Fans Lighten Up On The Brick

AEG Live’s The Brick made an inauspicious debut in Minneapolis last month, but the club has since made improvements and is receiving positive feedback from fans.

The venue, which boasted a 2,100 capacity, opened with a Jane’s Addiction show March 19. Local media lambasted it for poor sightlines and cramped quarters, running interviews with fans who felt the capacity issues were simply too big to fix.

But throughout renovations such as raising the stage, the addition of 25 new monitors, an HD camera and risers to improve sightlines, the lights have stayed on at The Brick.

GM Jeff Kehr told Pollstar reactions to the updates have been encouraging.

“We had a sold-out Hunter Hayes show here last week,” he said. “We received nothing but positive remarks from our fans. That was a big testing point for me, personally and professionally. A couple nights later we did a Puddle of Mudd show and the response from our fans was very positive.”

Kehr said the team behind The Brick spent months looking at the facility on paper, but it wasn’t until the doors opened that the club’s major issues became apparent.

AEG issued an apology. Fans at the Jane’s Addiction show were offered refunds and other large shows were moved to different clubs in the area ensure fans would be given the experience they deserve, he said.

The Brick will use a three-week period next month to complete major structural renovations and Kehr expects the updates to be complete by the end of June.

As for the club’s true, sellable, capacity, Kehr explained the team is still erring on the side of caution.

“This is about making a venue right for our fans,” he said. “We want to make sure that whatever our final number is, each individual is going to have the opportunity to have a positive concert experience.”