I would certainly go to this venue again. Like its parent, First Ave, it has an excellent sound system. A very cool bartender let me sample a cider when i wasn't sure about ordering it, and it was a winner. I did not notice any kind of food service, but lots of good places are nearby if you are hungry after the show. I was there for Temples, they totally rocked. While I think they deserve a bigger venue, it turned out to be just right for the crowd and they came out for an impromptu meet & greet afterwards. read more

Fine Line - Phone camera was not up to the job from the barstool I was sitting on due to a cranky ankle. My actual view was better than this. - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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This is a fun music venue that has shows almost every day. I like thaybshows here are reasonably priced and that they show such a variety of people. The service is great too. It's efficient and people working there are rockstars. The only downside is parking, which can.be hard to find. read more

Fine Line - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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My first show at the Fine Line might be my last. This was a venue I hadn't gotten around to seeing a show at and was excited to pay a visit. While the show was excellent, the cramped space, and hazardous exit made for a not so enjoyable evening. There seems to be one entrance and one exit, and if in case of emergency, we're all doomed. Makes for an intimate show experience, but the thought of returning makes me anxious. Might not be on my show rotation after all. read more

Fine Line - Julia Jacklin - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Great small venue for a show. My husband broke his foot and needed accessible seating, which they accommodated with a stool near the soundboard. There was a coat check for $4 near the entrance. There were 8 high-top tables at the rear of the venue next to the soundboard with decent sight lines of the stage if you get there early enough to grab one. There's a parking lot adjacent to the venue and some parking garages within a few blocks walk. The acoustics were good, and the drink prices were reasonable. read more

Fine Line - Standing area in front of the stage - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Another one of Minnesota's great concert venues! This is owned by the first Avenue circuit so expect similar quality service and drinks as their other venues. We were able to get our ID's checked, through security and into the show in under a minute a very efficient security. Service isn't necessarily friendly but focused on crowd control and keeping things moving. Drinks were available including a large variety of liquor and beer. Expect to pay more than your average bar but not quite stadium pricing. The floor is wood so it's less painful than some of the concrete floor venues for long term standing but can get slippery quick as drinks are spilled during the show. Acoustics are great however and due it's slightly smaller size, almost everywhere in the venue has a good vantage point to see. The crowd was very well behaved and if you weren't aware this place offers two free tickets to any show on the day of your birthday, very cute way to give back to the community. We will be back! read more

Fine Line - Bar area, shot of jack with a Coke back, standing area - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Small venue that gets a lot of the smaller bands I like from less popular genres. Saw This Will Destroy You, Deafheaven, Thursday, and some others. Not great sight lines and the audio can get really muddled since it's a cramped, not well designed space. Ticket prices aren't bad but it can get real expensive if you don't eat/drink before heading downtown. read more

Worst bar/venue experience ever. The manager was a total a hole. Rude, unintelligent, and straight up mean. Never coming back here again.

I just gave it the best review. The venue; the ambience, downtown Minneapolis. Everything was amazing

I recently visited Fine Line Music Café for the first time to see the New Power Generation perform. In comparison to its owner, First Avenue, this venue is much smaller but it does pack a punch. Similar to First Avenue, the main floor is standing room only with the stage and a bar. The upstairs consists of tables/chair along with another bar. In my opinion, the drinks were fairly priced for a venue such as this. I spent my entire time on the main floor up front near the stage and the sound was amazing. They obviously have a really great sound system along with knowledgeable people operating it. Overall I had a great time (how could I not with NPG performing) and I'm glad the venue enhanced that experience. read more

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I hadn't been to this venue in many years. Its standing room only on the first floor with a limited number of sit down tables in a mezzanine above. The sit down tables have great sight lines and are worth the extra expense. I was VERY much looking forward to seeing a favorite band that added a date here. But I was sorely disappointed. The sound was AWFUL! Muddy and imbalanced. Singers and comments from the band were unintelligible all night. For a First Avenue owned venue it was simply unacceptable. Staff was terrific however! Great service and a full bar with loads of options even for those of us who need zero carbs these days. Drinks are expensive though--$11-14 per item. read more

