urbanMSP

Was at the Horizon Tour (EDM) concert here last week, really top notch space and apparently good management despite some last minute details. Excellent sight lines and accessibility. Plenty of bars. Acoustics were about a B+/A- for amplified music. Biggest concern I have for cold nights is the relative lack of queuing space to get in (e.g., new year's A&B show).

I hope it kills Roy Wilkins. Last time I saw a concert there it was terrible.

Or the added venue capacity could give them time to close down Roy Wilkins to redo the acoustics. I would hate to see St. Paul lose yet another draw.

Or the added venue capacity could give them time to close down Roy Wilkins to redo the acoustics. I would hate to see St. Paul lose yet another draw.

But St Paul did just get the Palace Theater for concerts that is doing quite well.

Minneapolis/St Pauls concert venues options have really improved lately. We now have:

First Ave - Capacity 1500
Palace Theater - Capacity 2500
Armory - Capacity 8000

Now if the outdoor amplitheater along the river gets built, we would really be in business!!!

Neat photo of the HCMC Gala at the Armory on their facebook page.

One bummer about the music events there is they block off the glass with a curtain. Made for good acoustics, but you lose the view of the windows.

So, did they in fact raise the floor one level and add a level of parking?

So, did they in fact raise the floor one level and add a level of parking?

They did. I bike past there daily and when you look in you see the parking level.

But St Paul did just get the Palace Theater for concerts that is doing quite well.

Minneapolis/St Pauls concert venues options have really improved lately. We now have:

First Ave - Capacity 1500
Palace Theater - Capacity 2500
Armory - Capacity 8000

Now if the outdoor amplitheater along the river gets built, we would really be in business!!!

yeah, before there was only really First Ave, Skyway Theatre, Roy Wilkins or (barf) Myth

i really hope the armory puts Myth out of business. I saw Above and Beyond here at New Years Eve and it was amazing. there's nothing else like it in Minnesota

https://www.workdayminnesota.org/articl ... n-contract

Stagehands picket Armory, insist new venue should sign union contract:

“They had a hard-hat opening a few months ago and they advertised it as a non-union venue,” Rice reported. “We’re asking him to pay employees a decent wage and negotiate with the union.”

Not cool. Hope they are successful at getting their union in here. I won't be going there before they aren't being picketed and I hope you all do the same.

I guess I am missing why a union is needed here. And why having a union is preventing them from getting fair wages.

The union in question is the stagehands union, who would be doing the setup and teardown of each show. Not having a union would be preventing them from getting fair wages, as Ned Abdul is specifically advertising that shows at the Armory can pay the stagehands less than a show at the Orpheum or wherever would.

Ah. My understanding was stage hands were always provided by the artist or promoter. Didn't realize the venue hired them. That being said, isn't that up to the venue and the market to decide what a fair wage is?

Sure, but it's also up to the customers (both performers and attendees) to decide whether they want to support a non-union shop.

I'd go just because they're non union. In my experience you get less service at a higher cost using the union, but you also get the bonus of dealing with a bunch of attitiudes to boot. An organization that outright roots for someone to fail and obstructs business if they don't use their services is not an organization I want to be a part of.

I'd go just because they're non union. In my experience you get less service at a higher cost using the union, but you also get the bonus of dealing with a bunch of attitiudes to boot. An organization that outright roots for someone to fail and obstructs business if they don't use their services is not an organization I want to be a part of.

I prefer to know that the temporary scaffolding suspending 600 pounds of lighting 30 feet above my head was assembled by skilled technicians, not just some guys off the street, but maybe that's just me.

Has anyone seen plans for landscaping? I hope they are just waiting for winter to be over and not just leave it as is.

Has anyone seen plans for landscaping? I hope they are just waiting for winter to be over and not just leave it as is.

For those who haven't been by recently, the current landscaping is an ocean of wood chips. It looks really bad and I hope it isn't their long-term plan.