Live-music venues worth the trip in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Its own page states it seats 2,579 in a historic Hennepin Avenue house that Hennepin Theatre Trust owns and operates. It books touring Broadway runs alongside major touring concerts and comedy.

Its own page states the theatre seats 2,181 in a historic Hennepin Avenue house that Hennepin Theatre Trust owns and operates. It books primarily touring comedy and concerts, with occasional dance and stage productions.

Target Center is the downtown Minneapolis arena that is home of the Timberwolves and Lynx, and it also hosts major touring concerts with premium suite and club amenities.

Its own site describes the Minneapolis Armory as having “returned to its roots” as of 2017 to host concerts, sporting events, trade shows, and private celebrations, drawing major national touring acts to the Downtown East building.

Skyway Theatre is a downtown Minneapolis music venue at 711 Hennepin Ave with four internal spaces, The Loft, Bar Fly, Studio B and The Lyric.

Its own site brands it “Your downtown danceteria since 1970” and treats it as the flagship main room of a multi-venue operation that separately books 7th St Entry next door. It is the club immortalized in Purple Rain and remains downtown Minneapolis’s signature main-room stage for national touring acts.

Varsity Theater is a Live Nation room in the heart of Dinkytown running a near-nightly calendar of national touring rock, indie and hip-hop bills. The multi-floor space accommodates groups of 25 to 750 and is also booked for private concerts and events.

Its own site describes it as “Serving live music since 1974,” a longtime West Bank roadhouse with a second room called The Joint.

Its own site calls it “Minneapolis’ home for live music, upscale dining, and unforgettable nights,” operating in a building dating to 1868. It runs shows nightly, including a Thursday salsa night and recurring weekly residencies.

Its own page states the theatre holds 1,014 seats in a historic Hennepin Avenue house that Hennepin Theatre Trust owns and operates. It books a mix of touring concerts and comedy.

The Fillmore Minneapolis is a Live Nation concert hall at 525 5th Street North that books national touring acts. It keeps an attached restaurant in Trax Burgers & Bar and takes private-event bookings.

Its own site states the listening room accommodates “85 guests” in a historic North Loop building, and that it “programs a wide range of jazz, electronic, and experimental music” with a high-fidelity sound system built for an immersive listening experience.

Cedar Cultural Center is a registered nonprofit in Cedar-Riverside presenting touring musicians from around the world. Its own site states a mission to “promote intercultural appreciation and understanding through the presentation of global music and dance.”

Crooners Supper Club is a Highway 65 Northeast supper club and showroom in Minneapolis that runs several live sets a night across four rooms. The Dunsmore Jazz Room, Maggie’s Piano Lounge, the Belvedere and the Main Stage Showroom book overlapping shows on the same evening.

Its own site calls it a destination for “Intimate Concerts & Inspired Dining,” a chef-driven restaurant in downtown Minneapolis pairing dining with “soul-stirring live music.”

Its own page places it in the heart of the Warehouse District, just blocks away from First Avenue, established in 1987 with over 30 years of hosting influential acts.

Its own page describes it as “a smaller venue attached to the historic First Avenue” that opened in March 1980 in a former cafe space, with an intimate vibe where national and local bands perform. Its own site notes it has hosted notable live album recordings, including a Husker Du release.

331 Club is a 13th Avenue Northeast bar in Minneapolis that books local bands every night of the week.

Aster Cafe occupies a riverfront building with a European courtyard overlooking the Mississippi and the downtown skyline, and its own site states “The Aster presents live music most nights of the year, ranging from national acoustic acts to the best local artists and showcases.”

Bunker’s bills itself as Minneapolis’ premier live music venue since 1976, a bar and grill in the historic North Loop with live bands every night of operation. Its stage mixes long-running weekly house bands with touring regional and national acts.

Cloudland Theater is a theater on East Lake Street in Minneapolis that books ticketed shows several nights a week.

Its own site brands it “Uptown Minneapolis’ Food + Music + Event Hotspot,” a restaurant and bar built into a historic theater that books live music alongside private events, intimate festivals and micro shows.

Green Room is a music venue in the heart of Uptown at 2923 Girard Ave S, with “10,000 flexible square feet” that also converts to private event use. Shows are standing room only apart from a handful of bar stools and high-tops, and the kitchen is powered by Parlour.

Mortimer’s is a Lyndale Avenue South bar in Minneapolis with a scratch kitchen and a regular live-music calendar.

Pilllar Forum is the coffee shop, bar and all-ages music room that the Northeast Minneapolis skate brand Pilllar opened in 2022. Its own site sums the place up as hot coffee, strong whiskey and loud music, and the room runs a ticketed calendar of touring and local bands.

Its own site bills it as “Three Stages. One Unforgettable Venue,” naming The Theater, The Zen Arcade, and Under The Canopy, and says it hosts everything from “intimate listening room vibes to full blown music festivals.”

The Parkway Theater is a Chicago Avenue theater in Minneapolis, built in 1931 and reborn in 2018 after its first major restoration in 40 years. It screens classic 35mm films and books live music, comedy and performance.

Uptown VFW is James Ballentine VFW Post 246 on Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis, open seven days a week. Its own site says the stage hosts local, national and international talent five to seven nights a week, and it runs karaoke seven nights a week.