I will never be attending another show at the Fine Line. I bought tickets to a country concert on the balcony and everyone who was drinking was running into my chairs and it was really busy. The Fine Line is a mess and I don't say that lightly. read more

I have seen at least 12+ shows here and it's great for upcoming artists. The bars seem to keep up with drinks the guests. I have found it's worth a little extra money to get a table upstairs as the view is good from anywhere up there. The parking lot connected is a great spot and typically has spots. They have street parking also, but hard to come by. read more

Paid $140 for tickets for my son and I and was rejected at the door because my drivers license was a few months expired. What a waste of money. Will never return. read more

The Fine Line is one of my favorite venues in the Twin Cities. I've seen a variety of acts such as, Destroyer, Squid, Your Smith, and Of Montreal there and every time the sound is amazing. I like that it's a more intimate venue with a balcony for shorter folks (such as me) to get a nice view of the stage. They also have two bars so you'll be sure to get your beverage fast. There have been a couple of times where the staff was really rude to my friends by having bad attitudes, but otherwise, I dig the Fine Line. read more

The venue seemed nice. It was the management and disorganization that made this review 2 stars. I'm being generous btw giving more than 1. My girlfriend bought tickets for my 26th bday to see my favorite band The Vaccines. She's 25 btw. We got to the entrance and on the door there was a paper that said "photo ID required". Nowhere on the website did it say an ID was required. All it said was 18+. She has a picture of her ID but she doesn't bring her ID with her to places because we've never needed to for 18+ venues, plus it never said we needed to. After we left the venue we looked at the policies on their website and saw nothing about a required photo ID. The woman at the door scanning the ID's was nice. The manager however had no sympathy whatsoever. And was just blatantly a rude guy. We drove 3 hours to see the vaccines and he told us that if we wanted to get in we'd have to drive back home and grab her ID. I do love the vaccines but we're not gonna drive 12 hours in total just to see a band cuz one guy wants to pretend he's the king of the world and make up his own rules for a venue he doesn't even own. But yea. Nothing against the venue, or the vaccines. Or the staff really. Just this one manager. People need to be chill more often. You don't need to be a stickler for the rules where you work. If there's nice people just tryna have a good time and you don't like the look of that, look another direction. Don't force people into boredom with your made up rules so you can feel like you're in control of something. It's not a good look dude. Anyway. I hope the concert was nice for the people who got to attend. Have a good night everyone. Except the manager. I hope you have a less than okay night. read more

I have lived in MN since 1987 and have never been to the Fine Line. I used to visit South Beach and Daddy Rocks across the street (for you older folks) and I have eaten at Breakfast Bar across the street from Fine Line.. I have never visited Fine Line, until the day of this concert. I went to see Tobe Nwigwe... dope show. So the venue appears to have two floors. Smaller venue, but nice space. Full bar in plan view on your left upon walking in. Security was cool... not rude and overly aggressive, but about business and professional. I liked that. Bartender was cool as well, attentive and focused. They had coat check, but I didn't feel like paying for it. LOL DJ was live... i forgot his name. Ooops... Restrooms were clean and in the far back, past the stage. I enjoyed the venue and how it was run. It was a little too hot in there and I LOOOVED that they opened the door and let some cold air in for us....idk if it was intentional, not for us, for them, wahtever... we needed it. LOL read more

Fine Line - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Never had a bad experience here, I've heard occasionally the staff isn't amazing but the intimate venue is a fun spot to catch smaller artists. read more

This was my first time coming here and it was great! We went to see Marc Rebillet and it was one of the funniest, most entetaining shows we have been too. Tickets were only $15 plus some extra fees, so affordable. It was sold out. Although it is a smaller venue, I didn't feel too packed in there like some sold out shows at other venues I have been too. And it was really easy to get in and get a drink at the bar. Not much waiting at all. We were allowed both downstairs and upstairs and never had issues with sound quality or views. Bathrooms were nice and of course, no waiting for that either. Parking was the only difficult thing. We did have to park a ways down at a meter but the weather was nice anyways. read more

