Amsterdam nightlife
Paradiso Amsterdam
The Paradiso club is one of two famous mid-size concert venues in Amsterdam, along with the equally nice Melkweg a few blocks away. The club was converted from a church and opened in this form in 1968, but you can clearly see its church origins on both the inside and outside. The main hall still has the church windows behind the stage, and balconies still look down over the whole floor level.
Concerts
The club hosts international touring acts most nights of the week, although occasionally there will be a big Dutch act or even a lecture or other cultural event scheduled. Since most of these touring acts crisscross Europe from spring through fall, there are definitely fewer concerts during winter, but of course the schedule varies weekly. The Paradiso has hosted the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, and nearly every other act that would play in a venue with a capacity just over 1,000 people in Amsterdam. Between the Melkweg and the Paradiso, they have a lock on mid-sized concerts in the city, and both clubs have amazing lists of legends who’ve played in them.
Date: April 21st, 2008 |
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Melkweg Club
Probably the most famous club/entertainment complex in this part of Europe, the Melkweg lives up to the hype for most visitors and can be an entertaining place to go even when you don’t recognize any of the names on the bill. It’s actually 5 separate venues in one complex, and sometimes there is a separate admission charge for different things in different rooms. In spite of its overall size and fame, the largest room is smaller than most people expect. The Max has a capacity of 1,000 while the Oude Zaal room holds another 700. There is also a 90-seat cinema, a 140-seat theater, and various galleries and art spaces throughout.
History
The Melkweg (Dutch for milky way) was founded in 1970 when a local theater group took over a disused dairy building just off Leidseplein. It’s been run as a non-profit ever since, although the city has had to step in to prop the organization up at least once recently. The interiors have been continually upgraded and now the entire place feels like an experimental art space, but the two main rooms and the big acts they draw are the main reason for going.
Date: April 9th, 2008 |
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