Paradise Rock Club

As a music venue, this is one of my favorites even though it’s not the most glamorous one in Boston. The musicians and bands they showcase, though not huge headliners, are still popular and extremely fun to see perform live. Although prices obviously range, I’ve never paid more than $ 50 to see a show here. The pillars on the lower level block some of the views but for the most part it is easy to see the stage and feel close to the performance as the venue itself is not that large. There is a second level that offers seating which is nice when you want a break from the crowds. Have always enjoyed my time at Paradise!

It is always difficult to write a review of a music venue or club… the venues are never pretty, it’s loud, and there are a lot of lines.
This place did a lot of things right.
–There’s actually places to sit down upstairs… I know it seems obvious but so many venues only have paid seating or non existent seating. Sometimes I just need a break from standing.
–There are multiple locations to get drinks. Enough said. Cut the cue I want my drink.
–The sound is good. Another thing that should be obvious… but nothing can ruin a show you paid good money quicker than terrible sound.
Typically…it can get crowded, and dirty. It’s a concert… supposed to be like that.

I grew up in this place I worked here for three years. And I’ll say it it’s a lot better now. I love that they took out the tiers and the capacity has gone from about 500 to 950. Marie the bartender at the upstairs bar was hustling out drinks I worked in the bar business for 13 years so I know and she was cranking out good drinks not checking her phone or day dreaming. The sound system and lighting were much better then when I worked there. The only downside that the coat check was closed and I had to stash my jacket. Overall a great experience and I’ll be back.

You have a bald roided out fucked up asshole as a bouncer, he punched a woman twice tonight the band stopped the show until he was removed. If he has a job here tomorrow I’ll submit my video to the police and he’ll be arrested and hopefully fired. What kind of asshole hits a woman, he should’ve been arrested on the spot instead of taken out. Fuck him

My boyfriend and I attended a Skizzy Mars show here this past week and it was really awesome! The show was sold out so I expected to be packed in like sardines but the open areas on the side of the stage and the balcony area allowed everyone to have a good amount of room unless you were directly in front. The staff was polite and attentive and didn’t ruin the show with being overly-​assertive. The sound mix and acoustics were above average. The coat check, bathrooms and bar were easily accessible and convenient.
There were just two things I wasn’t a fan of… I really wish the venue was 21+ or even 18+ would be okay. I don’t know if it was that particular artist’s fanbase or the location but there were a ton of high school aged kids there that made the night kind of annoying (you know how high schoolers are). Also, and I don’t know if this was the artist’s fault or the venue staff’s fault but everything happened way later than it was supposed to. Doors were supposed to open at 6, but we waited outside in 30 degree weather until 7. Then the show was supposed to start at 7 but didn’t until 8. So that was kind of frustrating.
Overall, I really really enjoyed myself and I’d definitely attend another show at this venue and recommend to friends.

The absolute best place to see your favorite band or even one you have never heard before. Never gets old.

This place has succumbed to corporate bullshit — sadly no longer a credible music venue. Paid a 30% «fee» artist will never see. Security everywhere telling us where we can and can’t stand. This used to be a legendary music venue. Great artists — shitty management. #paradisesucks #badvibe

Get there early so you can post up at a good spot on the balcony or in between the posts — great venue if you don’t mind close quarters and an intimate setting.
Went to see Lauryn Hill — took her 3 hours to come on stage… bit frustrating to say the least but, that’s not the venues fault.

Unless you are super tall and/​or able to get to the very front, its impossible to see. Furthermore, staff wearing grateful dead t shirts should a) probably not go to a Lauryn hill concert in the first place b) not pretend to be working so they can stand in the unused sound booth and block everyone. Especially if they have Seattle grunge hair they haven’t washed since 1994. Seriously, your tinder date did not look impressed, bro.

I really like The Paradise because they have a really good sound system (better than The House of Blues) and their security are not out to get you (unlike The House of Blues). The venue is really small which captures the sound and gives you a good view of the performer no matter where you are. It’s T accessible which is a huge plus as well as all the food/​convenient stores nearby. My only complaint here is that when the shows are sold out, you’ll take a look around and see they could’ve easily fit a lot more people into the venue. So I suggest that you get your tickets EARLY!

