Paradiso is a music venue and cultural center located in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Built in 1880 as a religious building for the Vrije Gemeente (Free Congregation), it was converted into youth entertainment venue in 1968. Until the 1990s, it was the largest concert club in Amsterdam. It is sometimes described as a "Pop Temple" (''poptempel'' in Dutch), as the interior of its main hall retains some church-like features, including large stained glass windows behind the stage. The main hall of Paradiso has a capacity of 1,500 visitors. On the first floor there is another small hall with a capacity of 250 people. Performances are also regularly held in the basement. In 2014, Paradiso opened a smaller venue, Paradiso Noord, at the Tolhuistuin in

Amsterdam-Noord Amsterdam-Noord (; ) is a Boroughs of Amsterdam, borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands with a population of about 90,000. The IJ (Amsterdam), IJ, the body of water which separates it from Amsterdam-Centrum and the rest of the city, is situated southwes ...

. Among the most famous acts to have played Paradiso are Adele,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, Nirvana,

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

History

The building which currently houses Paradiso was built from 24 May 1879 to 2 May 1880 by De Vrije Gemeente (English: The Free Congregation), a modern theologic religious group. The construction site was located next to a prison and a court. It served as a religious building and a meeting centre for the faith. In 1965, De Vrije Gemeente moved to the Buitenveldert neighbourhood and sold the building, which was originally to be repurposed into a hotel built by famous Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld. This did not come to be and it was briefly used as a carpet store. In October 1967, the building was squatted by hippie music fans, led by Willem de Ridder, Koos Zwart, Matthijs van Heijningen and Peter Bronkhorst, who wanted to turn it into a cultural venue. Church Windows Paradiso Amsterdam

After attempted police crackdowns, city officials granted the group permission to convert the space into a club. On 30 March 1968, it officially opened as ''Cosmisch Ontspanningscentrum Paradiso'' (English: "Cosmic Relaxation Center Paradiso"). Roughly 1300 people attended the first show, which consisted of a Dutch folk rock band CCC Inc., a steel band from Suriname and a dance event for women. The venue's sound originally suffered from echoing problems caused by the original design of the building, but renovations over the years have seen the sound much improved. Less than two months after its opening, the English rock band

played the venue on 23 May 1968, not long after announcing the departure of Syd Barrett. The 1970s were a grittier era for Amsterdam and Paradiso; a ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' report recalled how "dope, music and atmosphere were cheap and abundant" until August 1970. Amsterdam allowed for the smoking of

hashish Hashish (; ), usually abbreviated as hash, is a Compression (physics), compressed form of resin (trichomes) derived from the cannabis flowers. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, As a Psychoactive drug, psychoactive ...

and

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

inside Paradiso, and in 1971, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that it had become a "night time mecca" for American youths traveling to Amsterdam. Drug abuse led to an aggressive atmosphere and declining attendance numbers, but the venue saw a "golden age" with the rise of

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

. On 6 and 7 January 1977, the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

became the first punk rock band to play Paradiso. The latter show was

Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only offic ...

's final with the band. During a 1979 gig, American singer

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

was beaten up on stage at Paradiso by a

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

biker gang which had become venue regulars. RM6400 Amsterdam - Weteringschans 6

In 1974, hospitality entrepreneur Nicolaas Bouwes announced plans to construct a 49,000-square meter hotel complex on the Leidseplein, requiring the demolition of Paradiso. It was met with negative reception by the Amsterdam city council, who criticised it as an unimaginative "piece of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

". Bouwes' proposals never went through. On 16 September 1980, Paradiso was added to the Rijksmonumentenregister (English: National Monuments Registry), preserving it from ever facing demolition. Until the 1990s, Paradiso was the largest concert club in Amsterdam. Then, in 1995, nearby Melkweg opened a new hall, "the Max", which eventually expanded to 1,500 capacity in 2007. In 2001, the Heineken Music Hall opened, and then in 2013, the Ziggo Dome, which replaced Rotterdam Ahoy as the arena venue for which large bands would play in the Netherlands. The 2014 opening of TivoliVredenburg in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

also added more competition. In 2000, Paradiso became one of the first venues to stream free, live and on-demand concerts through Fabchannel.com, an Amsterdam-based company which ultimately shut down in 2009. From 2003–04, Paradiso underwent renovations which added a second balcony floor, increasing capacity to 1,500. This was inspired by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' 1995 concerts at Paradiso, which required a second makeshift balcony for the recording equipment. After 2008, smoking was banned in most areas of Paradiso, including the main hall, in accordance with national law. In September 2014, Paradiso opened a concert hall in Tolhuistuin, a cultural centre in

, as Paradiso Noord. In 2022, Paradiso bought a dilapidated plot of land adjacent to the venue for €3.5 million, with plans to build a €30 million five-storey extension to the venue consisting of an exhibition space, new offices and services for artists in residence. In 2023, Paradiso reported a record number 727,000 attendees.

Notable shows

performed two acoustic shows at Paradiso on 26 and 27 May 1995 during the Voodoo Lounge Tour. The venue had to be renovated for the shows, including the addition of a second makeshift balcony to create room for the recording equipment. The location of the concert was a secret until two weeks prior. Meters away from the venue, those who could not get in watched the concert from a live stream on a giant screen at the

Museumplein The Museumplein (; ) is a public space in the Museumkwartier (Amsterdam), Museumkwartier neighbourhood of the Amsterdam-Zuid stadsdeel, borough in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Located at the Museumplein are three major museums – the Rijksmuseum, V ...

