Varsity Theater

Openers had some severe equipment issues and I think this venue is my least favorite in the region, but Citizen made up for that in performance & energy. The energy of the 500 cap. venue for Citizen on a Wednesday night rivaled that of the much larger Knocked Loose concert that was just one night before.

The Rasmus is the best banda ever!! I bought the VIP pass and I have the opportunity to meet them! They are nice and kind people who took the time to get to know their fans, something many artists don't do! My experience with them was undoubtedly spectacular, and if they come back to the USA, I’ll definitely go see them again so I can talk and spend time with them!

Suffocation was amazing and really high energy. Absolutely vibrated my entire body. You could feel the bass drum hit your chest. The entire crowd was amped and moshing. The varsity theater however, was off that night for sound. The vocals were almost non existent and the audio mix was incredibly muddy. Still had fun, but was disappointed in the audio experience.

I took my 16 year old son to the show for a birthday gift as he's a huge thrash metal fan. I thought the venue was wonderful. While I am not exactly a "fan" of most heavy metal, it was a great experience and got to bond with my son. There were 3 opening bands before the main event. Well worth the price of admission.

Joey McIntyre’s Freedom Phase 2 was less a concert and more a moment suspended in truth. He sang with the kind of honesty that quiets the noise — where every lyric felt lived-in, every note carried something deeper. I took his advice, put away my phone and just enjoyed the moment. There’s a rare magic in the way he opens his heart on stage, not to perform, but to connect. His voice — warm, effortless, timeless. Joey reminded me that freedom isn’t loud or distant — it’s found in authenticity, in art that breathes, and in the courage to simply be. Thank you, Joey, for the beauty, the honesty, and the heart. 💙💙💙

This show was everything I had hoped for and more!!! Joey said it best, “less is more”. The concert was intimate, with no flashy gimmicks. It was full of soulful vocals and interactions with the audience. He sang songs from his new album and those he wrote, performed solo or were on his previous solo albums. Still on a high from his concert, can’t get enough!

What an incredible night! The concert was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. I loved how intimate the venue felt—it made the whole experience so much more personal and engaging. The energy in the room was amazing, and the cool, laid-back vibes added to the magic of the performance. It’s the kind of show that reminds you why live music is so special.

Absolute 10. First time seeing Armor for sleep since 2007 when they were my first concert I ever went to. They’ve somehow only gotten better, amazing energy and sounds exactly like they do on the CDs. Totally worth the 8 hour drive for this show. Also, love this venue, the sound quality is always great and no technical issues, while not being too loud to enjoy it.

We drove over six hours from KC to Minneapolis with a snowstorm brewing to see Travis & it was so worth it. Their new material is delightful & we never get tired of their library of Travis “classics”. Nothing beats a live show, especially in an intimate venue, like the Varsity Theater, singing along with hundreds of other fans. The band are witty and engaging and seem to still enjoy performing after all these years (even with Fran being injured and sporting a cam boot). I’m so glad this hardworking band still tours. Travis will always be one of my favorite bands and I hope to have more opportunities to see them in the future.

Alexandra Kay is such an amazing talent!! Her voice is so beautiful and her and the band are so entertaining! This was my first time seeing her in concert and it far exceeded all of my expectations!! Best of all, the truly amazing person she is really shines through in how she engages with the audience. I will absolutely see her again if the opportunity arises!!

The venue was amazing and super helpful to those in the front. They passed out water in between performers and were very good at catching all the crowd surfers falling over the barricade. I don't need t0 say much about Invent Animate, they were absolutely incredible live and blew that stage up. Highly recommend

Was wonderful! I was next to this Asian woman that was wearing a white blouse and jeans. She was the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen. I got too nervous and didn’t ask her name or anything. This will be one of my top 3 regrets. I wish her all the happiness in the world.

ive been a fan of David since he started music. this was the second concert I’ve been too and it was so amazing, I had the best time of my life. he performed absolutely amazing and was so positive. here’s some tips for if you’re ever going to one of his concerts. get merch before the show!!! after the show the line for merch was literally insane. also, if you want good spots for the cndert. get there at least an hour early, I went there an hour early and the line was wrapped around two buildings. last thing is if you go to the tour bus after the show and wait for like 30 minutes (there will be other people don’t worry) you can meet him and chance!!! but obviously be respectful of both of them and wait your turn. he was so amazing and made sure to get everyone. he took and video with me and even gave me an autograph. overall 10/10

It was everything I was expecting it to be! I’ve been wanting to see both these bands for many years now so it was really nice to see them at the same time, the venue was very nice, the staff was cool as hell, I look forward to coming here again for some more heavy metal listening.

The Venue: This was my first time at Varsity Theater. I was impressed with the layout, the amenities, and general atmosphere. I cannot speak to accessibility unfortunately. The Staff: Everyone was honestly super cool. At the door I unfortunately realized the camera I carry with me wasn't allowed, but they were really nice about checking with supervisers about the rules and letting me know I could store it in coat check. I was worried they would just turn me away when I've been waiting for this show more than anything. Also, security staff at the front of the stage gave us water bottles after Melvins since we were all a bit thirsty from all the shouting/cheering. The bar staff was also very friendly! The Band(s): I am a big fan of seeing bands like this in smaller venues. The vibe was perfect, the sound carried amazingly through the entire building, and getting to be up close to the band while they performed seriously amplified the experience. It was my first time seeing the Melvins (and like 4th time seeing Boris) and this was honestly the best place I could imagine to see them. Buzz, Steven and Coady have an amazing stage presence that just felt even more incredible in this space. I would absolutely see them and any other sludge/doom/experimental band here again.

I was worried Martin was dealing with an aftermath of a cold as his voice seemed off..he still delivered...because he is epic. KT was on fire as well. Looking forward to next time Though..being honest..I did not dig the Varsity venue. I have seen Martin all over Twin Cities in 20 years..this venue did not get the Martin vibe at all and being put through 2 metal detectors with police and security everywhere was not expected. I get the safety factor..but..yeah..not a fav.

These guys are the real deal! Such great performers, so genuine and down to earth, they clearly love what they are doing and care about connecting with their fans. They even brought my 7 & 9 year old kids up on stage for a couple songs! And they took the time to time meet us and take a picture after the show. They have a couple lifetime fans right here! See you guys again in April!

I've been following Gavin's career for the past 20+ years. He's amazing! Never fails to please his audience. He played a good blend of both old and new songs from his catalogue. I was impressed with how one song in particular "Not Over You"-everyone sang along and knew the lyrics to the whole song. As a singer/songwriter, that must be the ultimate joy to see and hear this. We even randomly bumped into him before the show, and believe me, I was fan-girling. I also enjoyed this venue. I felt it was pretty spacious and had very unique features. Even though this was a GA show, I still felt like everyone could see pretty well.

I really enjoy Grandson but this tour he talked way too much he would play a song or two and then talk for about five minutes. Too much downtime and then for some reason the varsity line to get in was horrendous we waited an hour and a half until it got down so we wouldn’t have to stand in the rain.. Don’t know what happened there, I’ve been to the varsity before never had to wait that long to get in. By the time we were in ,we missed the first band ,doors were at seven we didn’t get in till 830.

WOW!! Bad Suns knows how to perform!! Very engaging. We loved the fact that they sang soo many songs! Definitely worth the money to see them live. I will be back when they come again. Even the crowd was good! A couple fan girls that needed to learn their place (as in stop rubbing up on me to get closer to Christo -you’re not getting anywhere, Denise) but overall 5 star experience.