I echo the previous sentiments. I attended the 11:00 tour this morning. Absolutely fantastic! The theatre never looked better. Kudos to Mr. Lopes and the Paradise for a job well done!
I echo the previous sentiments. I attended the 11:00 tour this morning. Absolutely fantastic! The theatre never looked better. Kudos to Mr. Lopes and the Paradise for a job well done!
Well, the orchestra was filled completely…which is 2300, plus about another few hundred in the mezz. and balcony. No upcoming shows yet, but they seem to average about two events per month.
As promised, I will give the lowdown on my trip to the Paradise Theatre last night. I went to the concert with my sister from New Jersey. The show consisted of five early 70’s soul groups, the featured act being The Stylistics. We arrived about an hour before the scheduled start time of 8:00, and found a parking spot on the street about two blocks away. Many people were parking in public lots in the area, one of which was charging $18.00 for the evening. Upon entering the theatre, we had to pass through metal detectors, with the ladies going through one and the men going through another. I assumed the reason for the seperation was that if a body frisk was required, it would be done by staff of the same sex. I guess nowadays, any large venue would be crazy not to have metal detectors due to terrorism. Once inside, we had some wine at the bar that was in the main lobby. We went to the second level wher some tables and chairs were set up, and relaxed for awhile. The show started about 9:00, and ended about 12:30. Our seats were good (about 10th row orchestra.) All of the acts were from a similiar mold, that being of something like The Temptations…matching suits, synchronized moves etc. As for security, the Paradise or maybe the musical groups had there own security, in addition, there were four uniformed cops outside the theatre for the entire evening. The crowd, however, was quite mellow, with the average age being somewhere around 50. I was somewhat concerned when leaving the theatre, not knowing what to expect on the Grand Concourse at 12:30am. However, the crowd exiting, in addition to the police presence alleviated any fears, and it was uneventful. All in all, it was a very pleasant evening.
Although not yet listed on their website, there will be a concert on February 17th featuring The Stylistics, The Dramatics, Cuba Gooding Jr. of The Main Ingrediant, as well as a couple of other acts. I stopped by the theatre this evening and saw the flyer posted in the box office window. Also posted, was a menu for The Paradise Bar and Grill, which I understand is only open on event nights.
I stopped by the theatre yesterday, and noticed that they are having a New Year’s celebration in the theater’s lounge. Two Latin music acts will be performing.
Well, I was outside the Paradise that evening and can attest to the fact that people entered. I could also hear the salsa music near one of the exits that was partially open. The line of people was about two blocks long. A coworker of mine attended the concert and said it was sold out and was quite good. The question is, what’s next?
Most of the ornaments (statues etc.) are in great shape. The blue sky on the ceiling looked like it needed some repair, as some very small parts seemed ripped. The ceiling above the stage needed some patch work. The lobby is excellent and the bathroom is beautiful with black marble counters. The seats looked great and were quite comfortable. The seats in the balcony still had plastic covering them, so I assume that they are the newest. All of the paintings looked great. The whole experience was almost surreal, as the theatre was dimly lit. It almost had the feeling of being in an amusement park attraction; I was a bit surprised that there was no organized tour per se, but rather you could wander wherever you wanted to, which was cool.
Went to the Paradise this evening for the tour. Not a tour in the traditional sense. Once you entered, you pretty much had free reign of the theatre. There was a bar set up in the lobby serving drinks and light refreshments. The restoration is magnificent, though there is obviously a bit more work to be done. According to a person I spoke with from the Bronx Museum, the expected opening date is in a month.
I echo the previous sentiments. I attended the 11:00 tour this morning. Absolutely fantastic! The theatre never looked better. Kudos to Mr. Lopes and the Paradise for a job well done!
I echo the previous sentiments. I attended the 11:00 tour this morning. Absolutely fantastic! The theatre never looked better. Kudos to Mr. Lopes and the Paradise for a job well done!
Tours are a fantastic idea! I recently saw a show there and it was wonderful. Keep up the great work!
Well, the orchestra was filled completely…which is 2300, plus about another few hundred in the mezz. and balcony. No upcoming shows yet, but they seem to average about two events per month.
As promised, I will give the lowdown on my trip to the Paradise Theatre last night. I went to the concert with my sister from New Jersey. The show consisted of five early 70’s soul groups, the featured act being The Stylistics. We arrived about an hour before the scheduled start time of 8:00, and found a parking spot on the street about two blocks away. Many people were parking in public lots in the area, one of which was charging $18.00 for the evening. Upon entering the theatre, we had to pass through metal detectors, with the ladies going through one and the men going through another. I assumed the reason for the seperation was that if a body frisk was required, it would be done by staff of the same sex. I guess nowadays, any large venue would be crazy not to have metal detectors due to terrorism. Once inside, we had some wine at the bar that was in the main lobby. We went to the second level wher some tables and chairs were set up, and relaxed for awhile. The show started about 9:00, and ended about 12:30. Our seats were good (about 10th row orchestra.) All of the acts were from a similiar mold, that being of something like The Temptations…matching suits, synchronized moves etc. As for security, the Paradise or maybe the musical groups had there own security, in addition, there were four uniformed cops outside the theatre for the entire evening. The crowd, however, was quite mellow, with the average age being somewhere around 50. I was somewhat concerned when leaving the theatre, not knowing what to expect on the Grand Concourse at 12:30am. However, the crowd exiting, in addition to the police presence alleviated any fears, and it was uneventful. All in all, it was a very pleasant evening.
Correct…It’s Cuba Gooding Sr. Tickets are available online through ticketmaster and at the theatre box office. It’s listed as 70’s Soul Jam.
Although not yet listed on their website, there will be a concert on February 17th featuring The Stylistics, The Dramatics, Cuba Gooding Jr. of The Main Ingrediant, as well as a couple of other acts. I stopped by the theatre this evening and saw the flyer posted in the box office window. Also posted, was a menu for The Paradise Bar and Grill, which I understand is only open on event nights.
I stopped by the theatre yesterday, and noticed that they are having a New Year’s celebration in the theater’s lounge. Two Latin music acts will be performing.
Well, I was outside the Paradise that evening and can attest to the fact that people entered. I could also hear the salsa music near one of the exits that was partially open. The line of people was about two blocks long. A coworker of mine attended the concert and said it was sold out and was quite good. The question is, what’s next?
Most of the ornaments (statues etc.) are in great shape. The blue sky on the ceiling looked like it needed some repair, as some very small parts seemed ripped. The ceiling above the stage needed some patch work. The lobby is excellent and the bathroom is beautiful with black marble counters. The seats looked great and were quite comfortable. The seats in the balcony still had plastic covering them, so I assume that they are the newest. All of the paintings looked great. The whole experience was almost surreal, as the theatre was dimly lit. It almost had the feeling of being in an amusement park attraction; I was a bit surprised that there was no organized tour per se, but rather you could wander wherever you wanted to, which was cool.
Went to the Paradise this evening for the tour. Not a tour in the traditional sense. Once you entered, you pretty much had free reign of the theatre. There was a bar set up in the lobby serving drinks and light refreshments. The restoration is magnificent, though there is obviously a bit more work to be done. According to a person I spoke with from the Bronx Museum, the expected opening date is in a month.