The Fine Line Music Cafe Review

This place is just great. Low key, chill, sounds great. Tip your bartenders.

Great venue, excellent sight lines, now operated by 1st Ave & has become most excellent

Like the re-design since First Ave took over. Better sight lines now. Generally cheap tickets.

Great small venue! Even though it was fairly full I still had a clear view of the stage.

Very cute and cozy little club that makes for really amazing, intimate concerts. My only recommendation would be to splurge and spend that extra $10 or so to get the reserved balcony seating. I was to my concert early before the openers started, and there was already a giant crowd, and the more people came later for the main act, the more I got pushed further back by rude people (what can you do, lol) which made it nearly impossible to see the stage at times.

Haven't been here since its very early days. Love the new interior. Great venue for concerts.

The staff are unprofessional. My chair was kicked feom under me by a bouncer while I was waiting for my boyfriend to leave the bathroom. I've had friends denied access to bathrooms and water while attending events. This place is the WORST place to go to in Minneapolis.

Fine Line is a great place to see a show! It's smaller venue makes it inviting and comfortable. Tickets are reasonable and the sound was awesome. Definitely coming back!

Great place to see a band you love. I had a great time, you can get right up to the stage and the service was on point

Loved the concert ( #SnowthaProduct in May) but it took Snow stubbornly halting her show and demanding they at least open the doors to the completely packed venue before they acknowledged how swelteringly hot it was.

We started our day very excited to go to the Daya concert and my girlfriend is a huge fan and was super happy that she won tickets off the radio. First off this was our first time going to Fine Line Music Cafe and we didn't know what it was going to be like. Parking was easy to find and we walked to Fine Line. Once we got there we waited in line, thinking the doors were going to open at 6:30 we found out it was much longer than that. We were freezing outside finally getting up to the front of the line we went up to get scanned in and we didn't have tickets because, we won them. We were suppose to be on a list and the person scanning all the tickets in checked the list and said we weren't on the list and he wouldn't let us in. He was very rude about it his name was Aaron. We then had to wait outside because they said we weren't aloud. So we waited back out in the cold until everyone else got into the concert and tried to go back through the line again. After stating to the front scanner guy that we won tickets and we are on a list he looked again and saw our name and let us in. He didn't apologize about the inconvenience and he was very rude about the whole thing. Very disappointed in the service that was provided especially going there for our first time....... Management should be talking to him about this so somebody else doesn't have to go through this. Bad experience. I would have rated a zero but, it wouldn't let me post if I did.

Demeaning, impersonal security on a power trip. At least the bartender was friendly, but I will definitely not be back. The layout is nothing special

I would appreciate more seating. Samantha Fish was fun to see.

Pretty nice all round but it is frequented by douche bros and stuck up Bs. I guess it an upper class small market live music place if that's a thing.

JoJo was performing here. The bartender seen the little bit unattentive but for the most part the music was good it is the standing concert.

Bands beware of playing here, you won't get paid, and they have this big bouncer beat people up

I would not return to this venue and would have given it 0 stars if that was an option. Hands down the worst venue in the Twin Cities and I have been to many. They have a ridiculous policy of not allowing ANY reentry. For some reason, they still require you to wear a wrist band even though you are carded at the door (this was a 21+ show) and are unable to leave and get back in, which makes absolutely no sense. This policy is so strict that when I had just walked out after the show and found that I had forgotten my gloves at a table, they wouldn't even let me run back in to check, even though I had literally just walked out the door. They also refused to have one of their staff check for me. They said I would have to wait out in the cold and snow until every person left. Needless to say, I left and will never return. At least, five other people were loudly saying that they would never return to this venue. Lot of other great, small venues to see bands in the Twin Cities, so really no need to go to this venue.

This place is an amazing venue. You get to see the band up close and there is plenty of space.

I've been going to the Fine Line since long before it caught fire in 2003 and was rebuilt. Why anyone in their right mind would rebuild such a poor layout is beyond me. There's a lot of obstructed views in this small venue. The only good concert seating is...standing. On the dance floor. Front and center.

The actual problem with the Fine Line is that it books national acts which are way too big to be playing there. Gary Numan. Apocalyptica. Tricky. Stephen Wilson. I've seen all these artists at the Fine Line, and every time the place was packed to densities I thought were reserved for Japanese subway trains.

If you are very small and lubricated, or very large and rude, you should have no problem getting close to the stage where you can actually see. Keep in mind that it will take you a while just to get to the bathroom, and twice as long to get back, as people will resist your efforts to return to your spot. If you go to the bar for a drink, you'd better get two or three.(Tip: You'll get faster service at the upstairs bar)

They have a great sound system. I ordered food here once and it was good (the fried ravioli was awesome) but it was Expensive. One app, two entrees and four drinks, and the bill was around a hundred bucks.

I feel bad giving the Fine Line poor marks all around, because I've seen lots of great concerts here. But every show I've seen here would have been better at a real venue This is a CAFE, not a CONCERT venue. They simply are not big enough to be hosting national acts. For local acts with smaller turnout, adjust all my reviews from Poor to Good. For example, I marked Service as Poor because of the difficulty of getting service, and not the service itself. The waitstaff are excellent.. if you can find them and get their attention.

But the Fine Line does get great musicians, and this is one of the few places you'll get this close to them. My suggestion is to dress light and get there early. The moment you get in the door, stake out your spot, load up on water/cold beverages, and hold your ground. Come with friends who will help hold your spot for you when you go on a bar/bathroom run. Or spring for the VIP seating along the upstairs rail.

