As far as concert venues go, it's hard to find one that encapsulates so much of what's great about the Twin Cities better than the Cedar does. First off, it's always all-ages—an everybody's-welcome sort of policy that tends to be in short supply these days. Second, it's a true melting pot, the standard-bearer for a neighborhood that's evolved into one of our richest cultural microcosms, a venue that pays homage as equally to folk ensembles from West Africa as it does to indie rockers from the West Coast. But even beyond its second-to-none cultural breadth, the Cedar does its part to help nurture creativity, often finding ways to encourage its artists to present their work in new and unusual ways—be it with film scores, pajama parties, or, hell, just a good old-fashioned dance party. With the Cedar, the further outside the box, the better—and we wouldn't have it any other way.