I went to two “new-to-me” venues last month. One of the shows was at the 7th Street Entry and the other was at a jazz supper club. Two wildly different experiences!

Crooner’s Supper Club

Last month, I went to Crooner’s Supper Club in Fridley, MN to see Ben Sidran. He is an amazing jazz piano player and storyteller. I went to this show with my parents, aunt and uncle, and grandma – a whole big family thing. This isn’t typically the kind of music that I tend to listen to, but it was a fun, awesome show. I am now officially introduced to jazz supper clubs!

Accessibility report

Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the stage but it was great. The only downside was that the tables were kind of close together for me with a long wheelchair that sticks out a ways from a table and uncontrolled jerky movements with super long arms. On the plus side, I did not take out any servers or trays of food!

If you do use a wheelchair, you’ll need to contact Crooner’s ahead of time to request a wheelchair accessible table. They have a couple that they can reserve in the Main Stage room. The owner showed me the Dunsmore Jazz Room after the show, too, and that space looked as if it would work well for wheelchair users, also.

7^th Street Entry

This was my first time at 7^th Street Entry which is right next to First Avenue. I saw Wombo and Deeper. This was the day before my birthday (I’m officially in my mid-20s now!) and was wildly fun. We ended up needing to leave a little early and would have loved watching Deeper’s whole set.

The Entry Accessibility Report

The Entry is a small venue. You enter around the corner from First Avenue. We weren’t sure what to expect for accessibility so went early and had a fantastic burger and fries from The Depot. We were some of the first people to enter and I think if you’re going to the Entry and using a wheelchair, it’d be good to get there early to find a good spot. There is a ramp down so you can be right in front of the stage. Or you could try to be at the rail of the raised level to be able to see well. It is a small, loud venue and it felt pretty cool to experience. I did need to leave a little early and it did work well to exit through the Depot since I was down next to the stage.

The images below show me right up front by the stage watching Wombo and Deeper at the Entry. I raise my wheelchair so I can see better and be at a similar height to those around me.

Next up

My parents and I will be road-tripping to Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia later this month. Let me know your favorite local music venues in those cities!