"Having lived in another city -- even one as musical as Austin, Texas -- I can say with a bit more authority that First Avenue is something special. Its longevity and history are as impressive as its sound and sightlines. More importantly, few other cities have a club that's such an all-out hub."
– Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 19, 2004

"Year in and year out, the most fascinating, diverse and daring music bar in all Minnesota."
– Tom Surowicz, Minneapolis writer, April 29, 1998

"You know you've made it in the music business when you play First Avenue's mainroom"
– a music venue directory

"It's been more than 20 years since Prince thrust the downtown Minneapolis rock club First Avenue into the national spotlight with 'Purple Rain.' Yet the club, in a former bus depot, still retains its status as the birthplace of the Minneapolis sound. As always, it books the most diverse acts since Hubert's Museum and Flea Circus was still going strong in Manhattan. When the sounds aren't live, the best dance music in the city shakes the down jacket right off one's back."
– Neal Karlen, New York Times, 02.11.05

The most important club in the Twin Cities is First Avenue/Seventh Street Entry.
– Newsweek, 6.16.86

"In the fluid, frantic, and often frustrating business of running a music club, there are few longtime survivors. Minneapolis' First Avenue is one room that has beaten the odds."
– Billboard, 1.12.91

"I've seen a lot of clubs and it's the best. It's a great room."
– Arne Brogger, Freeway News, 11.6.85

"Without this club, where would we be?...They've supported nearly all the local groups. They take chances on bands. I love this place. It's responsible for keeping the new music scene alive in Minneapolis."
– Larry Sahagian of Urban Guerillas in Mpls. St. Paul, 2.84

First Avenue has more possibilities than any other local nightclub, and more distractions.
– Mpls. St. Paul, 2.84

The Entry is dark (the walls have been spray-painted black), dingy, grimy, ugly, and the best place in town to hear local pop, no-funk, hardcore punk, and hard-edged rock.
– St. Paul Dispatch, May 13, 1982

If there was a Metropolitan Opera of rock'n'roll, it would surely be Minneapolis' First Avenue.
– Freeway News, 11.6.85

Every city has its hot spot, and First Avenue is ours, having survived competition galore and defied wrecking balls and greedhead developers.
– Twin Cities Reader, 12. 1990

Quite simply, the place that Purple Rain put on the map is the best nightclub the Twin Cities has to offer---in terms of sight lines, variety and commitment to musical excellence.
– Pioneer Press, 5.19.96

Nowhere else in town can one pass through the yin and yang of current urban style simply by swinging a door.
– Star Tribune, 2.25.88

Besides having become a favorite venue for many touring rock and new-wave bands, the club is the best place in the Twin Cities to overload on a mixture of visual and aural stimuli.
– Mpls. St. Paul, 2.84

First Avenue's vivacious, voluptuous, vexing personality comes from many sources.
– Pioneer Press, 9.9.84

First Avenue is Heavenly, as in Branson not Jehovah. Dark, cavernous, gloomy and hopping, this is the palce everyone tells you to go…Here the locals are partying and they don't give a damn if tomorrow's another working day.
– i-D, (c. 1984/5)

"[The Twin Cities' music scene] simply would not have happened without First Ave. ... I think certain clubs and radio stations have been big taste makers. Clearly [First Avenue] helped create the scene, and help bands get a foothold. [They've]opened up the doors for other clubs, and they've always been noncompetitive in working with bookers from other clubs."
– Jim Niland, Minneapolis City Council Person and talent buyer for Lee's Liquor Lounge.

Courtesy of Bill Snyder: They filmed much of "Purple Rain" at First Avenue, the downtown danceteria where Prince hangs out and tests his singles. The club, which has been written up by USA Today and Newsweek, has helped make Minneapolis an important new-wave town (for instance, it's R.E.M.'s best market).
– Billboard, c. mid-80s

First Avenue is…the hub of the local rock scene, thanks mainly to the progressive booking policy McClellan and his staff employ for a cozy basement annex known as 7th Street Entry. The Entry is the only place in town where---at least in theory---energy and inspiration have a fighting chance against fashion sense and marketability.
– Rolling Stone, 1985

It [the Warehouse District] also happens to be where First Avenue, the famed club and music-scene nexus, is located. "First Avenue has kind of been a common ground for all the bands," says [Jimmy] Jam, "for everybody from Prince and the Time to the Replacements. It's still kind of a centerpiece."
– Rolling Stone, July 13-27, 1989-27, 1989

It would be enough that almost all of the best shows that I've seen, or been a part of, have taken place at First Avenue, but then you throw Purple Rain into the mix, and nowhere else can hold a candle to it.
– Tapes N' Tapes September 22nd, 2006

I really appreciate these venues, places like this one (9:30 Club in Washington D.C.) and the Philmore and First Avenue in Minneapolis. Great clubs.
– Lucinda Williams August 7th, 2005