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Mill City Nights reopening as…Music Hall?

by Cecilia Johnson

December 08, 2016

Venue news came in the form of a Kehlani show announcement this morning. As the Oakland pop/R&B star gears up to release her album SWEETSEXYSAVAGE on Jan. 27, she rolled out a series of tour dates, including one in Minneapolis on May 6. The venue? "Music Hall FKA Mill City Nights."

Apparently, the Fifth Street space is getting another rebrand; Kehlani's show is the only one Bandsintown lists for Music Hall, which has yet to build a presence on the web.

The city has watched Mill City Nights undergo some struggle over the last several years, starting with its ill-fated inaugural show in 2012. The space opened as the Brick (plus a downstairs bar called the Basement at the Brick), switched to Mill City Nights (and the Nether Bar) soon after, and never quite picked up steam in the competitive marketplace. General manager Jeff Kehr departed in Jan. 2016, and news of the closing broke in September.

Even then, a flurry of changes dogged Mill City Nights as it wound down. MØ cancelled her Nov. 26 show to focus on recording. Melodime's Dec. 11 show, which once capped the venue's calendar, was moved to the Turf ClubAccording to DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip, Mill City Nights's last show was Children of Bodom on Dec. 1.

AEG is not operating the venue moving forward; we'll update this story as we learn more about the venue's new management.

Update #1: Entourage Events Group, most widely known for running the Fine Line Music Cafe, are confirmed to be involved with Music Hall. More information is forthcoming.

Update #2: As pointed out by Minneapolis Twitter pro Kyle Matteson: D.R.A.M., Allan Kingdom, Finding Novyon, and DJ TIIIIIIIIIIP will play a pre-New Year's Eve show at the venue on Dec. 30. The flier calls the space "Music Hall MPLS."

Update #3: According to Greenroom publisher/writer Jake Heinitz, the venue's stage height will be lowered.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.