Good artists but less than average venue.
Cons:
— Coat check fills up quickly (shouldn’t they account for more than 20 people bringing a coat in the middle of winter.?) and you’ll be forced to try to hide your coat somewhere within the overcrowded, dirty building.
— The place is a disgusting mess (understatement): Beer/​liquor bottles everywhere (including dance floor…). Dirty bathrooms. Sticky floors.
— Huge line for female bathroom (drunk females seem to forget how to pee).
— Somehow seems to attract both drunk, female high schoolers and very large, drunk males with no sense of their surroundings.
— The layout makes no sense. You literally have to walk/​fight through the *entire* crowd or highly intoxicated people to get to the water, bathrooms, and coat check.
Pros:
— Good artists.
— Has cooling pillars to prevent overheating.
Neutral observation:
— They do a pretty extensive pat down so don’t try doing anything stupid.

Murder City Devils were so hot. Place was so sickHshhshsshhzhssh usuuzuxjxjzjxjxuxxh h ushs

I’ve been seeing shows at The Paradise for decades and its still my favorite small venue around. The staff is professional and friendly and I believe it’s due to the manager Lee. He’s a gem and I think the Paradise would feel a lot different without him at the helm.
The two levels make it feel less claustrophobic if it’s really packed.
Bathrooms clean and available.
Bar staff attentive and polite.
Sound mix always top notch.

I went there to bring in the new year with Andrew WK. I’m from Chicago and some local girl was pissed that I was front row. She and her people started stuff then I was kidding kicked out. Can’t help but pull the race card since I was minding my own business and they weren’t happy (and white). I brought in the new year on the curb yet she got to enjoy the show, despite her people hitting me in the neck. Okay. Very fair guys. I’d say this place does not know how to accommodate other ethnicities besides white and should take classes. You can get more money in the long run.
Note to bar: don’t be racist!

Love it here! I have seen many shows here over the years (too many to count!) and it is a great music venue, probably one of my favorite in Boston. Its pretty small which can make things pretty packed during a sold out show but on the flip side its much more intimate than seeing a show at HOB. Drinks are cheap and you can hang out the in lounge area prior to the show to enjoy some beverages if you don’t want to stand in the concert hall. I’ve never stood in the upstairs balcony so I can only speak to being on the floor but one thing I dislike about this venue are the huge columns around the stage area. If you are unlucky enough to be stuck behind one of these babies your view will be totally obstructed and it can be a huge pain. Overall one of the best places in Boston to see a show!

This review is intended for any one over 50! Don’t go here! I’ve been to hundreds of music venue and this place really must be the most vile one I’ve been to. It said it fits 1000 people, I ask how? This place is so small and in a sold out concert it felt smaller. I asked the people as they checked me in if there were any sitting for the older crowed? Their answer was very rudely that I was in the wrong place and this is standing only venue. I asked another staff if they could provide a seat since there was no way I could stand on my feet with my bad hip for over 4 hours. I was told to walk up the stairs to the balcony and to do it fast since it fills up fast. I guess it was too much for them to offer me one of the chairs which were stacked to the side!
I’m not prone to headaches but I felt one coming as I had walked in here. When I went to the balcony where they had very depressing sitting stuck to the wall, with the spot lights that were all over shinning on these benches the headache turned in to a full blown migraine! Even though it was a cold night, there was not adequate air here. I decided no artist is worth hearing with this condition and I left the venue.
How ever I did go back for the last half hour of the show since the party I had come with needed a rid. To my great surprise they let me back in. Reentry was allowed.

I’ve seen numerous shows at the Paradise: the Heartless Bastards, Balkan Beat Box, American Aquarium, and others I can’t remember. The booking is pretty solid.
The place could easily be a squalid, disgusting mess of spilled beer, sweat, and trouble. But they keep it pretty clean, and as welcoming as a place like this can be: a smaller stage with lots of obstructed views, a very low overhead balcony, and too-​close proximity to BU. Props to them for that.
But I ALWAYS get struck contending with the obstructed view, which I hate. It is never not a big deal, and the crowd always tends to push whoever it can behind the poles. Fuck ya’ll for that, seriously.
The crowd at the Paradise is otherwise pretty good though. More or less experienced concertgoers, and the smallness of the venue makes the shows feel quite intimate. The sound is good, and this is a great venue for a smaller, more high-​energy show where you’re going to dance and sweat. Show times are the usual doors at 7/​headliner around 9 deal, a bit more civilized than Great Scott. But this room cannot hold a candle to The Sinclair, with its perfect sound, refined atmosphere, and far, far superior views.
Facilities at this venue are alright. The bathrooms (on on the balcony, one on the first floor opposite the front door) are ok, and there are two bars. Service can be a bit slow, but I can’t complain too much — the staff always seems to be working hard. Prices are the usual. Getting here isn’t always the easiest, since there’s no parking and you are forced to deal with the Green Line. That’s not the end of the world as you head to the show, but there’s nothing worse than riding the Green Line when you just want to go home after a show.
EDIT: I had previously used this space to diss on the Paradise’s roll in encouraging U2. I do hate U2 and Bono, but I have to give credit where it is due: the Paradise has played an important role in hosting many bands of significance in Boston. The place is still fundamentally a shit hole, but also one of the most reliably good venues in town. So go there, and complain loudly about U2. They must be stopped.

