Say it ain't so

The Uptown Bar is close to closing. Say it ain't so.

Minneapolis' planning commission approved a plan to sell the bar and it's property to a developer and allow the developer to tear down the local landmark and replace it with a three-story retail complex. Dumb.

I wasn't a regular at The Uptown. I didn't know the bartenders by name. Wasn't on a first-name basis with the bouncer. To be honest, I don't even think it was the best venue or bar in town. But I loved that place.

There is something casual, something homey, something familiar about the Uptown Bar. Maybe it was the sticky floors or the awful sound system. Maybe it was the greasy food or the cheap beer. Any way you look at it, The Uptown always felt like the area's great equalizer. I know it had a rep as a 'hipster' bar (but in my mind the CC Club takes that title, hands down). Yeah, I hated it when some hipster would make a sideways comment at the bar about how I WAS A HIPSTER, despite the fact that he'd be wearing $300 Japanese denim jeans while outfitted in the latest American Apparel fad shirt. Yeah, that was annoying. But, on the whole, it didn't matter if you were a square from the suburbs or a kid who grew up in a small town in Wisconsin but now ride a 'fixie' and have perfected the 'I'm trying to look like I'm not trying' look. The Uptown didn't care, and it attracted people of all types. Why? It was a great bar.

I can remember trekking down Hennepin, when I was in college, and heading to the Uptown to see local bands rip it up on The Uptown's less-than-stellar PA system. I can remember woozey nights fueled by cheap beer and loud music, hanging with buddies and feeling the friendly glow of the Uptown. It was a lot of things, but comfortable it was above all else.

I remember, from my days working with local bands, the small square door at the back of the stage, which made load-in and load-out a task to remember. I remember drink tickets and the excitement of an Uptown Bar gig, not just because the Jayhawks and Replacements played there, but because the crowd was always just so good.

I wasn't around for so much of The Uptown's classic history, but I respect it. And I know that I will miss The Uptown. It is a great bar, and if it really does go, there will be a void in my heart and in Uptown, for a place as casual, as approachable and as fun as the Uptown.

If you've got memories, photos or pint glasses from the Uptown, and you'd like to share, send them my way: ckallal@metromix.com or, post them below in the comments section.