The New Year's Eve show was my first time there. By far my least favorite music venue and I will not be returning. I could have handled the poor space and overpriced drinks but what I could not handle were the overly aggressive bouncers kicking people (mostly men/couples) out for no reason. By the end of the show, you can see from pictures that it was only a sea of females throughout the front by the stage. The bartenders were at least friendly enough. read more

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

Overpriced drinks to watch garage bands. I'm sure headliners are better than the four warmups in front of them, but who can wait that long?

I have a lot of good memories at the Fine Line, I saw the Pixies first ever reunion show here! I got to see Super Furry Animals here as well as a few other shows! The place is great, the stage is at a good height for watching bands, it still feels intimate but is a bigger joint! It does not have the vibe of First Ave or the History but it's still cool and you can still get a feeling of cool rock history here! Drink prices are a little steep but then again, so are mountains and if you want to climb to the top you got to drop a buck! read more

I've only been here twice. Neither time did I have a bad experience, but it certainly wasn't great, either. The stage is nice and big and there's a good amount of room on the floor to watch the band. The drinks are expensive. They charge $3 for a cup of tap water. Bullshit Sorry, that's all I've got. Just a typical Minneapolis music venue. read more

Great place to see both a major and a local act. Good sound and lighting, and good sightlines. The drink prices are a bit obscene, though. Any place that charges $4.75 for a bottle of Grain Belt in the state of MN should have its liquor license revoked. Get your drinks before you arrive, then enjoy the show. read more

My liking of The Fine Line somewhat teeters on a fine line (couldn't help myself). I love the venue's intimate setting for shows. At a Mates of State concert awhile back I got to stand touch-ably close to Kori and the sound was perfect. (It's also kind of cool that the bands are (almost) on the same level as you.) What I don't like is the use of the venue for speakers, conferences, etc. The group I was with wanted chairs that had some back support so we sat upstairs. That was great, but then we had to look down on the speaker from a weird angle and the railing obstructed our view and made it look like she was behind bars. I also have a gripe because the tap beer I drank cost $7...but like Sean W. said, it's where they make the $$ so I guess that's forgivable. read more

I went to an event at The Fine Line this past week and despite all the acclaim I've heard from others, I just wasn't that impressed. The area is small and, for the event I was at, poorly arranged. The building was insufferably hot, despite the cooler temperatures. This might have been a one night issue, but I don't know. As far as wait staff is concerned or bartenders - they all seemed sluggish. I guess the guy who waited on myself and my friend was okay considering how busy it was, but I'm going to say the fact that he was fun to watch was the saving grace for him also. None of them seemed to fit in to the service industry and just seemed like they felt too cool to be waiting on me. I will go back sometime and can hopefully give a better review. I want to, I just can't do better right now. This is totally the hazard of place haivng "hype" read more

Honestly, this place is GARBAGE! Aside from the over-priced drinks and no re-entry policy, I'd still give a 1 star. I went there with my dad tonight and see a band called Teenage Fanclub and the sight lines were terrible. There was a speaker blocking the SIGHTLINE table. If you have something blocking a sight line table that you paid for, it's not a freaking sightline table! Furthermore, you pay for this table that has these bars blocking it. Again, if you can't see, it's not a sightline table! Next up on the rant, the bathrooms. The bathrooms have nothing wrong with them themselves, but in the women's room, there are 4 stalls. One stall doesn't lock, if one doesn't lock, freaking fix it. Also, the bathrooms are in the way back if the venue by the stage. You have to go up this hallway that is about as half as wide as an isle in a store, and go into the bathrooms from there. Next, the size. The size of the Fine Line is about the size of 6 cubicles pushed together. Teenage Fanclub played MPLS about 6 years ago at First Avenue and about half of it was full. I was like 7 so I didn't get to go. But, my dad did and he said it was great so I said why not to this one. HUGE mistake. It was packed, we had a sightline table that was the size of a peanut M&M and we paid like 3$ for WATER. Not to mention it was 44$ each for the table and the ticket, 6$ to park, and 67$ worth of merch. For 2 people it would be about 160$ Lastly, the employees. They have a smoking pit or "patio" that's really an alley that's fenced off for safety reasons. There's security there that's telling you where you can and cannot smoke/vape. And forget getting a drink or going out for a smoke after the show. There was a dude literally kicking people out after the show. They would barley let me use the bathroom after! It wasn't like 30 min after either. It was like 10 min tops. I get that he wanted to clean up and stuff but still. End of rant. Do not go to the Fine Line unless there's a band you really want to see. read more

The Fine Line is pretty awesome, you savages. Go do a kegstand somewhere and black out. Local music, blues, jazz, and a good variety of musical acts and culture come through here. You really need to check out the calendar to know which nights act meets up with your interests. It has always been a dimly lit and relaxed environment when I've been there. read more

