MINNEAPOLIS — On Aug. 12 at about 10 p.m., chunks of ceiling and water cascaded onto the floor at First Avenue, the home venue for Prince that was featured in the movie, Purple Rain. Three were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. None of the injuries were life threatening.
The ceiling collapsed in two stages, according to onlookers, part of a crowd of about 1,000 who were attending a concert featuring Canadian metal band Theory of a Deadman. The first chunks of ceiling that fell were smaller and may have alerted the crowd and band before the larger area fell a minute or so later.
The Minneapolis Fire Department estimated that a 30-by-30-foot section of ceiling collapsed in all, breaking water pipes in the process. They shut off the water supply and the venue was closed for inspection Aug. 13 and 14. Performances set for those dates at the venue were canceled.
Noted singer/songwriter Miguel is slated to perform at the venue Aug. 15 as part of his Wildheart Tour; that sold-out show was not listed as canceled on the venue’s website as of Aug. 13.
First Avenue, a 1,500-capacity nightclub, is adjacent to a smaller venue in the same building, 7th Street Entry, and as their names imply, the building that houses both venues is situated at the intersection of First Avenue and 7th Street in Minneapolis.
Known locally as the Mainroom and The Entry, the performance spaces served as a launching pad for bands including Prince and The Revolution and a long list of others, including The Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Soul Asylum.
Before being named First Avenue in 1981, the venue had been known as Sams, Uncle Sams and the Depot, referring to the building’s origins in 1937 as a Greyhound bus station.
Since it first started staging bands in 1970, the club has hosted artists ranging from Joe Cocker to The Ramones, Tina Turner and U2.
