You know what? I kinda like the House of Blues. Wanna fight about it?
Yes, the facility is a bit soulless, the bouncers overly intense (don't recount a story of a drunk friend when walking up to the door, they'll make you wait a half hour to get your wristbands), and PBRs are $6.
All that aside, I've never had a bad experience at HOB, though I only buy GA floor tickets. Even for a shorty like me, I can maneuver to see the stage from the main level. The mezzanine level is worthless, and I will skip out on a show if I was too slow on the uptake to score the primo real estate. The acoustics are excellent, and they keep booking acts I like. Plus, I secretly like all-ages shows that end by 11pm, cause I'm an old lady. See ya at the next show.
This is an alright concert venue but not one I would frequent. Location is great but parking can be tough and expensive if there is any sort of event at Fenway, luckily I live on the T line so I just take the green to Kenmore and walk.
I really like the vibe and layout of the venue with the multiple tiers overlooking the stage. This place gets rocking if the right band is playing. There is alot of places to buy overpriced drinks, so lines are not too crazy.
Ticket prices are high but its the price of seeing a show in the downtown of a city, instead of a pavilion out in the sticks. Security can be over bearing but I have seen way worse, these guys actually do their job.
While looking for dinner near Fenway Park after the end of a Boston Red Sox game, my friends and I chose a restaurant that did not have a long wait. Â After being told by the hostess that there would be a 15 minute wait for a table, we decided to order drinks from the bar, then we realized that we were in the House of Blues. Â Since we got drinks first, it would be fair to point out that the House of Blues has a decent drink selection plus a nice mix of beer on tap. Â Prices seemed to be consistent with what one would find in a major city such as Boston. Â Once we were seated, we were greeted with a friendly server. Â
The menu items included a number of general American, Southern style and Cajun style specialties. Â I decided to order fried pickles as an appetizer for the table. Â They gave us a lot of fried pickle slices, but not enough ranch dressing for dip. Â For an entree, I decided to order the jambalaya, which I found to be tasty (yet mixing that with an Angry Orchard hard cider, that was a bit too acidic for me). Â A couple of my friends ordered pulled pork sandwiches, which they enjoyed. Â
Menu prices were a little more expensive than what I'm used to back in the Albany and Schenectady areas, but I felt it was reasonable and consistent for the food I ordered plus the fact that I was across the street from a major league ballpark. Â I was pleasantly surprised by my experience and I wouldn't hesitate to return.
Saw a concert here a few months ago, and it is a great venue overall.
It fills up quickly, and there isnt a lot of elbow room to dance around. The bar service was kind of slow. Other than that I liked it, the venue has a great vibe. The bathroom is a good size (weird layout, but whatever). The drinks were decently priced for that area.
I have been a few times over the years and I really can't complain. I thought the production quality the last time was pretty good.
Yes, drink prices are steep, but I've found the staff to be pretty nice. And when you pay $11 for a Bailey's on the rocks but get a gigantic portion of chicken fingers for $4, it all evens out. Had a Midori Sour for the first time--I liked it.
One star for the good acts that they get and one star for the sound quality. But, I'll stop there. You need a thick skin to deal with the people who work at the HoB. Me, I was never disciplined as a child, so when people are mean to me, it makes me sad and ruins my night.
Two incidents particularly stand out:
I was the designated ticket purchaser for a Dear Leader show. The day of the show, I came down with the flu. We're talking 102 fever, chills and sweats, "when Cameron was in Egypt land" flu. Since the tickets were under my name, I called the box office and asked how my friends could get the tickets if I couldn't come. The answer: "they can't. You'll have to come to the box office." "I think that I might be dying of scarlet fever. What if they have my drivers' license with them? I mean, practically what are the odds that someone is stealing my tickets if they have my drivers' license and I called ahead of time to tell you that they're coming to get them?" "Sorry, you'll have to be here." So, bottom line, I had to infect everyone on the train, and in line at the HoB so that my three friends didn't miss out on the show. I made sure to sneeze, cough, and wipe my sweaty brow all over my license before handing it to the box office people.
