rain". A cappella, mind you. Having never heard of her before, it took a minute to figure her out, but after that, I found her hysterical, in spite of her "Save the planet" banter. Really how can you be offended by comments like, "Ours is the best planet in the whole world."

All in all, it was an enjoyable night out with the girls and hubby. Downtown was hoppin' last night and we ended by having a little snack across the street at the Hard Rock, on the outdoor patio.

So, perhaps that concludes the summer tour of clubs that started with Terry, his sister Diane, and me heading over to Lee's Liquor Lounge on Glenwood to hear nephew Jeremy drummin' away with his band. And, let me tell you, Lee's is a classy place...oh, no wait, it's a kitschy place, that's what I meant to say.