Welcome to Beantown!
Founded on September 17, 1630 by Puritan colonists from England, Boston was originally known as Trimountaine because of the 3 large hills that dominated the city. It was later renamed Boston after the city in England where many of the settlers had emigrated. Resting on a peninisula surrounded by the waters of the Massachusetts Bay and Back Bay, Boston has been called the "Athens of America" because of it's 60 plus colleges and universities that give it the highest concentration of students of any metropolitan area in the country. With such a large demographic of young adults, comes the need for the proper watering holes, and there is none better in the greater Boston area than the Paradise Rock Club.
The Paradise Rock Club has been a mainstay of the Boston music scene for almost 30 years. With a seating capacity between 500 - 600, the club has provided its patrons an up close and personal show of some of the most famous stars in Rock 'n Roll.
"Future mega-stars such as U2, Van Halen and the Police all made their first Boston-area appearances here. Whether you're on the floor or peering over the balcony, the stage in the main room is constantly in sight." -- citysearch review
First opening it's doors in the fall of 1977, the Paradise Club has carved out its niche in Beantown as the place to be to see good local talent and the rising stars on the national circuit.
"The (Paradise)venue tends to host the coolest bands around at the time ... many who go on to fill even bigger venues later in their careers. There is a surrounding balcony from which you can usually grab a good spot and get a good view of the stage without being squashed to death by the masses." -- The Virtual Tourist
With Beantown's high percentage of Irish-Americans (16% at last count), the Paradise Club is the perfect place to showcase Ireland's favorite son, Rory Gallagher, and his high voltage rockin' blues. On March 29, 1991 Rory performs at the Paradise Club. This is the next to last stop on his US Tour. After a 6 year absence from the continent, Rory has returned to rebuild his American fan base.
"I've been working a lot in Europe and recording over there. But it's time to come back and build up the following again in America. I was sick last year with a virus infection, and even heard a rumor that I was dead. It's funny how quickly some people forget you."--Rory interview by Steve Morse, Boston Globe
It appears though that the fans have not forgotten about Rory as witnessed by the packed crowd at the Paradise that night. The show was not without mishap however;
"I remember that show, it was a nightmare, that one. We had a lot of problems on stage. Maybe -- hopefully it wasn't too obvious. I remember particularly what happened was that the rostrum was too small for the drum kit. There was a lot of cymbal movement, and things fell off." -- Brendan O'Neill
Cymbals crashing to the floor proved little distraction to the devoted following as Rory played an extended set to an appreciative audience.
"The club was packed and he came on some time close to or after 10:30pm. I remember reading some place or someone writing me that it was one of his longest shows on the tour and more so in comparison to his last show next evening at New York, which had a shorter set because the band had to catch a flight back to London." -- Shiv Cariappa
To read the Boston Globe's pre-concert article on Rory Gallagher click HERE.
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