This is a great venue to see a show, as long as there is a good crowd. I have had the luxury of seeing the same artist here with 2 completely different crowds and one was one of my favorite shows, and the other still haunts me as a terrible show and a blight on our city. The second time was a charity event, and the event organizers got drunk and had extremely loud conversations right in the middle of the crowd. The headliner, normally a sweet singer songwriter who you can usually tell *loves* her music and performing it, was visibly shaken and annoyed and obviously not enjoying it. The drink prices aren't bad, the staff is usually friendly. The sound system is great, but the engineer has been somewhat lacking at a few shows with unbalanced mixes that drown out vocals and lag behind solos. Still, it seats a good number but still manages to be intimate. If an act I like comes here, I won't hesitate to go again, despite the reasons above. read more

Saw Ryan Bingham and the Americans here on 4/6. Solid sound, a couple of options for bars , and relatively chill staff. The only knock I would have would be how packed in we were as a crowd. Overall though, who cares, it's a concert. Would go again to this venue. read more

I've had the pleasure to venture to Fineline over the past 12 years in Minneapolis to see some great local acts and big headliners before they get big. The venue has great acoustics for a venue of its size and shape and always feels like an upgrade to the "heard it first" vibe we enjoy with venues like First Avenue or the Cabooze. One recent change I noticed is the rise in drink prices which can hinder the labor of throwing back a few while listening to your favorite local rock band or living the hip hop life while toasting up with grey goose and patron. Over all, the roady like staff makes you feel like your in the right place a good show and the venue can cater to multiple music genres. Worth the ticket but drink before hand! read more

Fine Line - Mississippi Hip Hop artist #BigKrit on his Pay Attention tour - Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

The venue is ok, however the staff is poorly trained on handling people with medical emergencies. I witnessed a guy pass out probably from dehydration and standing with his knees locked and they just kicked him out onto the streets. I definitely will not be coming back here to watch music shows read more

As a 55 year old man, I was treated like a thug, maybe because I'm a man of color, but I was a guest of two of the three bands. JWP AND Chase Makai. Big burly white security guys, treated me like I was a criminal. When following Chase downstairs a security asked me where I was going? I said to visit the green room since that's where I was being lead to. He stopped me by getting in between me and the door. I was told I had to wait for someone to escort me down. I'm 55 and I have health issues, I can stand very long and they had a very small sitting area, also no sitting at the bar. Let's talk about the bar, 8+ dollars for a beer and 9+ dollars for a red bull vodka holy crap that's expensive. I go to music venues all over the city as I'm an viewed as a native elder and I support all my musician friends. Never have I been made to feel so unwelcome, as I did on Saturday night. Even as the young lady at the green door saw me multiple times get escorted downstairs to sit and rest my legs and feet but also to use the restrooms. I was still made to wait to be escorted downstairs, my friends are on stage performing but I need to wait for one of them to get off stage to escort me downstairs. Never again will I ever recommend or attend another show at the Fineline. To much testosterone and fat shite bois that don't know how to run a floor properly. When he asked me who I was a guest of I said Chase Makai he said who the fuck is that. I said the guy performing on stage tonight. Worst experience in a club since 1997. read more

I have had a historically troubled relationship with this venue, leading me to call it off after an epically bad experience seeing Cowboy Junkies here years ago. Never again, I swore. And I kept to my vow, faithfully, until this past Saturday, when I finally broke down and saw Cracker doing an acoustic set. I was pleased and surprised to see that something has changed here, and for the better. Messrs. Lowry and Hickman were in predictably fine form, which probably didn't hurt my overall impression. But apparently my boycott must have done some good, since the surly staff of yore have been replaced by friendly humans who want to make the customer happy by providing great service. The sound was quite good too (clarity not sacrificed for volume). Welcome back to the Fine Line, Adam W... read more

The Fine Line isn't the greatest, but it's very A-OK. If a band you want to see is playing there, you're not going to skip it because it's at the Fine Line. Granted, there are certain drawbacks. It gets really tight in there when there's a big crowd and moving around can be really tricky. This crowding issue does at times make it hard to obtain one of the overpriced drinks. If you want to drink, load up before you get there so you aren't worried about it once you arrive. The well drinks are lackluster and the beers are a bit too spendy. Of course that's not really unusual for a club. This place is more than adequate though, and I can't really recall a show here where I could not get tickets. Even though it can get packed in there, there's space for a lot of people without it becoming too much of a safety issue. There are pretty good sight lines and it's an intimate space. Plus, it's a well-located venue, easily accessible via train into downtown. With the demise of the Quest, the Fine Line became more important and really, not everything can be at First Ave so it's nice to have the Fine Line downtown as well. read more

