Concerts at Myth will go on despite plan to raze club for apartments, owner says

Despite widespread news reports Myth Live nightclub could be leveled for new apartments, concerts will go on as scheduled at the suburban mega-club in the coming weeks, including some big ones with Steve Lacy and Meshuggah.

The owner of the business operating Myth even said more concerts will soon be announced for the first quarter of 2023, a sign she plans to fight the development plans.

"We are absolutely prepared for a legal battle," said Kim Brokke, who claims her lease on the property gives Myth another 10 years there via opt-in clauses.

After taking over the club a few years before COVID-19 hit — following some tumultuous ownership and management changes since the venue's inception in 2005 — Brokke and her team have been partnering with Live Nation and other outside promoters to make use of the 3,000-plus-person space. They were gaining traction again, too.

Next week's concert with "Bad Habits"-singing buzzmaker Lacy is nearly sold out, and two big metal gigs are scheduled with Meshuggah on Friday and Trivium on Oct. 9. The club will also host the Dominican bachata music acts Monchy and Karlos Rosé on Oct. 22.

The owner of the property — located in a strip mall area adjacent to Maplewood Mall — has been moving full-steam-ahead on a plan to sell it to a Fargo-based developer to build a 241-unit apartment building in its place. Maplewood city leaders are on board with the plan, too, after years of faulting Myth's various operators for violence and drug-related incidents there, including more than 250 police calls just in 2019.

A brokerage company representing the property owner said a purchase agreement is in place and is moving forward.

"The tenant and our client, the owner of the real estate, have been in contact about the situation. I know they are discussing it internally," said Jon Ruzicka, first vice president of investments with Marcus & Millichap.

Ruzicka did not disclose the name of his client but confirmed they took possession of the property after the previous owners experienced financial difficulty in 2020.

Brokke, however, said "the apartment deal only happens if we don't opt into our lease options."

"We will use all legal remedies to fight not only the property owner but also the city."

Star Tribune staff writer Shannon Prather contributed to this report.