Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
organ concert cycle in August (Prinsengracht 281, tel. 020/624-7766,
www.westerkerk.nl
).
The
New Church
offers periodic organ concerts and a religious music festival in June
(included in €8 church entry, covered by Museumkaart, Dam Square, tel. 020/638-6909,
www.nieuwekerk.nl
)
. The Red Light District's
Old Church
(Oude Kerk) has carillon con-
certs Tuesday at 14:00andSaturday at 16:00,andholdsanorganmusic competition inearly
September (Oudekerksplein, tel. 020/625-8284,
www.oudekerk.nl
).
Two rock music (and hip-hop) clubs near Leidseplein are
Melkweg
(Lijnbaansgracht
234a, tel. 020/531-8181,
www.melkweg.nl
)
and
Paradiso
(Weteringschans 6, tel. 020/
626-4521,
www.paradiso.nl
). They present big-name acts that you might recognize...if
you're younger than I am.
Jazz has a long tradition at the
Bimhuis
nightclub, now housed in a black box jutting
out from the Muziekgebouw performance hall, right on the waterfront. Its great bar has city-
wide views, and is open to the public after concerts (Piet Heinkade 3, tel. 020/788-2188,
The nearby town of Haarlem offers free pipe-organ concerts on Tuesday evenings in
summer at its 15th-century church, the
Grote Kerk
(at 20:15 mid-May-mid-Oct, additional
concerts Thu at 16:00 July-Aug; see next chapter).
Boom Chicago,
an R-rated comedy improv act, was started 15 years ago by a group of
Americans on a graduation tour. They have been entertaining tourists and locals ever since.
The two-hour English-only show is a series of rude, clever, and high-energy improvisational
skits offering a raucous look at Dutch culture and local tourism (€22 weekdays, generally
€26 Fri-Sat; Sun-Fri shows at 20:15, Sat at 22:00; confirm times when you buy your ticket,
ticket office open daily from 13:00 until 15 minutes after curtain time, no Mon shows Jan-
March, tel. 020/423-0101,
www.boomchicago.nl
)
. It all happens at the 300-seat Leidseplein
Theater at Leidseplein 12; enter through the skinny Boom Bar (optional meal and drink ser-
vice).
They do
Can't Dutch This
(a collection of their greatest hits over the years) as well as
new shows for locals and return customers. When sales are slow, ticket-sellers on the street
out front offer steeply discounted tickets, with a drink included. Drop by that afternoon and
see what's up.
Amsterdam is one of the world centers for experimental live theater (much of it in English).
Many theaters cluster around the street called the Nes, which stretches south from Dam
Square.
