Who SHOULD get new stars? Solid Gold? Hold Steady? Nick Gunz?
Suggestions? We’d love to see ‘em!
If you’ve recently driven down First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, you’ve probably noticed a little repair work going on.
Not on the street itself, but on the signature, eye-catching nightclub. The stars painted on the exterior of the building take it from venue to icon – and they’re getting a little work done this week.
But some fans of the club aren’t too happy about the upgrade. They think it’s sacrilege, like erasing the history of their favorite bands.
In past 40 years, some of the best-known bands have played First Ave., starting with rocker Joe Cocker when it opened in 1970.
In the mid 80s they began painting performers names on silver stars. Big names like, B.B. King, Tina Turner, Big Head Todd, The Replacements and even, Alice in Chains got their own star.
But most famous perhaps, is our very own Prince, after all, this is his home turf.
Management thought it was looking tacky and crowded and about a week ago, repainting began.
A white primer base first, followed by the new stars. It’s become a real talker — some OK with it because they didn’t know half the names anyway and others have vented anger.
One man even said, “It’s not Michaelangelo!”
” Obviously, we want to keep the building looking nice and we’re not painting over any history, we’re going to recreate it for the bands that have loved it and put in the time here before,” said Machen Davis of First Avenue.
There were 530 stars before but the club will now limit it to just 400. There’s also a contest going on for fans to vote for which bands and performers get a star.
http://www.first-avenue.com/blog/2010/05/who-deserves-first-avenue-star