Fine Line - Marc Rebillet - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Great concert tonight! Loved seeing Adrian Belew, longtime a musical hero. But unfortunately, not an unsullied experience. We just relocated to Mpls; longtime residents of DC and happy devotees of the 9:30 Club. Sad to see only half the club filled for Adrian. But more so offended to be harassed unnecessarily by the Fine Line Manager. We were told by staff we could grab seating if unclaimed, so we sat after the concert began. Only to be tapped after about an hour in by the Manager who told us to get outa those chairs and challenged us as to who told us we could sit there! So we got up, only to have others take the seats after we got up -- and the Manager never returning to harass them. Really? That's how the Fine Line wants to roll? Irritated us for the remainder of the concert. And for what purpose? To make the Manager feel like he was the the Big Guy that night? We'll be back when the good acts appear, but not likely to just come around to enjoy the venue, because the venue is not being managed to be what should be it's first priority -- to make the customer happy! read more

It's another one of those venues where they sell more tickets than they have room to accommodate, presumably because they're trying to upsell you balcony tickets. There are maybe a hundred people currently standing in the walkway that's marked off for those who are trying to buy a beer at the bar and get to the bathrooms. It's very much "How is this not a fire code violation?" territory tonight. Also, I'm six feet tall and can't see the stage, because it's a shitty layout. Again, it's a "if you didn't pay extra for balcony tickets, well then fuck you" situation. Called ahead and asked if I could bring a camera to the concert. Told them that their answer was important in my decision about whether to go to the concert in the first place. Lady on the phone gave me a breezy chirpy "of course! No problem!" without asking any further questions. So we went ahead and bought tickets to see Billy Bragg for three consecutive nights and planned a trip to Minneapolis around them. Of course, once I got to the venue, it was a different story: it was "we don't admit cameras with lenses." (By definition, all cameras have lenses, so it was literally the opposite of the answer I was given by their chirpy saleslady when I said I was considering buying tickets.) Of course, lying to people in a sales conversation by misrepresenting material facts in order to talk them into buying something legally constitutes fraud, but they don't, you know, fucking care. Fuck this crowded place with its fraudulent glib apologizing employees. Fuck its shitty layout and the condescending assholes who work here. Acoustics in the hall also suck. So does the moron running the sound board. EDIT. Singer moved slightly and I can see part of his face for now. Awesome. EDIT AGAIN. Someone just collapsed onto the floor, presumably from the heat of all the extra bodies crammed in here, and it's so crowed that security took more than two minutes to push through the bodies to get to this poor guy lying on the floor. Awesome. EDIT YET AGAIN. Asked to talk to the manager on my way out after the concert. Explained that I was given incorrect information in the context of a sales conversation. Explained that this technically constitutes fraud. He scoffed, as if wanting it not to be true automatically makes it not true, because he wants it not to be. Just to be dick, apparently, or because I'd made him waddle downstairs and then taken up three minutes of his precious time, he also told security not to admit me during the next two nights, even though I had tickets. No, I didn't get a refund on the tickets I'd purchased for the next two nights. I get it that he's a five-foot-six quarter-ton of ex-chicken strips with parallel stripes of grease across his shirt, because that's what he looked and smelled like. But a ticket is a contract, and simply declining to honor a contract because he wants to flex his only skill other than turning chicken strips into him is a dick move that he knows he can get away with because what am I going to do, stay in Minneapolis to sue him over two nights' worth of tickets? LOL. So he just goes ahead and fucks me over because he can. He wouldn't even tell me his name. How's that for cowardly? This is a venue run by a douchebag who won't even stand behind his own decisions enough to put his name to them. read more

This was my first time at the Fine Line Cafe to see Mura Masa and Kucka. It's a really small venue, the main floor was $20 for general admission and there's seating upstairs for $35. It was hot and cramped but I had the most amazing time! I'd recommend getting the $35 tickets if dancing, sweating, and being stuffy is not really your cup of tea. But personally for me, smaller and more intimate venues are definitely my scene. Mura Masa had an amazing set, it was a phenomenal show and the crowd was just so into it. It's conveniently located nearby the Warehouse District/Hennepin stop on the light rail, so getting there is super easy! For what I paid for, I had a great time and I'm absolutely looking into future concerts/artists at the Fine Line. read more

Fine Line - a crowd of people at a concert - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

We went here for Cautious Clay, and it was phenomenal. Easy, cheap coat check and accessible bar in an intimate venue. Fantastic.