Secondly, as you know, at sold out shows, it's hard to keep your spot. If you're one of three people, it makes sense to send one of you to get the drinks, while the other two save your place. But, you can't really do that at the HoB, because even though you have wristbands and people wearing "Alcohol Compliance Staff" shirts (not making that up), you can only buy two drinks at a time. That's fine. I understand that it's a dumb rule, and it's not the bartender's fault. What WAS his fault however is after I asked for three Bud Lights and he told me I could only buy two and I made a snarky remark like "Why can't we just rely on the ever-vigilant ACS to see a non-wristband wearer with a beer in their hand and leave it at that," he decided to help the guys next to me before getting my Bud Lights....the guys next to me who ordered six cocktails that he had to make, instead of just popping the tab of two Bud Lights. That was his fault. He sure taught me a lesson...wasting my time (especially since I had one more stop on the way back at the other bar to get my third beer). So, for the first time, in my entire life, I didn't leave a tip. And that made me feel bad. HoB, YOU MADE ME FEEL!
Over the years, I've made my peace that I hate this place, but if I want to see good music, I have to suck it up. However, all of their Gestapo policies and rules have made it so that if I'm on the fence about seeing a certain band and I know it's at the HoB, I typically fall on the "no" side.
This place blows loads of donkey dick.
I went to a Saturday show that ended at 10pm. 10PM! Â What that about?
The sound mix was terrible everywhere except for the front center of the floor. Â
Also, they searched my girlfriends bag extensively, way beyond a necessary safety check, and questioned her about her medications. Â That is skating on the line between ignorant and illegal.
Coat check was $5.
This place should be razed and the Axis and Avalon should be rebuilt. Â And the heads of ticketmaster should be lynched. Â That is all.
Be warned: this venue essentially charges you extra money to get to the front of the line. I went to go see Garbage. I wanted to be on the barricade so I got there over five hours early. There were already a bunch of people there (some had been there since 2am!). I waited 3 hours and eventually someone from the venue comes out and tells us that there's a special line for people that buy something in the restaurant. $15 worth of merch gets you in this line. If we didn't do this anyone that did would be let in first. I didn't want have wasted my last 3 hours so I reluctantly paid up but this is the only time I'll ever do this. This is not really acceptable. Trying to make money on people just waiting to get into your venue is remarkably greedy and really I'm going to do my best to avoid going to shows here from now on.
it should be noted that we didn't even get let in first...there was a line inside the restaurant that got let in before us.
I was just at HOB on Friday night for the Gloriana concert and it was a much better time then I expected. I had been to the HOB awhile ago but not recently until now.
We showed up about an hour after the doors opened so there was no line. We checked our coats and decided to grab a "quick" drink at the small front bar. It wasn't very quick but it wasn't the bartenders fault. He was working it alone and there was a gaggle of girls ordering ridiculous drinks. We decided to start off with vodka Redbulls and 16oz Budlights. The mix drink was strong, in the best way possible, more like a splash of redbull and vodka which is exactly what we needed to start the night off. You would expect them to skimp on booze but the other mix drink I had later in the night was strong too. I love the 16oz beer cans and the fact you can walk around with a can and they don't make you pour it into a cup.
The way the floor is setup with the descending layout you can get a good spot and not have to worry about people standing in front of you and ruining your view. We were about halfway to the stage near the sound guys and were right next to the step down so we had a clear view and easy access to the left side bar as well.
A side note is to use the bathroom in the front lobby not in the actual venue area. The front lobby bathroom is about 3 times bigger and was empty every time I went to use where as the venue bathroom is tiny and had about 10 guys waiting to get in.
Overall the concert was a really good time and HOB did everything right.
House of Blues, I want more, just a little bit more.
I can't tell if its the venue, or the crowd that attends House of Blues, but I've been to several different shows here, that span musical genres (Garbage, DJ Shadow, New Found Glory) and for some reason, it's just never as fun as I want it to be. Â The audience rarely gets into it as much as at other venues, and whether that is because of staff handling of crowd, or just a general vibe, I've yet to shake it off at any show. Â
I do however keep coming back, as fantastic acts often play here, and the drink prices are pretty typical. Â I will say that during the latest show I attended (Garbage) the bartenders were more personable than usual, which is a step in the right direction. Â
I definitely prefer both The Paradise, Royale, and Brighton Music Hall (in that order) over House of Blues, but they do typically get the bigger names. Â Maybe I'm size biased? Â I recommend either getting General Admission floor, or upper seated. Â If you are mezzanine, unless you arrive super early, you will likely not score a standing spot near the front, thus you will be unable to see anything - major bummer. Better to be on the floor so the band is above you, or on the upper deck where you can see from anywhere.
