House of Blues Boston, located directly across from Fenway Park at 15 Lansdowne Street, opened just two weeks ago and has already hosted some of today's hottest music acts. With clubs situated in many big cities across the United States, the House of Blues brand has become famous for its multicultural atmosphere and big-name bookings.
The first House of Blues, which opened in 1992, was located in Harvard Square on Winthrop Street. Though the original club closed, its driveway, where the founders of the club placed their hands in cement, remains. The new House of Blues is bigger and flashier than the first, showing noticeable upgrades to the popular Avalon and Axis clubs that once occupied the space in the heart of downtown Boston.
Each House of Blues venue features its own unique layout. The new Boston club maintains the original design of Avalon and Axis, but the standing room floor space has been greatly expanded and can now accommodate about 2,500 people. The sides of the room have been pushed back, making space for wall-to-wall bars where concertgoers can buy alcohol and hopefully find a seat for the show.
There are also two levels above the floor: a standing-only balcony and a VIP box seating. The balcony gives a better view of the stage, but the VIP section lives up to its reputation. It costs a lot to buy one of these exclusive seats, which are not sold to the general public, but the view might be worth the expense considering that these seats are far above the floor and close to the stage.
House of Blues Boston has a restaurant open for both lunch and dinner where viewers can grab a bite to eat before heading in for the show and a large retail space where patrons can purchase House of Blues memorabilia.
The venue's owners have perfected the art of putting everything a visitor could ever need in one building to maximize profit. Many people complain that House of Blues, owned by Live Nation, is just a corporate takeover of local, intimate concert spaces, and is a blatant attempt to drive the competition out of business.
Whatever the intent of the business, booking high-quality performers requires money, and the House of Blues has plenty. The corporate atmosphere of the venue is apparent long before concert-goers get inside. A long line of people stretches down the sidewalk as four or five security guards let only a few in at a time, while others check IDs and hand out over-21 wristbands. Despite the line, getting past the ropes is the easy part. Inside, there are even longer lines where more security guards search bags and use metal detectors to find cameras and other unapproved items.
The interior design of the House of Blues is one of its most interesting features, as the space is decorated with paintings by local artists that represent the cultural interaction House of Blues aims to promote through music. Art covers nearly every inch of the performance space, from the top of the stage to the walls above the bar to the columns supporting the balcony. In the center of the stage is a giant logo, the highly recognizable House of Blues heart.
The acoustics of the space are impressive for such a large space, and the general ambiance makes concert-going enjoyable due to the bright and festive atmosphere. The acts hardly ever start on time, an inconvenience that contributes to the big-corporation feel of the place. But once the music begins, it is easy to forget how large the space really is, and the ambiance feels slightly more intimate.
Upcoming acts for the House of Blues include the rapper Common, a week-long stint for the Dropkick Murphys, the '90s rock band Live and pop sensation Katy Perry. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
