Venue: The Armory in Minneapolis

The Armory is a venue in Minneapolis that was used both as a part-time home for The Lakers in the 50s and was the main home court for the 1959-1960 NBA season. As well as this, both Prince and Aerosmith recorded music videos in the building. At one point, there was a plan to use the building as a county jail, but that was struck down as the site has historical significance and is therefore protected by law. The venue is now used for a variety of social events.

The venue does not provide any free parking spaces, but similar to most venues in the Twin Cities, it has a variety of cheap parking ramps and ParkMobile spaces to use if you need access to parking around the event. The Armory is a go-to for larger artists wanting to get into the concert scene. It’s not necessarily big enough for massive or classic bands, but enough for some pretty popular people.

Security was very intense. First, you need to provide an ID and vaccination proof, and they will then mark your hand or give you a wristband depending on if you are below or above the age of 21 respectively. Then, you will need to go through a bag search and metal detectors. I actually had to get pat down because the cheap pants chain I had on alarmed the detectors. Lastly, you have to show your ticket to the individual past the security gates, and then you’re in. On the inside, there was security between the stage and the front of the audience, and they were handing out water bottles to those who needed them, and they pulled people out if they were injured or passing out for any reason.

The merch table for this venue usually sits at the back of the venue, right in between the two doors you can come in through. And in the middle of the general floor was the operating station where the light and audio techs did their work.

The venue is the second-largest venue I have ever been to with a max capacity of roughly 8,000 people between the general admission floor, the bar level, and the balconies above for 21+ patrons. Regardless of the number of people there, the general admission floor was actually fairly spacious. Unless you are at the very front of the floor, you will definitely have some elbow room.

Overall, the venue is a very high-energy and comfortable place to be. The security there is very responsible and kind, and overall I would like to see another show there sometime in the future.