I'll definitely be back, but I'm just always hesitant to go to a show when it's at HOB. And ticket prices are a little steeper. Â I'll keep trying, and keep updating. Â A quick tip, as it's a ticketmaster venue, often about half of available tickets end up over on sites like StubHub, so if you are feeling wishy washy about a show, ride it out, and you can likely pick up some steals the day of the concert utilizing instant download. Â For instance, people were scoring $7.00 tickets the day of the Garbage show.... but you never know how it will play out.
My boyfriend scored us VIP seat/tickets to see the Dropkick Murphys here on St. Patricks Day. VIP area is the way to go. The there is a great view of the show from the seats, sound is great and the VIP area bar line was never long.
I would come see another show here if I could score VIP seats. Did not look like you could see well from the floor and I can't handle standing for an entire show.
Spent almost a thousand dollars for 5 Dropkick Murphy tickets on Saint Patrick's day.. the ultimate St Patrick's day in Boston right???? WRONG!!! Tickets were on mezzanine level...never even saw the band!!!!! Â Talked someone into just letting me take a peek at the crowd below that was actually having fun. I felt like screaming at someone, but no one cared. The mezzanine is set up so poorly and no one cares...They take your money and then actually put these weird screens up so you cant even get a glimpse of the band. I tried to watch it on the tv over the bar.....its a smaller TV than I had in my dorm room years ago...I never felt so ripped off by anything before. They should just not sell that level AT ALL. Turned a fun event into an angry bunch of people. Dropkicks were unbelievable and worked the crowd on the the floor.
Review Source:I've been here at least 3 times, and quite honestly, I hated it, until last night.
I'll start from the beginning.
I've seen New Found Glory, FUN., and last night, I saw Coheed and Cambria. Big names, right? And you definitely PAY for those big names. Prices are far too high, but you do get the big name shows here.
In general, security sucks. They're over eager, search you like you're going through airport security (The girl who frisked me owes me a dinner. Just sayin') and yell at you if you even look at them funny. At the NFG show, we got mezzanine tickets, but I couldn't see because we got there a little late and I'm kind of short. There was a section of railing with a banner blocking it so I thought I could just move it slightly so I could at least have a peek at the stage. NOPE! Within 5 seconds, we were being yelled at by security, and being physically moved to the back of the crowd. Couldn't see anything. So, in short (no pun intended) unless you are over 6 ft. tall, either get there early or DON'T BUY MEZZANINE TICKETS!
$6 for a PBR? No thanks. We drank before the Coheed show. Much better deal. And don't even think about sneaking anything in. They will fine you and eject you. Not worth it. Grab a couple beers at the Cask 'n' flagon before, then go enjoy the show. Â
They have coat check, but it's $5 per item and no doubling up. Plan accordingly.
Only redeeming experience for me was last night at the Coheed show. I had a panic attack during the show (anxiety/claustrophobia + huge crowd/overly excitable fans = panic attack for me. Who knew?) I couldn't move through the crowd, so an usher grabbed me, literally picked my sobbing self up, and carried me to the side of the stage. And the rest of the staff was so awesome to me too. They brought me water, and kept checking to make sure I was ok. So, I am truly grateful for that.
I will most likely be back for more shows here in the future, but will have taken my anxiety medication first, and will get there nice and early.
I wish I could give this hellhole zero stars. Â How bad is it? Â "Lord of the Flies" bad.
When the House of Blues used to be Avalon, the sound system was superior, and security guards were reasonable. Â Since becoming a commercialized den of despair (i.e., HOB), the sound system has been reduced to mediocrity, and security is a nightmare. Â The security guards are disrespectful, miserable creatures who do everything possible to impede your enjoyment of the event. Â
I will NEVER attend another concert at the House of Blues Boston, and will tell every person I know to avoid this establishment. Â I would advise all musicians and their managers to consider other, more fan-oriented venues in Boston.
Even though I am straight, I went here with some gay friends for EPIC Saturday Nights. The music was descent and the crowd was fun-loving and not overtly trashy like some other clubs in Boston. I enjoyed the large venue that the House of Blues offers.
In another instance, I attended a Deadmau5 concert here when he came to Boston. No matter where you stand (General Admission), you can easily see the stage/performer. We also snuck downstairs a couple of times fairly easily in order to get closer to the stage.
There are a couple of restaurants and bars close by since it is right next to the ballpark. The only issue is parking. So I suggest you either park in the garage or on the street and then take the T to Fenway.