A little narrow making sight lines tough, but not a bad venue for a show.

Too many non table guests allowed on the balcony that are all up in your table space.

Barstools, wall chairs, literally anything to sit on so one could tie a shoe or hack out some exercise asthma without taking up a toilet seat during rush hour would make this place perfect...

Worst music venue in Minneapolis. If you have an underage human that would like to see a concert here, DON'T DO IT. Not unless you want to be physically attatched at the hip to them all night long. Management doesn"t really reveal ALL their stipulations until they have your money and you're inside. Everyone is trained to be rude and not helpful at all. Unlike other underage venues in the Twin Cities, parents CANNOT have a cocktail while waiting for the show to take place. Yet at similar venues nearby parents can allow their kids to enjoy a show while they have a drink or two. I will NEVER come here again, not even if someone payed for tickets to ny favorite band. No thanks.

One of my favorite concert venues in the cities. The staff members are really awesome! It's the perfect size for up and coming artists.

As with any music venue, the drinks were overpriced and they didn't have a ton of variety beers on tap. That being said, it was actually a pretty great venue. There's a balcony area that gave a great view of the stage and the floor area was open. It's a rather small venue (so come early for good spots!) but the size and layout made for a nice, intimate concert

Absolutely love this venue. There staff is fantastic and there's always a great connection with the band.

Great, intimate venue, but the bathroom is a huge PITA, and they are shuffling you outta there as if they were herding sheep to slaughter. I understand that they must do certain things logistically, but you have no idea what you are walking into--that you should have told your fate to meet you back at such and such.

My first time at this venue and I was impressed. It was a packed show but I could still see everything because it's a small space. Clean restrooms and security and wait staff were friendly.

My favorite venue in the Twin Cities by far. Been to 5 shows there so far and haven't had a bad experience yet

Meh. Once they charged me $2 for tap water. Haven't really had much respect for them since, despite being a pretty decent venue that caters to some very specific crowds.

Great staff. Awesome venue. Medium sized with an upper reserved seating area and a second bar. Sound engineers are very good!

I was taken back that a 49 year old was not granted a drink band, because he had his wallet stolen recently and did not have a ID .

Really enjoyed seeing Sheer Mag and Fury here. Location can be a bit tricky to find and park near by, but otherwise they seem to really have it together for a music venue.

Good people, nice bar, weird venue. The AC was blasting all night so we were extremely cold. The lights were very bright upstairs and in the back of the venue, which made it feel a lot less intimate. The sound also didn't reach the back of the venue very well. I loved the act that was on, but it was difficult to enjoy their set. Something about the layout of the Fine Line is odd, and the lack of sound, and the lighting in the back made a bad impression. I really want to like this venue but I don't know if I will be back.

Just saw an 11-piece Chicago cover band from Russia.... Never thought I would say that. More bands like Leonid & Friends

Staff was nice. Bar had a variety of choice. Clean venue. Small stage. Many parking options, mostly cost money.

I've been coming here for years and have even used the stage for a band I was in so this place holds a special place in my heart. I rank it up there with The Quest(RIP) and Foxfire(RIP) as one of my favorite locations to see music in a more intimate setting. Perfect for both local shows and touring acts. The sound is good, light show is on point, and alcohol selection is great.

Saw Big Wild here. First time at the venue and I was pleased with what it had to offer. Drinks were pretty standard pricing for a concert venue. Area was pretty well accommodating for everyone to see the stage.

rude employees and owners. cancelled 2 shows in 1 weekend last minute

Went to see Marc Rebillet. The show was on FIRE! Thanks for the great show!!

Great venue with great sound! The drinks were mixed decently, but they were a bit pricey. If you're looking for some live music, take a look at the online roster and check this place out!

One of my favorite places to see live music. The 650 person capacity and the fact that they're is 0 space between the crowd and the stage makes it so even sold out shows can be intimate performances. I've been to a number of shows here where the artist step down off the stage and into the crowd for part of their set. The staff are always super nice and help add to the experience.

Drinks are too expensive. Stage is awkward as well.

This place rocks! One of the best place to see a live show and the staff is super friendly! They play a vareity of music here so check out the calendar on their website for upcoming shows! I highly recommend this place for anyone wanting to see their favorite artists! I will be back again!

A place to see awesome, amazing bands, but no sitting at all.

As far as smaller venues go, I love this place! If you get there early enough, you can get a decent spot with a good view (though be careful standing toward the back or there may be a beam in your view). Sound is great and they always seem to have good acts coming through! Once COVID is over I m looking forward to returning.

I have only been here for one concert and it was wonderful. There are few venues like this. It is small and intimate in all the right ways. It feels like a more intimate version varsity theater. When I was here the balcony was open and did not require special tickets. The bands came out into the crowd several times which made for a great concert experience. I usually end complaining about a venue's acoustics, but that is not the case for here. Everything sounded just right the whole time. If there is a band that you are a fan of playing here I recommend going. You won't be disappointed.

Great sound system, perfect sized club. Bigger than 7th St, but smaller than 1st Ave

This is a great place to watch live music. The sound setup is good and the bar is easily accessible

Staff were super rude when I went to an event here. I felt they all looked like they were pissed they had to be there. Also, I was denied access to the bathroom. this place does not even deserve one star.

Great place to see live shows. Upstairs balcony allows for great sightlines and a chance to escape the main floor crowd a bit.