Live Nation Adds to New York Portfolio with 'Beautiful Masterpiece' Opening Brooklyn Paramount

The Brooklyn Paramount, Live Nation's new 2,700-seat venue in downtown Brooklyn, opens its doors Wednesday (March 27) with its first show: A headlining performance by Damian and Stephen Marley.

The concert kicks off an inaugural season at the venue that will bring artists such as PinkPantheress, Oneohtrix Point Never, Waxahatchee, Norah Jones and Sting to the stage in the coming months.

For Live Nation, Brooklyn Paramount fills a gap in the New York market between the promoter's two 1,100-capacity clubs, Manhattan's Irving Plaza and Brooklyn's Warsaw, and its 3,500-capacity outdoor venue, The Rooftop at Pier 17 .

“It's been my journey for the last 10 years, finding that exact capacity within our pipeline of venues in New York, because that's what we've been missing,” he says. Stacey George, senior vice president of Live Nation Northeast. “Now we have a house for artists between these two stages [of development].”

The addition of Brooklyn Paramount to Live Nation's portfolio allows the promoter to better compete with AEG and its regional affiliate The Bowery Presents, which operates three venues across the city — Webster Hall, Brooklyn Steel and Terminal 5 — with capacities ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 , as well as Madison Square Garden Entertainment's Beacon Theater (capacity 2,900). And, combined with Live Nation's Manhattan clubs Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom, which hold about 250 and 600, respectively, the Brooklyn Paramount now creates a clear path for an artist into the Live Nation ecosystem from small rooms up to 5,000 – capacity Central Park Summerstage, with which the organizer signed an exclusive booking partnership in late 2022.

“We want an artist, manager, agent to feel like we're investing in their artist from the beginning,” says George. “We want to grow with your artists and continue to offer them amazing spaces to perform. Your hope is always to maintain that relationship and that history.”

This doesn't just apply to artists who are “coming up” to the arena level, but “on their way down”: “We want to be with them throughout their journey and their long musical career,” says George.

Brooklyn Paramount's new chapter is just the latest in its rich, nearly century-long history. The venue first opened in 1928 and hosted top artists including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Buddy Holly throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s. Long Island University (LIU) purchased the site in 1954 and, shortly thereafter, converted it into a gymnasium. Nearly a decade ago, LIU began work on renovating the dormant theater. The reopening of the venue is the culmination of a five-year planning, design and construction process by Live Nation.

For George, one of the Brooklyn Paramount's strongest assets is its location, which is easily accessible by several subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. And he expects the space to blend old Brooklyn history — its rococo ceiling is among the many design details preserved in the renovation — and modern amenities that will attract fans and artists alike. For the former, the venue offers several luxury cocktail bars and a VIP balcony and lounge (Ella's, named after Fitzgerald). For the latter, the Brooklyn Paramount provides spacious artist accommodations with showers, workout space, and even a game room with Pac-Man and pinball machines.

From a production standpoint, the theater has parking for three buses. “In New York, that's a luxury,” George says with a laugh. “Half an hour the buses have to drive into New Jersey to park at a Walmart because they can't park in front of the lot.”

In terms of bookings, the Brooklyn Paramount plans to continue to schedule a range of acts in line with its original calendar and cater to the diverse clientele it is courting. While the venue was designed primarily as a general admission venue, some shows, such as multi-night sets by Jones and Sting, will have seating. The Brooklyn Paramount has already announced more than 60 shows through October, and George says he's locked in an additional 50 that have yet to be revealed.

Several hundred guests got a first look at the space — “this beautiful masterpiece,” as George puts it — on Tuesday night at its reopening preview party, featuring live music, including a DJ set by St. Vincent at Ella's. “Seeing people walk in and have that 'wow' moment — that's exciting,” says George.