First time visiting ,,
I thought it wAs fun great Dj ,,spinning every song you could think up and all the latest hit's ,,hit the dance floor all night long !!
Night flew by ,
Trying to find the rest room was quite a different  experience,, lol.  ppl making out in every corner nothing against it but get a room !!!
They are quite strict here which is to be expected but I think they might want to keep up with the ladies room ? Cause theirs Nothing legal going down in there???
Any way had great night danced most of my night away and try to ignore the down side ,,
Surprisingly  the parking was right down street only $10
next visit it will be to see a band !!I
If I could rate thus a 0 star - I would. From the other reviews I have seen this is not news but the staff if unbelievably ignorant and terrible. A simple coat check line - that I stepped out of - to join my friends I'm the BACK of the line because they had my ticket , quickly escalated to the staff screaming profanities in my face. When I asked to see a manager- he stood by the staff that called me, among other things, a "f**king c**t"
This establishment should be ashamed of itself and take a hard look at the ethics that they teach their staff.
Fascist pigs. Â Godforsaken hellhole. Â Avoid at all costs. Â
I don't care if Christ is playing here with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as his backup band. Â There's more security here per person than at Logan Airport. Â The staff are much worse than the cops. Â There are folks who wear 'Alcohol Compliance Supervisor' polos and check for underaged drinkers. Â
Orwellian.
The reason why The House of Blues sucks ass is because of the security! Here are 3 incidents I've witnessed in the same night:
First I seen a guy get kicked out of the concert for leaning back on the barricade! He was literally just enjoying a guitar solo with his hands in the air facing the audience, when THREE fat asshole security gaurds rushed through the packed crowd to remove him. I know for a fact he didnt do anything wrong because I was right beside him.
When I thought it couldnt get any worst, I seen a guy that was invited on stage to dance get kicked out for stage diving...at a rock concert! Nobody was injured nor complaining but security rushed him instantly!
Then I seen 2 random people get kicked out because there were a lot of people pushing their way up to the front. There is no way in hell these idiots can spot who started pushing first, but they just decided to throw out their paying customers for doing something expected at a rock show.
In closing, House of Blues Boston is the worst venue for any popular music. Even though I enjoyed my night at the George Clinton concert, it's not right to see people get ripped off and thrown out for nothing!
Fantastic venue in Boston for concerts. Â I have seen everything from 2 Chainz to Purity Ring at the House of Blues and they always put on a good show. Â If you have time go to the Foundation Room upstairs before for a drink or to La Verdad nearby for mexican food.
Warning the coat check line gets really long after the shows get out!
There are two bars on the ground floor and they bartenders are really friendly - stop by on your way in.
So, I feel like I've been to enough shows, with enough variance in terms of the overall "experience" to write a fair review of the House of Blues.
I'll admit, I was as skeptical as the next guy when the time came to tear down the Axis and the Avalon and build a corporate monstrosity in their place. But corporate sponsorship be damned, I wasn't going to miss my annual evening with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and that adamant stance soon brought with it the harsh reality that hey, where else are big name acts going to play when they swing through Boston? By and large, the acts that can fill this place maybe aren't quite up to filling the Garden, but are going to too quickly fill the Paradise or the Royale (formerly Roxy), so unless you're going to skip shows on the reg (and I'm not), you're going to be otherwise out of luck with some pretty big names.
The good news is, really, it's not that bad, so long as you know what you're getting into, and with a computer or "device" in every household, there's no reason you shouldn't. The floor is general admission, standing room only. So is the mezzanine, so get there early, 'cause the joint is going to fill, and yeah, everyone wants to see the stage. Beer is expensive - not as much as maybe the venue's MLB neighbor, but it's going to cost you more than, say, any of the Allston Rock City staples. Security has a job to do, and an obligation to keep things at a relative comfort level for those who choose to abide by the rules, and being a drunken mess will probably land you a reserved seat on the Landsdowne St. sidewalk - so don't. Simple show-going etiquette. Follow it within reason, and you can expect to be treated to a pretty decent show, with pretty good sight lines, and sound that probably can't be matched in the city limits.
While my show-going advice is based on a handful of shows, ranging from sold out to barely attended, viewed from all ends of the floor, and the mezzanine, my following comments on the restaurant can only be based on one seating, so take that for what it's worth.