I went to the Fine Line for the first time to see Adelita's Way, along with Late Night Fights, American Sin and Blacklite District. I had purchased a reserved seat upstairs. Easy to get into setting, restrooms were clean, bars on main floor and on upper level, very reasonably priced tickets at 20 for GA and 35 for reserved. My table was nicely labeled with my name where I was sitting, no guessing where I was suppose to be. The sound quality was good, plenty of room and really enjoyed the bands. For my first time going I was pleased, the service was excellent from the wait staff, even though I was only drinking water and diet soda did not have any difficulty being offered refills. Would recommend. read more

The Fine Line is a fine music venue. THUMBS UP - Smaller venue - A fair number of craft beers on tap and full bar - Friendly staff - Good sound THUMBS DOWN - No re-entry - Limited sight lines - Spendy drinks, but they're certainly not alone in that regard It's a venue I've been to a number of times and will gladly visit again in the future. read more

I had a good time at the Fine Line... It was relaxed and a fun place to catch a show. The security guy seemed a little intense, but whatever. The layout of the place is good. There's a small but decent sized dance floor and then there's an upstairs balcony that rings half of the room.. There are some tables up there if you arrive early and the tables come with the bonus of wait service. There are bars both upstairs and down, so yay for that. As mentioned, the stage is actually pretty low, which makes for a pretty intimate viewing experience if you can get up close. The sound system was fine -- nice and loud, no issues there. Beer wise, there were probably a dozen taps but the beer selection was not that hot. I ended up drinking Furious since it seemed like the best option. But the beer I did have was tasty and fresh. Beers were $6 a pop, which yes, is not cheap. But I've paid more for a beer, so take it for what it is, I guess. In general we found the staff to be helpful and friendly and pretty prompt with their service. In all, it was a pretty fun and relaxed place to see a show. We'd definitely come back. read more

Came to see Wolf Alice, cool venue! Pretty small and gets kinda packed during the show but not too bad. Large bar on the first level with another one up top on the balcony. The sound system used was great, the lighting left something to be desired I guess. Was not able to see much compared to other venues, but still not bad. read more

Fine Line - Stage - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I purchased tickets to Mike Campbell and the dirty knobs in March 2020 prior to the pandemic. I was denied entry to a show I paid tickets to because of their ridiculous vaccination policy on Monday evening. Look I get having this policy however I'm one of the few who cannot get the vaccine due to a health condition. Not only was I denied entry your door staff wouldn't even rapid test or give me answers on how I could be refunded. At the very least I should have been allowed a rapid test. Just because someone isn't vaccinated doesn't therefore make them an anti vaxxer. I also checked the fine line website prior to coming to the show and NOWHERE was this stated. They are only ones implementing this policy even the city doesn't mandate it. I have friends at work for the Fillmore and the armory and they both have told me even though they don't require it which are larger venues. I will absolutely never set foot in another first Avenue establishment again nor will I recommend any of my friends to support or play at them. You guys are disgusting and the very opposite of what rock n roll is about. read more

Come on guys, with a well established music joint like Triple Rock closing, we have to support other small venue places in the cities to keep music alive for everyone! My experience was not at all harsh like other reviewers here. I have seen NY dolls, Lemon Twigs most recently and wouldn't mind coming back soon. Yes, this place is small which is what I like about shows, intimate and close up. You know you have to pay more for drinks at concerts , but their tickets are not overly priced so that even things out for me. They had drinks special when I was there so way to go for a $4 whiskey coke! They made their drinks strong too so that was a plus cause they could have totally given me a coke. The place seemed clean to me. Restroom run wasn't bad. It is a little strange with the no re-entry policy so be aware of that. I am sure they have their reasons to run a safe establishment. The sound system was great! No complains for a fun night out. read more

