The Paradiso-club in Amsterdam. by Don Fonzarelli

About "The Paradiso-club in Amsterdam."

by Don Fonzarelli

About the artwork

The famous Paradiso-club in Amsterdam. In this former Protestant Church are daily concerts held by world famous artists. The Rolling Stones, Prince, van Halen, Joe Satriani, Real Men Don't Dance, Don Fonzarelli, Beth Hart, Jane's Addiction, Jeff Buckley et cetera
It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije Gemeente" (Free Congregation).[1] It is located on de Weteringschans, bordering the Leidseplein, one of the nightlife and tourism centers of the city. The main concert hall in the former church interior has high ceilings and two balcony rings overlooking the stage area, with three large illuminated church windows above the stage. The acoustics are rather echoey, but improvements have been made over the years. In addition to the main concert hall, there are two smaller cafe stages, on an upper floor and in the basement.
Paradiso was squatted by hippies in 1967 who wanted to convert the church to an entertainment and leisure club. The police ended the festivities the same year. In 1968 the city opened Paradiso as a publicly subsidized youth entertainment center. Along with the nearby Melkweg (Milky Way), it soon became synonymous with the hippie counterculture and the rock music of that era. It was one of the first locations in which the use and sale of soft drugs was tolerated. From the mid-1970s, Paradiso became i