The place wasn't exactly hopping - no busier than a Chili's on a Friday night. No wait for a table, and still, the service time was incredibly questionable. My party had time to seat themselves, while I ran a good 7 or 8 blocks to a nearby ATM (and back), join them, and take 15 minutes to settle in before we were greeted. In spite of arriving more than an hour ahead of doors, we only managed to order, eat, and pay before jumping into the line with only five minutes to spare. Pricing is fair - not Applebee's cheap, but certainly not Mistral expensive. Just be wary of the service times if you've got a show to catch. Food's certainly worthy of the price. Try the Creole Jambalaya.
The place gets a bad rap. Overall, it manages to offer a pretty decent experience - sometimes I think show-going just takes a fair bit of knowing what you're getting into. Give 'em a try, and try and have fun. Only loses one star on account of the waitstaff.
NEVER buy a Mezzanine ticket to this place unless you are prepared to arrive very early. Â Fact is, if you buy one and you don't get there early (and if the show is well sold) then you will likely not be able to see any of the performance and (yay!!) you will get to watch it on a TV screen instead.
I was furious when I arrived later than most other people only to find that they sell more mezzanine tickets than spaces available to view the show. Â If a person pays for a ticket they should be able to show up whenever they want. Â The sale does not stipulate 'non-obstructed views subject to availability'. Â So you can stand behind the crowd of people looking over the edge (the floor has no slant) and pretend to watch while you listen. Â This is a crooked practice and if I can manage to never give another cent to any of these criminals that run Landsdowne street again I will never do it.
Luckily there was a nice usher who allowed me and my girlfriend to go and sit in a couple of empty seats up in the balcony so we could view the performance. Â If it wasn't for her kindness our disappointment would have been huge and we would have gone home without actually seeing the performers.
I've been frequenting venues like this for 20 years and I have never run into such a blantant disregard for a consumer's right to view a performance they bought tickets for.
I recently went to see Nas and Lauryn Hill, my friend and I watched the first part of the show together. Â In between sets he went to the bathroom and couldn't get back to the second floor because he had floor seats. Â
The "door man" was incredibly rude about it and wouldn't even let us talk about what we wanted to do about being separated. Â He took my ticket and held it at the top of the stairs like I was an idiot who didn't spend 60 dollars to be there. Â They let us be in the same section once so they should be consistent in their decisions, or at least be polite about it. Â Not to mention everyone else around us was fighting with the door man too about all the idiotic rules they have about steps we are allowed to take in every direction. Â
If big names didn't come here I would never go back to this venue.
I've been to HOB a couple of times and it's a decent venue to watch a concert. Both times we bought tickets for their seats up top and although that means you're the furthest from the stage, the acoustics are good so it's not too bad. If you want to be on the ground floor they only offer standing room tickets (blech, my back would be in pain after an hour) and there's no way I'd want to stand for 2-3 hours watching a concert. Â I don't understand the complaints about the drink prices as I found the beer prices to be very reasonable ($6.50 if I remember correctly) for a concert venue. Fenway is around $10 for beers and it's no cheaper at TD Garden, etc. so whatever.
There are a couple of issues with this venue that keeps my rating from going higher than three stars. First, getting into HOB was a pain as there were two entrances (one for the lower level, one for the upper) and they weren't clearly marked so we waited in a long line only to be told "Head to the orange door to get in" so off we went to the first orange door we saw and it was the *wrong* orange door. Oh, it's the second orange door...stupid. Also, Ben Folds Five was only performing for about an hour and a half when at 9:30pm Ben asks someone off-stage "Do we have time for one more song?" Really? It was only 9:30pm and HOB was going to stop him from playing? They were "kind enough" to let him play one more song. Weird.
The venue is nice, loved the lights and decoration and the sound system was also good, I just didn't like the staff... They were rude with one girl that was standing next to me just because she was taking pictures, so I just got tense for the rest of the night.
Drinks were very overpriced, 6 dollars for a Harpoon I think is too much, and I couldn't enter with my bottle of water.. :(
Overall it's not a bad place, I would go back there, but I'd like to see my favorite bands somewhere else instead.
Alright, HoB. Let's dance. I've got a bone to pick with you, many, in fact.
Like all bigger venues, an NSA-quality security check with a up-close and personal patdown had to be taken. Mainly because I'm sure all terrorists love punk rock.
