For decades, Minneapolis bands played the Uptown Bar's tiny stage on their way up. Most played there hoping to one day graduate to playing the much larger (and legendary) stage at First Avenue. But in the process, that little stage at the Uptown also became legendary. The Replacements played there many times. As did the Jayhawks, the Hoopsnakes, Run Westy Run, and a million or so other local bands. Some good, and some not so much.
National acts on their way to stardom played there too. To name just a few, Jeff Buckly, Uncle Tupelo, The Flaming Lips, The Screaming Trees, UK Subs, and Nirvana. I believe Nirvana actually played there more than once.
In an earlier blog post, I talked of a 1996 encounter my friend and I had with Charlie Harper of punk band, UK Subs, in a night club in Prague. We arrived for their show early that night and found ourselves spending quite a bit of time chatting with the very friendly singer. When he asked where I was from and I said "Minneapolis," he started telling a story of playing a show in Minneapolis, but he couldn't remember at which venue. As I was about to say "probably First Avenue," but before I could finish my sentence, he said, "before the show they fed the band and me a fantastic meal at the bar." To which I immediately corrected myself saying "then it most definitely was not First Avenue." Anyway, as we ticked off the list of possibilities, I said "The Uptown Bar" and he said, "that's it! It was the Uptown Bar!"
Personally, I saw a few shows there. But I definitely missed the bar's musical hay day of the 1980's, being that I was just a bit too young. I recall seeing local all female band, Zuzu's Petals, play there in the early 1990's. Lead singer, Laurie Lindeen, went on to marry Replacements lead, Paul Westerberg. And she obtained her MFA in writing from the University of Minnesota, before writing the book, Petal Pusher, detailing her days in the band. I loved that book! I also saw Chicago one-hit-wonder, Veruca Salt, play the Uptown just as they were preparing to rocket to super stardom. Except it didn't work out that way, they fizzled and broke up not long after I saw them.
But times change, and The Uptown bar is no longer in existence. Nor is the building that once housed it. People do still line up in front the building that now stands in place of The Uptown, though now it is just for the privilege of owning the new iPhone.
Now in glass, on an old window of 49 by 38 inches, The Uptown Bar
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