Josh Becknell

Review of Real Athletics

4 stars with a bit of hesitation. Been going here...

4 stars with a bit of hesitation. Been going here since I was a teen in the early 90s, and remember a much different venue. While the new First Ave (since re-opening) seems cleaner, shinier, and a little more streamlined than its previous incarnation, it has simply lost the edge. But, maybe that's the point.

This is downtown Milquetoast-apolis. If you want edgy stuff, you go to Triple Rock, Turf Club, Hexagon, or Cabooze now. Or, a basement show. (Remember those?) First Ave is for nostalgia. Alt-pop. You Tube sensations. Pandora hit masters. And, that's just the world we live in now. Album sales aren't the thermometer anymore.

Also keep in mind that Minnesota still is "fly-over country", as someone succinctly put it a few years ago. Our awkward Minnesota nice and obsession with local will always reign in place of a cutting edge music scene.

Remember when Jane's Addiction played the 7th St. Entry? And Nirvana? You missed out.

Well, if you have nothing but bad memories of the place, take comfort: the acoustics do still suck, and the mediocre drinks have typical downtown price tags. If you're drunk here now, its cause you can afford to be!