Alright, let's get to the "professional" aspect of the venue. They have a sound guy, setup assistance, too many Event Staff waddling around, and a couple bartenders. This should allow things to go smoothly. Did it? Nay! The two opening acts had to do a full sound check and setup which took 20 minutes per band. The headliner didn't have to sound check, but setup took just as long. The house shows I go to take less time to set up, and that says something.
House of Blues is big on All-Ages shows. A punk show that starts at 6pm? Are you kidding me? I don't know if it was because the main act has been together and touring for 23 years, or it was because the 13-year-olds have a bedtime and their parents don't want to pick them up too late. Regardless, 6pm show on a night there's a 7pm Red Sox game was an awful, awful idea.
Now that I've dug through the bad, here's the good. The space and temperature of the venue was wonderful. Lighting for the bands/crowd during sets was fantastic. And yep, that was it for good (aside from the two opening bands being amazing, like last time I saw them).
So I guess what I'm trying to say is,
Dear House of Blues, stop booking bands I like and let the Middle East get first dibs.
Ok? Ok.
Why all the negative reviews? tough crowd, tough crowd...
Honestly, I had no problems and it's so funny because after reading all the negative reviews about this place, I went READY, full guard up. The staff was... OK, compared to the reviews I read. I went for a concert (Santigold) and had access to the Foundation Room (which is awesome by the way!)
I just walked inside past the staff people who were too engaged in convo to notice my presence and I automatically thought "this" is what all the negative reviews were about. I was helped shortly by a bartender, she was nice. So, if you are attending a concert here and access to the Foundation Room is an option, do get access. Trust me.
The venue is great. I was on the balcony and had an awesome veiw of the stage--and the floor. It was hilarious watching people dance like maniacs. Other than that, the sound system was amazing BUT... there's one major downside, the fact you can't use digital camera's inside the venue!!! It SUCKS, you're only allowed to use your camera phone, with no flash. The security is strict on this, if they catch you, they will throw you out . So sneak a pic at your own risk. That's what I did.
Also, crowd surf at your own risk as well.
I've been coming here since before it was HOB (oh Avalon, so many memories...). It's not my favorite venue, but it's not the worst either, so I'm sure I'll continue to be a patron for many years to come...
Pros: big space, good acoustics, good variety of bands, varying levels to stand on (so in theory I don't need to be stuck behind a really tall person), bars everywhere, TVs everywhere that show the stage so everyone can see, convenient location, large/multiple bathrooms
Cons: standing room only (biggest con IMO), overpriced drinks, can't stand next to some of the railings, expensive coat check, commercial/Disneyified atmosphere, douchey staff/policies
For last night's Temper Trap show, we decided to eat at the attached restaurant since there was a home Sox game at the same time and anywhere else in the area would be packed... was happy to discover a whole menu that was half price if ordered at the first pitch, so I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries for $5. It was pretty run-of-the-mill, not terrible but wasn't particularly good either... but for $5 I'm not complaining. Another nice perk about the restaurant is that you get to cut the line for the concert if you eat there. Without those two benefits though, I probably wouldn't eat here, there's nothing special about it and drinks were pricey to boot ($6 for a Sam Summer in a plastic cup).
For all its faults, I kind of liked Avalon. As much as it's still kind of Avalon, I don't really care for House of Blues. It's crowded, dingy, and they don't have crap for draft beer. A 12oz bottle will cost you 6.50. At least at Roxy/Royale, a similar layout, you can get Harpoon drafts for $5.
I've been to good shows here. Jimmy Eat World and The National were both awesome. I've also been to pretty crappy events. It's kind of hit or miss. The no exit and return thing is pretty b.s. At least at Avalon they had the outdoor area in the back you could go for fresh (or not-so-fresh) air.
Overall, it's good to have a place that can attract top bands. I think I'd just rather see them somewhere else.
I saw a few bands here. It's big enough and good visibility. he floor gets very very very slippery because people spill alcohol all over it. smoking area out back. I didn't go upstairs, but it looked cool.
I almost lost my spot downstairs. They keep a crowd count!! Don't get stuck going upstairs while following the smoking crowd like I did by accident.
Fun Fact: This Place Is A Toilet
Went to see Rancid. Got cut off, for the second time at this venue. This is the ONLY PLACE I HAVE EVER GOTTEN CUT OFF AT. My date, a 6'2" man, who was exceedingly shitfaced to the point of not making any audible sense, did not get cut off.
I'm a 24-year-old with a vagina. I can handle a couple of $7 PBR tallboys. The bartenders are assholes, most of the staff are assholes.
