Palladium (New York City) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Palladium
Paul Simonon of the Clash performs at the Palladium on September 20, 1979
Former names	Academy of Music (1927–1976)
General information
Type	Movie palace, concert hall, and nightclub
Address	126 East 14th Street
Town or city	New York City
Country	United States
Opened	1927
Closed	August 1997
Demolished	August 1998
Other information
Seating capacity	3,400

The Palladium was a famous building in New York City. It started as a movie theatre called the Academy of Music. Later, it became a popular concert hall and then a lively nightclub. The building was located on East 14th Street in Manhattan.

It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and opened in 1927. The building was built across the street from an even older Academy of Music. This first Academy of Music was started in 1852. The Palladium first opened as a fancy movie theater. It showed movies until the early 1970s.

In the 1960s, the building also began hosting rock concerts. It became a major music spot after another famous venue, the Fillmore East, closed in 1971. The building was officially renamed "The Palladium" on September 18, 1976. It continued to be a concert hall for many years.

In 1985, the Palladium was turned into a nightclub. This was done by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, who were also famous for their club Studio 54. A Japanese architect named Arata Isozaki redesigned the inside of the building for the new club.

The Palladium closed in August 1997. New York University bought the building. In August 1998, the building was torn down. A new twelve-story student residence hall was built there. Students call it Palladium Hall. It houses about 960 students. The building also has a large athletic facility in its basement.

The Palladium: A Famous New York Venue

The Academy of Music first opened as a grand movie palace. By the 1970s, it had become a top music venue for rock and roll bands. It could hold 3,400 people. It was popular with both well-known bands and new groups. Many famous bands played at the Palladium. They often came during their big arena tours. This was because the theater was very respected. It also had an excellent sound system. This system was designed by Richard Long.

Concerts and Legendary Performances

Many famous rock bands played at the Academy of Music. The Rolling Stones performed there on May 1, 1965. The Allman Brothers Band played on August 15, 1971. Aerosmith played their first concerts outside of New England here. The Band played a series of New Year's shows in 1971. Recordings from these shows became their live album Rock of Ages.

Genesis performed their New York concerts for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in 1974. Renaissance also played there in 1974. The Grateful Dead played several times at the venue. Parts of their 1972 shows were released on official albums. They also played five shows in 1977.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band played six shows in 1976. They returned for three more shows in 1978. All tickets for the 1978 shows sold out quickly. Frank Zappa and his band performed around Halloween several times. His 1977 shows were part of the film Baby Snakes. A 1981 performance was even shown live on MTV.

New York punk musicians also played at the Palladium. The Patti Smith Group, John Cale, and Television performed on New Year's Eve 1976. The Bay City Rollers played in January 1977. The Ramones recorded a performance there in 1978. They returned for New Year's Eve 1979. The Police played in November 1979 during their world tour. Kiss played a warm-up show in 1980. This was Eric Carr's first live show with the band.

In 1991, Tin Machine performed at the venue. Parts of these shows were used for their live album Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby. Blondie performed songs from their albums in May 1978. Rockabilly legend Robert Gordon also opened that evening.

The Palladium was also important for British heavy metal bands. Many made their first big impact in the United States there. These included Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and Ozzy Osbourne. Motörhead played its final show with "Fast" Eddie Clarke there in 1982.

Many UK punk and new wave bands also debuted in New York at the Academy of Music. These included the Clash, the Jam, U2, and Duran Duran. American punk bands like the Ramones and Blondie also played there.

Chuck Berry played a New Year's Eve concert in 1988. This show was recorded and broadcast on the radio. Argentine rock bands Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Soda Stereo performed in 1995 and 1996. The very last concert at the Palladium was a sold-out show by Fugazi on May 1, 1997.

Live Recordings from the Palladium

Many live albums and recordings came from performances at the Palladium. A version of "Nantucket Sleighride" by Mountain was recorded there in 1971. Lou Reed recorded two live albums, Rock 'n' Roll Animal and Lou Reed Live, in 1973. These albums featured songs from his solo career and the Velvet Underground.

Zappa in New York is a live album by Frank Zappa. It was recorded during concerts at the Palladium in December 1976. Levon Helm and the RCO All-Stars recorded Live at The Palladium NYC, New Year's Eve 1977. This album was released in 2006.

The Clash played at the Palladium in September 1979. A famous photo from the September 20 show shows Paul Simonon smashing his bass. This picture was later used for the cover of their album London Calling. Bootleg recordings of both performances exist.

The photograph on the back of the Cramps' first EP, Gravest Hits, was taken at the Palladium. Renaissance recorded Unplugged Live at the Academy of Music in 1985. It was released in 2000.

In 1992, C+C Music Factory recorded a song for The Bodyguard soundtrack. The remixes of this song were called "The Palladium House Anthem I" and "The Palladium House Anthem II". At that time, Robert Clivillés from C+C Music Factory was a DJ at the Palladium.

In 2004, the Ramones reissued a live album. It was called Live January 7, 1978 at the Palladium, NYC [LIVE]. The live TV show Club MTV was also filmed there in the 1980s and early 1990s. It starred Downtown Julie Brown.

The Palladium: A Nightclub Hotspot

The Palladium was changed from a music venue into a nightclub. This was done by Studio 54 owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. They hired several DJs, including Richard Sweret. These DJs saw a chance to attract a bigger audience. They wanted to play new wave music, Euro, and house music.

The club was designed by architect Arata Isozaki. It featured special art pieces by famous artists. These included Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Francesco Clemente. Basquiat's art was in a bar called the Mike Todd room. Clemente's art was in a stairwell. Haring's art was behind the dance floor.

The Palladium opened as a nightclub in May 1985. Its opening was attended by many celebrities. It quickly became one of the most important clubs in New York City. The club was a major part of the New York club scene. It remained popular until New York University bought it in 1997. The building was then torn down to build student housing.

Junior Vasquez's Arena party was very popular. It was held on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings at Palladium. These parties took place between September 1996 and September 1997. The party attracted a wide mix of people. Vasquez even named some of his music remixes after the Arena party.