Fine Line - Lemon Twigs - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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For being in Downtown Minneapolis, I was a little disappointed about the set up at this venue. There's not a lot of space, which is forgivable, so long as you try to maximize and coordinate the amount of space available. I went to see a friend of mine perform, and the seating arrangement is more than just a little wonky. Also, the coat check light was on for most of the evening without anyone operating it. In January in Minnesota, one would think (simply from a business perspective) that it would be wise to keep it open to make a few bucks for storing people's coats. The staff were friendly enough, but I don't believe I would return unless the artist performing were enough to tempt me. read more

In speaking to some folks that have been here in the past, I guess the management has changed with First Avenue taking it over and the experience has improved. I haven't been here prior to a couple months ago, so I can't speak to what it used to be like, but I can say that coming to a show here is totally fine. The staff are super friendly, the sound quality is very good without and without causing hearing loss, I might add. The drinks a lil on the pricey side and I think the First Avenue company wide policy of charging $4 for the coat check is a little ridiculous. Plus, you can't stuff a 2nd layer or jacket with your first. 'Sorry, that will be another $4" That really is kinda silly, especially when a coats and layers are kinda essential in this town. Otherwise I would give them an extra star. We'll stick w/4 stars, overall. Let's hope they reconsider their coat pricing policy. read more

First off, there are very few to no tables, so wear comfortable shoes. Secondly, there is a Nazi Usher guy who will continuly yell at you IF: you are not inside the white line or you are in what he considers "the wrong spot." He is extremely annoying and I ended up yelling at him after some douche knocked a guy's beer all over my socks and just walked away. I redeemed my Yelp free drink for the guy who lost his beer because I wasn't drinking and I felt bad that the douche who spilled his just walked away. Other than that, the Fine Line is pretty cool. *~*RIP RUTHIE 2.10.55 - 10.30.15 *~* I Miss you EVERY DAY. I LOVE YOU!!!! read more

Fine Line - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Crappy, overpriced drinks? Check. Rude staff? Check. Weird rules ("STAND IN THE LINES!")? Check. Poor ventilation? Check. Strange layout (am I at a show venue or a coffee shop)? Check. But what really irks me is this: did you know that the men's restroom has an attendant? Like, breath mints, cologne, "Cotton towel?" attendant? Yeah, the women's restroom didn't even have paper towels or soap in most of the dispensers. Might I also add the ladies' restroom was ric-diculously gross, i.e. two of the toilets were clogged with beer bottles and were still being used gross. Supposedly the men's was the polar opposite. Y'know...I get that there are some fellas in need of *extra pampering*, but seriously, holy preferential treatment. When my friend told me about this, I thought he was kidding...until he ran back, got a little man-scent spritz from the attendant, and had me smell his jacket. "Old Spice? Wtf." Gotta say, first and last time at the Fine Line. Unless it's a band that I need to see or else I'll die, which would only be Iron Maiden at this point, I'm gonna pass. read more

The Fine Line Music Cafe is sort like your schizophrenic cousin. You can never tell how it is going to be acting. Some nights they do local sets where you can hear "an eclectic mix" of Twin Cities bands, or rather a night where one of their dim-witted staff has thrown together a rapid-fire succession of too many completely non-sequitor sets. Even if one of the bands is good and you are starting to enjoy yourself, dont bother bobbing your head because you just blinked and the next band is already sound checking. On other nights, they feature an amazing display of futuristic technologies like particle transportation. YEAH like in Star Trek! You walk in the front door on 1st Avenue, and although to the naked human eye it SEEMS as if you stepped into a place called Fine Line Music Cafe, your body--atom by miniscule atom--was actually instantaneously transported to the entryway of the uptown Drink. Now that you've traveled through space at the speed of light, you can join all 400 of your best bros for Red Bull shooters and rock out to your favorite incarnation of whatever pseudo-NIckelback band made it big on 93X this week. AWESOME DUDE! To top it all off, all of the bartenders were born with a terrible disease that simultaneously renders them blind and assholes. I think it's called Irritable Lazy Idiot Syndrome--ILIS. You tell me how a girl can stand at the bar waving her arms madly to get your attention while you watch the [shitty] show and pretend to be wiping the same spot on the bar for 20 minutes--and then you have the nerve to act annoyed that I asked for a drink? Excuse me "Brock/Bryce" but I guess I got you confused with somebody who was AT WORK. And what can be said for a venue that charges more door money for the Neil Diamond cover band than it does for original local bands that could actually use the money? I cant believe I have paid legal tender to be allowed into this place. read more

