The Paradise Rock Club, or “The Dise” as many Bostonians call it, has hosted a slew of up-and-coming musicians before stardom plucked them from the grasp of the small venue at 967 Commonwealth Ave.

The club opened in 1977 and quickly became a legendary venue in Boston’s rock history.

Paradise boasts that it is the first place U2 played in the United States, and that it has hosted acts like The Police, AC/DC, Blondie, REM, Joe Strummer and Coldplay. Its website has a list of more than 100 musical acts that have graced the club’s stage, which is cited as only a “partial list.”

The room at the Paradise Rock Club holds 650 people, but its intimate design earned it “Best of Boston” honors for small venue in Boston Magazine in 2003.

“I thought the setup was really cool. The stage was centered and wherever you were you had a great view and you could hear the band just fine,” freshman communication studies major Nicole Niss said about a recent show. “There aren’t a lot of venues that you can go to where you can say that.”

For many local bands, the opportunity to play the Rock Club is a coveted chance to expand their fan-bases.

Brian Bergeron, frontman of Brian Bergeron and the Late Greats, competed in 2007’s Qdoba Rice and Beanpot for a chance to play at the venue.

“When we first joined the competition, it was just for the exposure,” he told The News in February. “But then they upped the ante for the prize, and now that’s what we’re in it for. As long as I’ve been in Boston it’s been my goal to play at the Paradise.”

– Jeanine Budd, News Staff