Replacements tribute unites the local scene at First Ave

Photos by Stacy Schwartz

​Every so often, a special show comes along that calls on musicians from seemingly every corner of the local scene to come together and throw a big, communal party. More and more frequently, First Avenue has been home to these kinds of events, and Friday night's all-star Tribute to the Replacements show was no exception: Around every corner, bustling between the Main Room and the 7th St. Entry, hundreds of familiar faces gathered to play, sing, talk about, or otherwise worship a local group whose legacy has permanently etched itself into the grimy black walls of the famous club.

The tribute show marked more than one occasion; not only was this blustery fall evening a paperback release party for Jim Walsh's oral history The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting, but it also marked the 25th anniversary of the band's arguably most popular release, Let It Be. To celebrate, Walsh flitted through the two rooms to simultaneously harass and hug the participating musicians, while the Let It Be cover's photographer, Daniel Corrigan (who is also the longtime house photographer at First Avenue), snapped shots of concertgoers as they poked their heads through a cutout version of the album's iconic artwork.

For an overview of the evening, check out this composite video, which features clips of performances from throughout the show:



The evening started out with short bursts of two to three songs each by well-known local bands like Lookbook, Idle Hands, and Gospel Gossip, who invited Ouija Radio's Christy Hunt on stage to play guitar and pulled off one of the best sets of covers of the evening with "Left of the Dial" and "Can't Hardly Wait."