, with a total crowd reported from 50,000 to 80,000 people. Recorded tracks from these concerts were released on the Stones' '' Stripped'' album later that year. Keith Richards said that the Paradiso concerts were the best live shows the Stones ever did.

performed two after shows at Paradiso in March 1995. Following his stadium performance at the Brabanthallen, he played later that night at Paradiso, where he had previously taken the stage in 1981. During his Paradiso show, he unexpectedly announced that he would also be returning the next night as well, which Paradiso administrators were unaware of until the morning after. The Dutch radio program '' 3voor12'' ranked Prince's shows at number one for Paradiso's most legendary shows in its first 50 years.

Live albums

Multiple bands have released live albums that were recorded at Paradiso. These include The Soft Machine's ''Live at the Paradiso, 1969'',

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

' '' The Youth Are Getting Restless'',

Link Wray Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. His 1958 Instrumental rock, instrumental single "Rumble (instrumental), Rumble", reached the ...

's ''Live at the Paradiso'',

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

's ''Amsterdam'', Beth Hart's '' Live at Paradiso'',

Van der Graaf Generator Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, Chris Judge Smith. They were the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much ...

's ''Live at the Paradiso'',

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

's '' Live at the Paradiso – Amsterdam'',

Cardiacs Cardiacs are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (Cardiacs), Tim Smith (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother Jim Smith (bassist), Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. One ...

' '' Cardiacs Live'' and Epica's ''Live at Paradiso''. Nirvana's live album '' From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah'' featured performances of "School", " Been a Son", "

Lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

" and "Blew" taken from the band's 25 November 1991 show at Paradiso, which was originally supposed to be held at the nearby Melkweg before ticket demand necessitated a venue size upgrade. The first disc of Swans' 1998 live album '' Swans Are Dead'' contains several songs recorded live at Paradiso by Dutch public broadcaster VPRO, during the band's farewell tour in 1997. Several songs from

's formerly subscription-only live album '' LiveAndWell.com'' were recorded during his 1997 performance at Paradiso.

The acts

Artists who played at the Paradiso include: *

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

* Adele * Antony & The Johnsons *

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...

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* Arno *

Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely asso ...

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...

Balthazar Balthazar, Balthasar, Baltasar, or Baltazar may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Balthazar (novel), ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958 * ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France * ''Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian a ...

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...

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* Blondie *

* Herman Brood *

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

* Jeff Buckley * Eric Burdon and the Animals * John Cale * Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds * Roger Chapman *

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* Chic * George Clinton *

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The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

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* Death Grips *

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* Deftones *

dEUS ''Deus'' (, ) is the Latin word for 'God (word), god' or 'deity'. Latin ''deus'' and ''dīvus'' ('divine') are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''deiwos'', 'celestial' or 'shining', from the same root ( ...

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

* De Dijk * Dire Straits *

Doe Maar Doe Maar (; ) was a Dutch pop band that combined punk, ska, and reggae influences. Formed in 1978, they broke up in 1984, reunited in 2000, and remained sporadically active from then until 2021, when their frontman, Henny Vrienten, died. Th ...

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* Candy Dulfer *

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Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

* Electrosexual *

* Epica *

Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...

* Feeder * Fishbone * Fiction Plane * Ben Folds *

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...

Golden Earring Golden Earring were a Dutch rock music, rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as The Tornados. They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to number one on the Dutch chart, reached the top ...

, *

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

* Herbert Grönemeyer *

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

* Beth Hart *

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

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* Joe Jackson *

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* Jamiroquai *

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* Junkie XL * Kaizers Orchestra * Theo Katzman *

Kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

* The Killers (band), The Killers *

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* Lenny Kravitz * Dayna Kurtz *

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

* Lamb *

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

* Laibach *

* Living Colour *

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* Mano Negra * Madness *

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

* Dave Matthews *

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

* Metropole Orkest *

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...

* The Mission * Motorpsycho *

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* My Bloody Valentine * Youssou N’Dour *

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

* The Neville Brothers *

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* Nirvana * NITS *

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentOmar & the Howlers * The Only Ones * Pain of Salvation *

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* The Presidents of the United States of America (band) * The Pretty Things * Primus *

* The Proclaimers *

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Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

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* R.E.M *

The RH Factor Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved critical acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

* Riverside *

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* Soft Machine * The Sex Pistols * Wayne Shorter *

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* Smoosh * Snarky Puppy * The Sound *

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* Sting *

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* Ken Stringfellow *

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* U2 * The Undertones * Urban Dance Squad *

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* Suzanne Vega * Vulfpeck * XTC *

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* Cory Wong *

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* Zita Swoon On 23 May 1968, Pink Floyd performed a concert at the club venue containing songs from '' The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' and ''

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''. The recording of " Interstellar Overdrive" can be found on the compilation album '' Cre/ation: The Early Years 1967–1972''. The song "Paradiso" by

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, released in 1986, was named after the venue. David Bowie played in Paradiso in 1987, 1989 and 1997. The 1989 Tin Machine concert was recorded there. Phish performed at the venue three times in 1997, one date in February and a two-night stand in July. In 2015, all three concerts were released in their entireties on the 8-CD box set ''

''. Beth Hart's performance during the recording of the '' Live at Paradiso'' DVD on May 7, 2004, resurrected her music career in Europe after declining in the early 2000s, due to drug addiction and untreated mental illness in the United States.

Gallery

Image:Cansei De Ser Sexy @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2.jpg, Cansei de Ser Sexy performing in the main hall Image:Ayo paradiso amsterdam 130907.jpg, Ayọ concert on September 13, 2007 File:Standing Ovation For Patti Smith (3).jpg, Standing ovation for Patti Smith

References

External links

*
Viberate profile
{{Authority control Music venues completed in 1968 1968 establishments in the Netherlands Music venues in the Netherlands Concert halls in Amsterdam Rock music venues Squats in the Netherlands Legalized squats