The exhibition 50 Years of Paradiso will be on display in the Amsterdam Museum from Friday
30 March through 19 August 2018. Paradiso is truly part of Amsterdam’s cultural heritage and world famous. Bands from all over the world have performed there and many music enthusiasts from abroad came to Amsterdam especially to attend a concert at Paradiso.
Over the course of time, quite a number of legendary concerts occurred. Famous artists such as Prince, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Snopp Dogg graced its stage. For many artists, performing in Paradiso is something special, with the audience so close by on the balconies. Besides concerts, wild parties were also held, as well as artist meetings and heated debates. In total more than 26,000 events took place over the course of 50 years.
The exhibition 50 Years Paradiso shows how ‘Cosmic Relaxation Centre Paradiso’, hard won by the hippies at the time, opened its doors on Weteringschans in 1968. It became a magnet for young people from foreign lands due to its music and the drugs sold there. In the latter half of 1970s punk crossed over to the Netherlands from England. The Sex Pistols and The Stranglers drove audiences wild. Paradiso is a trendsetter; it features all the new music genres. Dance, house, hip-hop. Paradiso’s programming clearly reflects Amsterdam’s cultural diversity. If Amsterdam changes, Paradiso changes with it.
Roughly 200 unique photos of concerts and artists, of parties and the many visitors are
interspersed with historic posters. Visitors also hear live recordings made of concerts in the
pop temple that officially celebrates its 50th year of existence on 30 March 2018. The
exhibition also affords an inside look at the variety of the constantly changing Amsterdam
subcultures.
Amsterdam Museum
Kalverstraat 92
Amsterdam
website: Amsterdam Museum
area: Dam - Spui area
