Minneapolis weighing future of 18+ club nights

Turning 18 gives you the right to vote, smoke and fight a war. But does it give you the right to dance in a nightclub or see a concert?

In downtown Minneapolis, where 18-and-older club events are a large slice of the nightlife pie, bar owners are buzzing over rumors that the city wants to curtail these lucrative nights.

Clubs elsewhere in the metro area already have limited their youth nights -- or are thinking about doing so.

Minneapolis officials say some of the more unsavory elements of downtown nightlife -- fighting, drunken disturbances -- originate at businesses that cater to clubbers below the legal drinking age.

Last week, owners and promoters from some of the city's largest nightclubs met at the music venue Epic in the warehouse district to discuss these rumors. Some thought the group should consider hiring a lobbyist or attorney before city officials make a decision.

But hold on. Ricardo Cervantes, Minneapolis' licensing director, said no language has been written and no public hearings have been scheduled.

Still, Cervantes said, "Something needs to be done. This is really a safety issue in the sense that we have underage people who are consuming alcohol -- and that combination often times leads to criminal behavior."

Separated by wristbands

Police tell Cervantes that underage clubgoers are drinking before they enter the club or are finding ways to drink once inside. During 18-plus nights, those under 21 often mix with wristband-wearing clubgoers who are old enough to buy alcohol.

Cervantes, along with police officials and staff from Council Member Lisa Goodman's office, are working on the issue.

"I don't like the word 'banning,' because we're not looking at banning youth nights or under-21 nights," Cervantes said. "We're not blaming the clubs necessarily. But I think there is a responsibility of certain club owners to do a better job with their policies."

While talks have only begun, one idea is getting the most traction: Clubs might be asked to completely separate their underage clientele from their 21-plus crowd. There has also been talk of putting a 10 p.m. curfew on 18-plus nights.

Clubgoer Antonio Johnson, 20, of Minneapolis, went out every weekend when he turned 18 and still frequents 18-plus nights.

"There is a problem, but this isn't going to stop anyone from drinking," Johnson said.

At legendary rock club First Avenue, general manager Nate Kranz estimates that 80 percent of his events are 18-plus. He worries that a change in policy might cause touring bands to skip the market.

"Everybody is kind of hurting right now, so I don't understand why you would want to make it harder to make money," Kranz said.

For 18-plus shows, wristbands identify legal drinkers, a standard practice nationwide, Kranz said. For all-ages shows, in which kids under 18 are allowed inside, the club serves liquor only on its second level, which is off-limits to underage patrons.

At Epic, managing partner John Barlow seemed more grim, saying, "This would be a death blow to Epic." He also owns Karma, which dedicates two nights per week to the 18-plus crowd.

St. Paul and suburbs

Minneapolis isn't the first city to rethink its stance on 18-plus nights. In 2005, St. Paul adopted an ordinance requiring bars to separate underage customers from areas where alcohol is being served. Station 4, a rock club, is one of the only venues that still attempts 18-plus shows.

Some Minneapolis concert venues said their business could flee to Maplewood, the suburban home to megaclub Myth. But Maplewood's director of citizen services, Karen Guilfoile, said the issues surrounding 18-plus nights have come up before in the suburb and will be discussed again this summer. She said some local clubs have made changes on their own. "They find that it's just not worth it," Guilfoile said. "Because they do have problems."

Dario Anselmo, owner of the Fine Line in Minneapolis, acknowledges that underage nights are not worry-free. "But I want [the city] to deal with the problem operators in a way that is not going to put undue hardship on the entire hospitality business."

Chris Mueller, co-owner of Bootleggers, doesn't have 18-plus nights at his bar, but he wonders if this is just the beginning of more regulations.

"The problems created by 18-plus nights are legitimate," he said. "But at the end of the day, there are larger problems that the city needs to be concerned about, like known gang members, loitering and the aggressive panhandling."

Cervantes said in order for cops to focus on those issues, they can't spend all of their time chasing down underage drinkers.

Cervantes said city officials will continue the discussion at the next monthly meeting between police and downtown club owners. Language could be adopted soon after, leading to a public hearing. But he doesn't see an ordinance passing before the summer ends.

"This isn't a battle," Cervantes said. "We're trying to be transparent. I wouldn't say we're going in any one direction right now. These are just ideas."

Barlow said he and other club owners just want to be a part of the discussion.

"They've reached out to us at this point," Barlow said. "Will our concerns fall on deaf ears? That remains to be seen."

Tom Horgen • 612-673-7909