Great place to see a show. Drove up 4hrs to see a Rhymesayers show with Atmos, Ali, Toki, and others awhile back and finally writing a review. Stayed at the Graves hotel which was a short walk and great to stumble back too. Show sold out right away and glad I bought all of our tix early. Places was jammed pack, which makes for a good show in a decent sized venue but still intimate. Stage, sound, lights are good. There is an upper balcony area. Drinks were pricey, but thats where they make the $$. I would come back again. read more

How can you beat this: getting free admission tickets for a group of 6 from a member of a band (who's also the co-worker of 1 person in the group) and then ordering drinks and finding out that EVERYTHING was 2 for 1, and seeing a live performance of some pretty cool music? Well... I think it was a pretty nice deal for a Tuesday night and I'd do it all over again, given the chance. read more

I've seen a concert here and a comedy show - two completely different set ups they had. The comedy show was real intimate with tables set up throughout most of the place with a wait staff. I gave in and got a bbq sandwich that was surprisingly good. For the concert, it provided a cool up close experience with the artists. the stage is rather low and they let you get pretty close, not setting up a large buffer space between the band and the crowd. The beers here are definitely going to put a hole in your pocket. So, if you can drink somewhere else before and hold out until after the show, I think Fine Line will be found to you liking. read more

An okay venue. Im a shorty and I was further back and did not see the performers well at all. Pillars be damned! That said, the sound was good and I still manage to have a good time by moving to the music! read more

Good people, nice bar, weird venue. The AC was blasting all night so we were extremely cold. The lights were very bright upstairs and in the back of the venue, which made it feel a lot less intimate. The sound also didn't reach the back of the venue very well. I loved the act that was on, but it was difficult to enjoy their set. Something about the layout of the Fine Line is odd, and the lack of sound, and the lighting in the back made a bad impression. I really want to like this venue but I don't know if I will be back. read more

Everything about my experience here was terrible, except for the artist I was there to see. Unfortunately, the poor nature of this venue made it hard to enjoy even that. Rude staff. Utterly pathetic operations management. Doors were supposed to open at 8, but didn't actually open till 8:30. Now, that doesn't seem too bad, but it was -18 windchill, and even once the doors were open, we didn't get through their horrendous line/ticket process until after 10PM (we arrived at 7:45). It was the coldest I've ever been waiting for a show. My buddy's girlfriend was shaking and said she was going to pass out, so they left. That cold. When the rest of us finally made it to the front, they had ONE GUY checking IDs FOR A SOLD OUT SHOW. Makes me mad. Drinks were also terrible, think 75% ice, 5% vodka, 20% redbull. Not terribly expensive, but not even close to worry it. Concert goers, beware of the fine line. I will not be coming back, and neither should you. read more

I go to a lot of shows, and sometimes bands I like get booked here. It's a shame, really, because this is a terrible venue. First, the sight lines are garbage for rock music. Completely flat floor and no good angles for viewing the show. The expensive balcony tables also have poor sight lines, with a big chunky railing obscuring the stage. But the absolute worst part of the experience is the gestapo-like staff. No re-entry, constant hovering in between sets and once the show is done, good luck getting another drink or a smoke or even merch. They physically THROW you out of the place once the encore is finished. Just an awful experience for any music fan. Unless one of your favorite bands is playing, skip this place. read more

Horrible horrible staff I can not get over how awful the staff was. I refuse to ever go to a show here again. Seriously the worst venue in MN read more

I will not be returning to the Fine Line if I can help it. Tonight I went to see my friend's band and had a pretty bad experience. The bathroom attendant made smart remarks to my husband. The doorman was sassy to us as we left. My friend in the band was not pleased with the way they were being treated either. I'm glad there are very few good acts at the Fine Line these days so it won't be hard to avoid it in the future. read more

This is going to be easier than usual. Three bars on the main floor was worth two stars by itself. And then they played the two entire Coldplay albums between sets. 'nuff said. read more

I do NOT like seeing shows here. The sound quality is always bad, the employees are not very friendly and it always has a really frat boy sort of feel. The only times I would ever go here would be to see bands that I really wanted to see. The ticket and drink prices are always a bit high, expect for the free ticketing to see the really crappy local bands that have to beg people to show up. Granted this isn't the worst club I've ever been to, but there are about a billion better places in Mpls. read more

While the sound is good. The managements is not. How do you run out of multiple types of beer before the main act even starts.