Absolutely awful! My wife and I went a concert here, ok we bought VIP tickets to the upper level where supposedly you can sit at a table and enjoy the show, it was horrible! We got there 1 hour before the show, we pick our table and before we knew it the "VIP" section was incredibly crowded, people pushing each other, bumping and just hanging around our table trying to watch the show. That's nothing; 15 minutes before the show somebody from the staff asked us if we could move our table because they were going to add more tables down the line, I refused, I told them I was there early and it wasn't fair that I had to move for other people that were late! He was very rude. I hate that place and I'll never be back! read more

Dang, this place has bad reviews. I am not surprised. But, overall, the many times I've been here have been mediocre, not terrible. (Now my husband, who had played here before, sings a different tune). I was here last night and had a perfectly fine experience. Because its such a small space, there really isn't a bad standing spot in the place, which is nice. They usually have one beer that's on special for $5, otherwise they're $7. BUT, if you check-in in Yelp, you get a FREE ONE! That's the redeeming grace. I'll come back here for a band I love, but I wouldn't seek this place out when we have many other "cooler" venues. read more

One would think that a trough could be found out in the country, with horses dipping their heads into it, their lower jaws working in that funny counter clockwise motion (if they are american...australian horses work the jaw the other way, I assume). So imagine my surprise when at an event for interactive marketing professionals such as myself, I find one in the bathroom! Not the horse, of course, but the trough urinal! Elusive as a unicorn and as hard to catch as a ghost. But folks, this isn't any trough urinal. It's a rain-trough-urinal! I felt like the man who discovered the Rainforest Cafe while hacking his way through the vines and overgrowth of some remote S. America country did when he stumbled upon his first cafe, which he promptly packed up brick by brick and brought back to Bloomington. I half expected a macaw to swoop over my head, or a boa to run up my leg. Alas, the constriction in my chest wasn't from any snake, but from the beautiful discovery before me. Trust me ladies when I say that all urinals are not created equal. read more

They have changed their practices since my last review and improved quite a bit. I no longer think this venue is garbage.

The show I was planning to see with some friends had been cancelled the same day, but we went anyway and saw a band that did mostly covers, but they were a lot fun. It was surprisingly dead on a Friday night, but that was probably due to the cancelation. I think this would be a good place to see a local show with a minimal cover. I'd probably come back again. Parking does suck in this part of town. Don't bother with their lot, it is $20 to park in there. I recommend walking a few blocks to a parking garage instead of paying the crazy prices for the lots. read more

From reading the previous reviews I didn't have too much expectations for this place but boy was I wrong. I found the venue to be cozy. I like how the bar is set up on the side rather than the back.. Allowing customers easy access to more drinks. The drink menu and price were reasonable. Though they didn't have cider on tap. But crispin was available in a bottle. the stage is set up at the other end of the entrance. The front tables were low while the back tables were hightops. Smart thinking as people can actually see the singers. Lighting didn't appear to be a problem and neither was the sound quality. I watched two local bands perform and I was impressed with their performance. Theres a second floor too. it over looks the stage. I love the funky jazz type of artist slash band. Anyways I would surely be coming again but maybe not in the winter. P.S. cover charge is typically five bucks. read more

I went to the Fine Line to see Jamestown Revival which is a band that has many soft songs with exquisite harmonies. My party and I could not believe it when several people standing around the bar preceded to have yelling conversations throughout the entire show. There were times I could barely hear the band at all. For their last song, the band had to ask the crowd to "please be quiet". I've never seen anything like this in my life and I will NEVER see another show at this venue. read more