The Paradise Rock Club (formerly known as the Paradise Theater) is a 933-capacity music venue in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
. Due to its relatively small size, it appeals to top local
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
performers as well as American and British bands visiting Boston for the first time (
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
,
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...
). The venue accommodates small music festivals and non music related events. The Paradise is located on the edge of
Boston University's
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
campus and draws a student-based crowd. Most shows have an age requirement of eighteen or older.
History
The Paradise Rock Club opened as the Paradise Theater on September 22, 1977. It was owned by The Don Law Company, a Boston music giant that also controlled the
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (late ...
and the
Cape Cod Coliseum
Cape Cod Coliseum was a multi-purpose arena located off White's Path in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. In addition to sporting events, the coliseum hosted rock concerts. The 46,000-square foot concrete arena opened in 1972 and sat between 5,000-6, ...
. Don Law was a former BU student who got his start working as a promoter for the Boston band The Remains. Identifying Boston's large student population as a key music market, Law and colleague
Frank Barsalona
Frank Barsalona (March 31, 1938 – November 22, 2012) was an American talent agent and founder of the first major rock and roll booking agency in the United States.
Career
Barsalona started out in the mail room at GAC, a New York-based talen ...
began purchasing Boston venues to capitalize on the strong local music scene and willing audience.
The Paradise was transferred to SFX Entertainment (now
Live Nation
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
) in 1998 when The Don Law Company (
dba Blackstone Entertainment) was sold for a reported $80 million to SFX. But the venue was purchased back by Don Law and partner
David Mugar
David Graves Mugar (April 27, 1939 – January 25, 2022) was an Armenian-American businessman from Belmont, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Mugar family of Greater Boston. He was CEO and chair of Mugar Enterprises. His father, Stephen P. ...
in 2009 and subsequently owned by Don Law, Declan Mehigan and
Joe Dunne
Joseph John Dunne (born 25 May 1973) is an Irish Manager (association football), football manager and former association football, footballer who is currently assistant manager of Newport County A.F.C., Newport County.
Dunne played as a defen ...
. It is now owned by Law, Mehigan, Dunne and Mugar. The Don Law Company is now Crossroads Presents and still prominent players in the Boston music scene as owners of The Paradise, the
Orpheum Theater,
House of Blues
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...
Boston, and the Brighton Music Hall in partnership with Live Nation.
In 2010, Paradise Rock Club completed a three-month renovation that moved the stage fifteen feet to the left, relocated the box office to the front of the venue, demolished the bar and positioned it to the back of the venue. These renovation features provided an open view of the stage. The artist rooms were relocated to the second floor, and upgraded with televisions and refrigerators, as well as doubled in room size. Other new additions to the venue were a separate space provided for opening acts and a private bathroom with a shower installed next to the newly added dressing rooms. In addition, a new washer and dryer were also installed as "All the bands that come through are always looking for the nearest laundromat, so we figured, why not," said Declan Mehigan.
References
{{Authority control
Music venues in Boston