I was in town and a heavy metal band was playing so I jumped on the metro and headed to Paradise. The metro stop is across the street, Bostonians are so lucky to have such great transportation when a person wants to drink the night away and not have to worry about driving. The venue is perfect and the drink prices are spot on.

WU TANG CLAN AIN’T NUTTIN’ TO F*** WIT
Ahhhh…I just love an unpretentious, laid back and chill music venue. I’ve ever only come to Paradise to see my dudes perform and have loved all shows.
On Friday I came to see Ghostface & Raekwon (Wu Tang 20^th anniversary) and the show was off the chain. Lucky for me I brought my tix 2 months ahead of time, because of course they were sold out. The show started at 8 (we arrived at 10:30) and about 20 mins later after we got our drinks in just enough time as my boys took to the stage.
Not having the best view from the back it was only natural that I pushed my way up to the front because I have been listening to the killa bees since I was 11 and felt it was only right to be front and center.
This didn’t make a few people happy but who gives a shit? 1.5 hours of pure hip hop, sweat and alcohol made this an awesome night that goes down in history. Let’s salute to another 20 years cause ooh baby I like it rawww.
Other notes:
Drinks are cheap. Two shots for $ 18. I think that’s a good price, isn’t it?
Plenty of street parking. If you search the side streets you can find it.
If you aren’t driving you can hop the T, Über or cab it easily.
Employees here are cool and helpful.
Great place to watch a show.

Whomever said bigger is better, clearly NEVER experienced a concert in this venue. Paradise Rock Club is sublimely cozy, just the PERFECT size to totally enjoy your music and have a relax ambience.
Any performer booking this venue knows the concert will not be about how many people see them onstage but how great of an experience it will be for everyone.
I have had the luxury of spending Y2K NYE in this venue and, to this day, that counts as my top 3 best concert EVER.
I have come back a few more times and, though the coat space is extremely reduced, i don’t understand WHY that would count against the beauty of the venue. We are NOT talking about thousands of people. Also, i ADORE standing audiences if the location is on the smaller side.
Bottom line, if i were an artists (regardless of my fame status), I’d book a show in this location and have the time of my life!

This is one of my favorite music venues in Boston. The Paradise is small and intimate with a general stage area, standing room only in the center of the room with two bars and seating on each side and balcony seating. I appreciate that the venue offers complementary ice water from self serve ice cold water jugs on the bar counters with plastic cups. There is also a lounge with seating in the front of the house which serves up drinks and food. I’ve been to several concerts at The Paradise and stood very close to the stage with artists performing only a few feet away. The acoustics here good too!
Recently, I’ve seen some popular acts here in concert including Karmin, Meghan Trainor, Nico & Vinz, and Tori Kelly as a VIP. The VIP meet & greets with the artists before (early entrance) and after the shows were fun with venue security keeping things pretty organized and orderly.

Every night they run out coat rack space. People put their jackets all over the second level in a major fire and trip hazard of a way.
Staff were snippy and rude. Don’t come.