I think the security check is more hardcore than Logan. Yes, please inspect my birth control pills for several minutes.
This Review is for THE MEZZANINE upper level 2nd floor.
(which patrons either love or hate)
ANALOGY: The far end of the Mezzanine is to the HOB,
as The Green Monster is to Fenway Park...SAME DISTANT FEEL.
AMBIENCE: Feel like the VIP you are by arriving via the RED door
(as opposed to the common man's BLUE door) to go upstairs.
VIEW: Â The 2nd floor provides a bird's eye view of the entire floor.
STAFF: A LOT of staff card you, repeatedly, open all your stuff,
and prevent you from going to other levels of the club.
BAR: the bar tenders are pleasant, BUT there is only ONE bar.
There is a large screen of the stage above this bar.
PRICES: Â I paid $14 (+ tip) for a ginger ale & a vodka soda...
in the TINIEST PLASTIC CUP I've ever seen (6oz?).
It was brimming with crushed ice, as full size cubes wouldn't fit.
SOUND: the sound is solid, good acoustics and ambience
VIEW: you can't see ANY of the show unless you arrive before doors open (an hour+ before the show starts). Â The entire Mezzanine area is SRO (standing room only) READ: There are no seats. Â You can *try* for a railing spot, for a clear view of the stage and people packed beneath you, BUT.. if you aren't rude & pushy, you'll end up behind two rows of early and/or pushier people without ANY view of the stage . Â
TOP 5 TIPS:
1. Arrive as early as possible (in comfy shoes) with Mezzanine tickets.
Bring a friend (or 2) to hold your place when you're gone!
2. Get BALCONY SEATS whenever possible, giving you a place to sit, a server, huge bathrooms and a clear view of the stage from above.
3. Ground level is VERY CROWDED, but you can SEE THE STAGE,
and it features 3 BARS
4. How to find the BEST LOCATION! If the top of this O is the stage, you must be where this next period is: O. Then, go a little more toward the center, at the height of the floor stairs. This gives you a clear view of the show and the best floor acoustics. Â (This tip provided by a previous Yelper...THANKS!)
5. The HOB Gospel Brunch on Sundays is a MUST SEE!
Strength Through Unity,
Lynn
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Cool place, I love going to shows here, but BE AWARE!!! One of the security guards is a PERVERT. Literally- come on! He apparently is a recovering alcoholic/sex addict who fulfills his vices by getting attractive young women to intimately blow soft whips of breath laced with sweet memories of Apple Rubinoff.
I heard of friends who went to rave shows here and were sexually accosted by this creeper of an individual, but about a month ago I had a terrifying experience with this booze sucking sexual miscreant.
Apparently not wanting to get a 21+ wristband identifies you as a drunk minor, and this man must have found my stunning face and sleek body too sexy to pass up and he called me out of the line to ask me questions. He took out my drivers license and softly caressed my face with his thumb. I told him I wasn't drinking and some personal information that he will probably use to try to find where I live.
This is when he giddily told me that he wanted me to blow a stream of air into his flaring nostrils to prove my sobriety. I did not want to miss the opening band, so I reluctantly complied. The man let out of a soft moan and chuckle as my soft breath tickled his nose and forehead.
After this I got my ID back and went inside, but the damage had been done. The man's face haunts my dreams to this day. My therapist is trying to help me deal with this sexual assault but I can not bear the thought of coming face to face with this sex urchin; waiting, preying, on the young while hoping to steal the innocence of the innocent concert-goer.
Dear House of Blues,
I'll just come out and say it: We should get relationship counseling. All my friends tell me I'm in a one-sided relationship, but frankly, I don't mind. Yeah, you're a jerkface to me more than you whisper sweet nothings into my ear, but that's fine. The sexy times we share are more than enough for me to overlook that.
Anyways, back to what I wanted to talk to you about. Chances are, after a few sessions, the therapist will determine that only I need counseling when she realizes I've been with you for so long under these circumstances. Chances are, I'll just ignore her advice to stop seeing you. Ph.D? Please.
Not to make you jealous, or anything like that, but I've been hanging out with some other venues recently. I know, I know, you get all the big cool kid acts, but gone are the days of Avalon. Sometimes (most of the time, really), I just want to see some bands that don't even exist yet so I can keep up the yupster cred, you dig?
Always and fornever,
-Jason J.
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