At SlutWalk Minneapolis on the riverfront last Saturday, an observer didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She certainly couldn't muster any outrage -- there wasn't enough skimpy apparel for that, save for the sole 17-year-old with duct-tape over her nipples. Of the 600 or so walkers, the vast majority wore sensible autumn outfits. Popular items included sweaters, hoodies and flannel button-ups. Two typical young women donned ruffled dresses and black tights, as if headed for a wedding reception. My companion nudged me and joked, "Next time you should write about the Miami SlutWalk."

Think of SlutWalk as a near-relative of Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity. There were plenty of cheeky, hand-lettered protest signs, none with any grammatical or spelling errors. A crowd favorite was "Sluts say yes ... a lot!" Also entertaining was the bearish man whose diminutive sign read "My vagina is not free," not to mention the older feminist hoisting this spirited message: "Think our granny panties keep us safe?"

This was the most idyllic of Saturday afternoons -- 60 degrees, cloudless skies. With all the fun going on, a reveler hardly expected to encounter a young woman with relaxed jeans, a billowy peasant top and a sign reading: "This is what I was wearing when he raped me." Equally upsetting was the woman whose poster asked: "Does this look like a slut to you?" Her sign was pasted with photos of herself as a grade-schooler.

At closer inspection, there was something even more expressive than these signs: It was the stories told by the faces of these SlutWalkers. Most striking was the sign-less middle-aged man and woman, parents of the long-faced teenager whose hand they held. Modestly attired stoics of the Minnesota variety, this trio walked silently alongside the dominant strain of college students.

So this was a day of strong emotions.

It was also a day of frustrations and doubts. With their well-written signs, the marchers achieved a certain flair with their cultural critiques. The thing is, it's hard to imagine the global population of meatheads ever grasping the SlutWalkers' smart, sassy and occasionally empathetic message.

New life might be coming to a troubled corner in downtown Minneapolis. One of the area's busiest intersections is 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., once home to a tobacco shop that drew the ire of city officials until it closed earlier this year. Police were routinely called to the corner for reports of drug dealing and assaults.

Senior said the buildout would include a new roof and a complete renovation of the exterior. "The building won't look the same," he said. Expect floor-to-ceiling windows and stone walls. The bar hasn't received a liquor license yet.

Senior said he acknowledges the problems that have plagued this corner, but thinks Liquid will have a positive effect. "Personally, my goal is to make the corner look good," he said. "That's right where the light rail comes into downtown Minneapolis. I want people to see a beautiful building and come in and get something nice to eat and drink. Trust me, we're turning charcoal into diamonds."

It sounds like Johann Sfaellos is carving out a portion of downtown Minneapolis all to himself. The club owner, whose 400 Soundbar is located at 400 3rd Av. N., says he will open a neighboring dance club, plus a topless joint a couple doors down. Sfaellos said he will continue to operate Soundbar, but wants a club that doesn't need to cater to Top 40 sensibilities and can focus primarily on European house music. So he says he's opening Deseo, a smaller dance club in the former Rosewood Room next door. He wants to open in six weeks.

There's more. Last year, a new strip club, 10th Inning, was approved for a liquor license at 418 3rd Av. N. The sports-themed topless bar opened to little fanfare and closed just the same this summer.

Sfaellos says he is partnering with one of the bar's original owners, Derek Spearman, on a Paris-style cabaret (that's fancy talk for "another strip club"), with hopes of opening in November. He wants the redesigned topless bar to have a comfortable atmosphere that will be appealing to not only men but couples, too. The new name will be the 10th Inning Stretch. No word as to why they're keeping the sporty name if it's going to be Parisian-themed.

The real-life Andy Bothwell added some welcome levity during his usual freestyle session, in which he polled the crowd for talking/rapping points. "Dr. Who," "quantum entanglement," "Calvin & Hobbes" and "flux capacitor" were among the suggestions from the crowd. "This is the nerdiest shit ever! Ain't nobody getting laid tonight," Bothwell cracked, but also added, "I like it." Proving he fits right in locally, he had no trouble improvising lines with all those entries. Welcome home, Andy.

It was starting to look a lot like 2011 would be the first year in the Hold Steady's seven-year existence that the New Yorkers did not perform in most of its members' former hometown. Lo and behold, they finally has a Minneapolis date booked: Nov. 18 at Epic as the headliner of Vita.mn's fifth anniversary party, which will also feature several more acts and details yet to be announced. Tickets ($25) are on sale at www.vita.mn. The date looks to be the last Hold Steady gig on the books for the year, aside from the Bob Mould tribute concert featuring band leaders Craig Finn and Tad Kubler three days later in Los Angeles. Feel free to test any Hüsker Dü covers on us, guys.

A lot of the big news within the local music scene this past week could be gleamed from following the right musicians on Twitter. Here's one of many heartfelt tweets from Brother Ali, who hosted the Twin Cities Day of Dignity charity concert at Masjid An-Nur mosque Saturday with guests including Slug, P.O.S. and Dessa: "Meant a lot to me for the people who support this music scene to come to the North Side for a community service/celebration/block party." From Channy Moon Casselle of Roma di Luna, whose Caravan du Nord gig in Luverne, Minn., wound up being the band's finale: "Played the last roma di luna show last night ... ended the chapter in small town with maybe 15 people and @Heiruspecs in the audience." And finally, a retweet from Mark Mallman via scenester Ben Perlstein, "So the Flaming Lips released a six-hour long song? I'm sure @markmallman is not impressed."

It's not a done deal yet, but it's close: Blue Door Pub co-owners Jeremy Woerner and Patrick McDonough plan to replicate their popular three-year-old burgers-and-beer business across the river in Minneapolis' Longfellow neighborhood, at 3448 42nd Av. S. Expect to encounter the same emphasis on cheese-stuffed burgers -- dubbed "Juicy Blucys" -- and what have to be some of the Twin Cities' best fries. The bar will continue to focus on craft beers. Woerner and McDonough are hoping for a spring opening.