Paris Olympia
From Wikinfo
The Paris Olympia is a music hall at 28, Blvd. des Capucines, Paris, France.
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Founded in 1888 by Joseph Oller, the creator of the Moulin Rouge, the Olympia is the oldest music hall in Paris, today easily recognizable by its giant red glowing letters announcing its name. It opened in 1889 as the "Montagnes Russes" but was renamed the Olympia in 1893. The photo is of an 1898 Olympia poster from the "Maitres de l'Affiche" series.
As amous for its sumptuous red interior as for its historic fa�ade, the Olympia's magical atmosphere makes it an memorable experience for the audience. It is the place where Edith Piaf achieved fame and where, just a few months before her death from cancer, she gave one of her most memorable concerts while barely able to stand. Jeff Buckley, long an admirer of Piaf's work, gave what he considered the finest performance of his career there in 1995.
It has been used as many things, including as a cabaret and cinema to a shelter for soldiers during the World War II. Over the years, the Olympia has survived everything from near-bankruptcy to demolition and reconstruction and maintains its importance to this day. Many aspiring singers in France dream to play the Olympia and most major international singers, groups, or entertainers perform at the Olympia while in Paris. A few of the many who have appeared there are: Gilbert Becaud, Roy Orbison, Janis Joplin, Jacques Brel, Barbara, Charles Aznavour, The Beatles, Diana Kroll, [[Claude Fran�ois]], James Brown, Mireille Mathieu, Celine Dion, The Rolling Stones, Luciano Pavarotti, Otis Redding, Julio Iglesias, Frank Sinatra and many others.
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Paris_Olympia" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Olympia, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
