House of Blues

I recently attended the Pretenders concert at the House of Blues in Houston and was highly disappointed. The venue, in general, is small and has a poorly designed floor plan. The two large columns in the middle of the room ruin any chance of a side-line view of the band and then there are the stairs randomly placed about these columns which is dangerous to say the least. The prices are beyond outrageous, I paid 8.00 for one - and only one- 12 oz CAN of Shiner - 8 DOLLARS! Therefore, it didn't amaze me to find NO ONE lined up at the bar as in most venues but rather the bar seemed to be, more or less, a leaning post for the folks who came in late. The place is extremely disorganized, to say the least. As we entered the doors, I couldn't help but notice sign after sign exclaiming NO CAMERA PHONES ALLOWED however, no mention that once inside if you want to purchase a shirt of the band playing (the REAL and ONLY reason I was there...) you must bring cash! That would have been a tid bit of info worthy of a sign long before I made my way past the LARGE table (up front directly inside the entrance doors) of overpriced HOB merchandise, through the crowded and poorly planned floor, around the columns, down the stairs, past the large crowd leaning against the bar alongside the far wall and FINALLY to a rather small and obscure table hidden in the back of the place with Pretenders merchandise; NOVEL of them and uh, ya know THE REASON I AM THERE! So, I am told they only accept cash and, of course, the ATM is on the other side of the room near the entrance alongside the NO CAMERA PHONES ALLOWED signs! Nightmare!! The floor plan, as I mentioned, is poor and offers no sideline views which really gives you two options: forced to lean against the bar or cram into the center for any hopes of even an obstructed view. Because we came to SEE the band, we chose the later. So, there we were; crammed into this small area and then subjected to any number of rude behaviors (i.e. talking through the ENTIRE show about any number of INANE things) without recourse because as I mentioned, the side line views SUCK! Earlier this year, The Black Crows came to Houston but when we tried to get tickets at HOB (before I knew that it was a horrible venue) we were told, luckily, the show was sold out. With some research, we noticed they were playing the following night in Austin at the Austin Music Hall so we decided to buy tickets and drive out to see them there; and I am SO GLAD we did. The Black Crows is a band I thoroughly enjoy and I would have been pissed had I paid to "see" them at HOB. If the band you want to see is playing at the HOB, I highly suggest checking for other venues, such as the Austin Music Hall, before committing to the outrageous drink prices, lousy floor plan, over commercialized "for the love of music" bull shit. Never again, I PROMISE!

I recently attended the Pretenders concert at the House of Blues in Houston and was highly disappointed. The venue, in general, is small and has a poorly designed floor plan. The two large columns in the middle of the room ruin any chance of a side-line view of the band and then there are the stairs randomly placed about these columns which is dangerous to say the least. The prices are beyond outrageous, I paid 8.00 for one - and only one- 12 oz CAN of Shiner - 8 DOLLARS! Therefore, it didn't amaze me to find NO ONE lined up at the bar as in most venues but rather the bar seemed to be, more or less, a leaning post for the folks who came in late. The place is extremely disorganized, to say the least. As we entered the doors, I couldn't help but notice sign after sign exclaiming NO CAMERA PHONES ALLOWED however, no mention that once inside if you want to purchase a shirt of the band playing (the REAL and ONLY reason I was there...) you must bring cash! That would have been a tid bit of info worthy of a sign long before I made my way past the LARGE table (up front directly inside the entrance doors) of overpriced HOB merchandise, through the crowded and poorly planned floor, around the columns, down the stairs, past the large crowd leaning against the bar alongside the far wall and FINALLY to a rather small and obscure table hidden in the back of the place with Pretenders merchandise; NOVEL of them and uh, ya know THE REASON I AM THERE! So, I am told they only accept cash and, of course, the ATM is on the other side of the room near the entrance alongside the NO CAMERA PHONES ALLOWED signs! Nightmare!! The floor plan, as I mentioned, is poor and offers no sideline views which really gives you two options: forced to lean against the bar or cram into the center for any hopes of even an obstructed view. Because we came to SEE the band, we chose the later. So, there we were; crammed into this small area and then subjected to any number of rude behaviors (i.e. talking through the ENTIRE show about any number of INANE things) without recourse because as I mentioned, the side line views SUCK! Earlier this year, The Black Crows came to Houston but when we tried to get tickets at HOB (before I knew that it was a horrible venue) we were told, luckily, the show was sold out. With some research, we noticed they were playing the following night in Austin at the Austin Music Hall so we decided to buy tickets and drive out to see them there; and I am SO GLAD we did. The Black Crows is a band I thoroughly enjoy and I would have been pissed had I paid to "see" them at HOB. If the band you want to see is playing at the HOB, I highly suggest checking for other venues, such as the Austin Music Hall, before committing to the outrageous drink prices, lousy floor plan, over commercialized "for the love of music" bull shit. Never again, I PROMISE!

I attended the Etta James Concert on Sat. 4-25-09. This was my first time being at the House Of Blues; I was very disappointed at the misinformation given re: seating for General Admission.My friends and I attended the Concert thinking if we arrived early we would be assurred good seating.Most upset to discover we had to stand for 4 hours.Over 50 age group was very painful to stand that long. Future Concerts should have better plans for seating. I cannot reccommend the House Of Blues for future reference.

I attended the Gospel Brunch on Sunday and I had a great time! The Gospel singers gave an inspiring performance and the Southern style buffet was delicious! I would reccommend this event to all of my Houston Press friends!

Seating chosen for you on Ticketmaster without a master chart o chose from, not adaptable even though half the house was empty. When I purchased tickets on Wednesday before and spoke with House of Blues rep that stated most shows sold out, be happy with what you get. The food was cold and tasteless and we were first in line.The fruit not even tasted for season sweetness, mimosas an extra charge, (Chicago House of Blues included Mimosa), seating next to doors , frequently opened lets light in and air out so hot during performance. Performance suppose to be 80 minutes. We were not let in the door till 11 am and out by 12:05. Does the 80 minutes include people entering and leaving? Not worth the ticket, convienence ticket charge, parking and alcohol charges.

Seating chosen for you on Ticketmaster without a master chart o chose from, not adaptable even though half the house was empty. When I purchased tickets on Wednesday before and spoke with House of Blues rep that stated most shows sold out, be happy with what you get. The food was cold and tasteless and we were first in line.The fruit not even tasted for season sweetness, mimosas an extra charge, (Chicago House of Blues included Mimosa), seating next to doors , frequently opened lets light in and air out so hot during performance. Performance suppose to be 80 minutes. We were not let in the door till 11 am and out by 12:05. Does the 80 minutes include people entering and leaving? Not worth the ticket, convienence ticket charge, parking and alcohol charges.

House of Blues, always has great sound, and strong drinks. This is why I now love going to House of Blues shows.

The line up Saturday was : American Fangs, Tunnels to Holland, HURT & Sick Puppies. I had the pleasure of capturing the show two times this weekend. Once in Dallas and then Houston, House of Blues. The show performance from Tunnels to Holland & HURT was amazing.

Tunnels to Holland, I had never heard of until Friday night @ House of Blues, Dallas. They have a great sound, in which reminds me a little of The Killers or Kings of Leon. Their stage performance was great, here in Houston. HURT, made several new fans, and satisfied some old ones. HURT is always amazing live, and their music stands out, as being a break from ordinary.

Check the bands out on myspace: www.myspace.com/tunnelstoholland & www.myspace.com/hurt