I completely agree with Jessica Z. Sound Quality really kind of sucks there. the bar seems like its setup so if its crowded, you can't actually get a drink. read more

My first visit to the Fine Line was to see Travis. The concert itself was phenomenal, the venue...not so much. It was early May so it was pleasant outside, but it was so uncomfortably hot and stuffy inside that it was unbearable. The guitar player was so hot he jumped off stage and ran outside, while continuing to play. It was an impressive feat. There seemed to be a serious lack of ventilation. I'm not sure if this is a common problem or was an isolated incident. If a band I loved was playing I would probably suck it up and go there again but if it was a local band that plays frequently I wouldn't bother. read more

I attended this venue for A concert for A few artists I love!! Overall very unprofessional and sloppy staff and security. I would NEVER patronize This venue again, not even if my favorite artists came back to this venue. I wouldn't waste your time. read more

I had to sign up just to express how bad a venue this place is. I went to Run the Jewels on 11/20/2014 and was really upset the moment I ordered a drink. $6.50 for rail whiskey and it was a REALLY light pour, at best half a shot. I went back for another drink and asked the bartender if they have something that is a better value than that, and she said "probably surly furious. $7 tap" and I asked what they serve it in and she pointed to what looked like about a 12 ounce plastic cup. Actually any tap was $7 so don't think you're going to save any cash getting something cheaper. I decided I wasn't going to continue to get gouged for crappy drinks so I just went to enjoy the show. Too bad their sound system setup was so poorly there was constant feedback if the performers weren't careful about where they pointed their mic. I can't say I thought the mixing was very good. It never seemed balanced, the vocals often were drowned out. Despot (an opener for RTJ) commented at one point something got messed up (I assume with his on stage monitor.) I would say ultimately this place is just in it for the money and they've got it figured out how to best screw you over as a patron. Get great acts to come play your crappy venue and you can do whatever you want! They'll give you crappy pours, crappy sound engineer, and a crappy venue, and charge you like it's the best! If any booking agent ever happens to see this, do yourself a favor and try to book your performer at the Varsity Theater instead. Similar layout but a million times better than this, or really any of the at least 20 other great venues throughout the city. Despite the crappy venue, I still thought the show was fantastic, so I don't want this to reflect poorly on them. read more

It's a serious bummer that this place books great shows because it's one of the worst bars and venues in Minneapolis. Service is terrible, their taps are frequently out, the drinks are over priced and the bar tenders are slow. Sound is muddled and they always over sell their shows. The layout of the venue makes it nearly impossible to both get drinks and see the stage so pretty much worst case scenario if you'd like to do either of those things. If you go to a show here, bring your own flask. read more

Horrible venue. They treat the bands like crap and don't pay them. Not the best place to see live music either. The sound is horrible. The sound guy there has no idea how to run sound for live performances. read more

This was my first visit, my friend whose band was performing, Lars Nelson, invited me, and it started at 8PM. I got there after a trip to Runyon's, and arrived just in time to park at 6PM. Now this was the weirdest parking situation I've ever encountered. You don't park at the curb but almost a foot away from it, next to the bike lane. Another thing to scare off this St. Paulite. I felt like I was visiting an inmate, with what you go through before you're allowed to enter. But when you get in the place it's gorgeous, and so clean. I'm used to MMC, lets say I wish they could replicate it. I love the proximity and height of the stage. I'll never get used to the noise level of these venues, and I'm wearing my earmuffs inside. Someone shared some french fries, and they are crunchy and delicious. It was 2 for 1 on a Tues, so they served me both my cokes at the same time. They seem to have something going on all the time. They call it rock. read more

Called several times to reach management to book event for our business. Attempted to explain and the woman I spoke with kept interrupting me. She was rude and refused to transfer my call to senior management. After three attempts, moved on to another local venue that provided excellent customer service for our company. The concept of marketing is lost upon Fine Line employee at ext.5. read more

Probably one of the worst venues in Minneapolis. Their no re-entry policy is absolute rubbish. I honestly cannot think of a club with the same policy and I have been to every one in MPLS. Over priced drinks in a 8 OZ cup. No joke. $7 beer in a small 8 OZ cup. Who does that? read more

So just went to my first show at this place...Some thoughts... Actual sound and venue are fine. However... -The show was way sold out. There was one guy...one guy...checking IDs at the door. I mean what does one more person for the night cost to get the folks in your doors spending money on beer? Just doesn't make sense. The line was very very long. I felt bad for that guy. He was doing the best he could. -I had left my coat in the car just for convenience. Got in there and was approached by a staff member that I needed to check my hoodie?? My hoodie??? Are you kidding me? My sweatshirt. I just kinda looked at him and said "No". -Lastly...went up to settle my beer tab at the end of the show. A guy came up and said "hey can just get a cup of water". The bartender said "Sure...two bucks"...two bucks...for a cup of ice water...It wasn't a bottled water??? Weird Weird vibe.... read more