One cannot judge a book by it’s cover. The sentiment holds completely true for Paradise Rock Club. For a city that does not have a mega big music venue (no, TD Garden is not a big venue if you compare it to some of the biggest venues in the country and around the world), having smaller and intimate venues like Paradise makes up for the fans and so also for artists /​bands to kick-​start their careers somewhere. Or for the older bands who have their glory days behind them but yet continue trucking for the love of music and for their fan base.
Paradise is really a gem for all the above reasons. I recently experienced my very first gig here — Gang of Four (opening act: Public Access TV). And both were phenomenal!
Here are some of the things that really stood out for me about Paradise Rock Club:
1. The Sound System: Absolutely fantastic! For a venue so small, the owners /​management have made sure they put in a superlative sound system. As soon as the band started playing, the music and the beats flowed seamlessly making it such a great experience. No matter where you are in the audience, it is just the right balance of blast to the point where it does not seem over bearing or too loud. Especially the bass and the treble.
2. The Stage: As compared to the actual standing audience space downstairs, the stage is relatively quite big for the venue and it’s size. That really is what attributes for such an intimate experience for the patrons who can really see the bands up, close and personal. If you compare it to House of Blues, which has a much bigger audience space, both downstairs and upstairs — and so if you are towards the back, you will not see the band that clearly or you don’t feel that close. But here, at Paradise, even if you are back standing by the wall, you can still be quite close to the band really. That I think is the best part about the whole experience.
3. The balcony: This is such an added bonus. Again, not very popular because most of the crowd seems to be confined to being the standing audience in the space bang in front of the stage. But I liked the view from the balcony. Also the fact that it never gets crowded. Maybe a good option for the not so hardcore fans. Let the groupies pack up in front of the stage: o)
4. Bars: Both upstairs and downstairs, there are enough bars to keep the crowd well hydrated (or dehydrated out of preference, for that matter!). And the drinks were reasonably priced too. Upon exit, from one of the sides at least, you go straight to the adjoining restaurant /​bar.
All in all, a very fun experience for my first time here. For someone not originally from Boston, I see Paradise Rock Club as such a boon given it’s past history and the fact that it manages to successfully cater towards quenching the artistic thirst of both bands from the past and the future as well as the die hard fans who are into alternative music!

What a fun venue! Tonight was my first time back in years (literally, years). They’ve made some changes since the last time I was there, but the layout makes way more sense now. The venue is not too big and not too small. It’s definitely more on the intimate side than let’s say… House of Blues. It’s standing room, but you can see the stage from pretty much anywhere (unless a super tall person decides to stand right in front of you, which may or may not have happened to me tonight. Yeah, I’m talking about you, you jerk!) — whoa, that got awkward.
Anyway, the Paradise is located right off the B line on Comm Ave. Drinks are about $ 8-​ish, but you can always go to Sunset Cantina across the street before.
Shout out to the super nice security guard who let me pop back in the venue even after the doors were locked to charge my phone so I could order my Über ride. Thanks, man! You rule.
Go here!

I’ve gone to the Paradise Rock Club for a few concerts since moving to Boston, and I have to admit — I don’t hate it! Past shows have included Karmin, the wonderfully bred music group from Berklee. Rock on!
I’m a fan of smaller venues, as it makes the entire experience that much more intimate, and Paradise fits the bill for that. In fact, some may argue that it’s too small for some of the more popular acts that perform here. What more could you want, though, then to be in arm’s reach from some of your favorite artists that you listen to while pre-​gaming on a Friday night or sitting in your car during Boston rush hour?! Paradise offers up some incredibly talented acts at a pretty reasonable ticket price, and that’s something every Boston student and young professional is looking for when they’re researching concerts in the area.
Their website does a very thorough job at keeping an updated calendar of events, so be sure to keep tabs on it if you’re looking for some great shows! My tip — wait until the day of the show and purchase from StubHub. Save some dolla billz, y’all!

A while back I saw one of my favorite artists here. an awesome singer by the name of Kina Grannis. I had a mostly positive experience.
The venue itself is pretty nice. She’s not the most popular artist so the small space was adequate to fit the needs of the fans. I liked the layout of the stage as opposed to the bars. The stage is perfect for being face to face with the performer. I liked the ambiance of the whole atmosphere also and the lighting was great.
The thing I disliked is the horrible parking situation. I got my car towed because I just couldn’t find a spot in time for the show and had to just say screw it and parked in the plaza across the street. BTW those towing companies are crooks. the whole lot of them.
For out of towners, the parking is difficult but overall, it’s a great place to see a show.

One of my favorite Boston venues! Started going here when I moved to Boston 20 years ago, and must have seen at least 20 shows here including Joe Jackson, Wallflowers, Squeeze, Bob Mould, so many I can’t even remember just now.
For Boston, tickets are even affordable. Even now, Johnny Marr is $ 25 and there’s lots of shows for under $ 20. Love the location. Forget parking (although I used to have my secret spots, as one does). Drinks are not too spendy, the line is always full of nice people psyched for the show. Most people inside are pretty awesome too. I like to find a spot on the upper floors — a bit farther but it affords you a little breathing/​dancing room while still offering a great view. Then when needed, you get your ass to the stage.
Cant wait to go here again… but it may not be this trip, alas.