House of Blues Houston

Reviews 3

AN

Andrew Donovan

Music fans have always been known for their decisiveness. When you have a passion for music, there are very few times that you are going to be sitting on the fence about a certain song, group or genre of music. You don’t see a lot of in-between fans when it comes to acts such as Radiohead, Nirvana, Coldplay or even Nickelback. You either love ‘em or you loathe ‘em! This is what makes House of Blues as a concert venue so frustrating to me. As one of the top venues to catch a show in Houston, it can cause a music fan to feel moments of exuberance, annoyance and everything in between. I LOVE the ticket prices, but I LOATHE the drink prices. The ticket prices usually range between $15 to $35 per concert, which tends to be a lot cheaper than most of the charge-ups you will find at the Bayou Music Center or Cynthia Woods Pavilion. However, the cheaper ticket prices seem to be made up by the ridiculous liquor and beer prices ($9 for a PBR tallboy?! $9 for a 12 oz. can of Blue Moon?!). I LOVE the acoustics and stage setup, but I LOATHE the rest of the club setup. I’ll go out on a limb and say they have the best overall seating out of any of the other Houston concert venues. There is a wide open GA floor that is not too cramped (at least for the shows I’ve been to), and equally impressive balcony seating if you prefer your music with your shoes up. When you aren’t posted up or kicking back, getting around the club during a concert can present some challenges. The elevated/club setting in the middle of the GA floor, the bathroom setup, and merch tables set up during a concert can make for a challenging trek if someone attempts to get from one side of the club to the other. I LOVE the bands they bring in, but I LOATHE the crowd noise by supposed fans. As mentioned before, the band quality to ticket price ratio is easily the best in Houston. You will get a lot of up-and-coming indie/rock bands, along with a few established, mildly popular ones, and a surprisingly good amount of hip and hop acts and rappers on occasion. One of the biggest problems I have with this venue tends to be the audience noise during a concert. I know this isn’t the venue’s fault, but it just seems that no matter what concert I have been to (Spoon, Band of Horses, Turnpike Troubadours to name a few), there have been several times when the audience chatter has ruined a song or a whole concert for that matter. It can be unnerving to say the least. In the interest of full disclosure, I have not tried the Crossroads restaurant and have not had the pleasure to see a show in the Foundation Room… yet. With its overly priced drinks, crowd control, and crowd’s mouth control problems, House of Blues can occasionally feel like a Baha Men of a night. However, the right night of music can turn it into one of the most enjoyable concert venues in the city.

MA

Matthew Donowho

Upon entry prepare to be searched and inconvenienced to a greater extent than commercial air travel. Once inside there will be an unsettling and ever present Orwellian surveillance tracking you. The staff claimed there was extra security “because it was EDM”. House of Blues specifically targets certain types of music for increased security? Apparently women are not allowed to attend concerts with Chap Stick or makeup here “because teenagers can put drugs in there”. House of Blues personnel was searching everyone and intensively going through people’s bags looking for lipstick and other RESTRICTED ITEMS (see below). Large groups of women had to walk multiple blocks through downtown to leave contraband, such as lipstick, back in the car thanks to the rude and over functioning security people and what I imagine is a misguided corporate policy targeting electronic music. Once inside I witnessed security guys standing on speakers scanning the crowd and then pacing back and forth every five minutes. Then they would then become aggressively overbearing while hovering directly over people they suspected of infractions with RESTRICTED ITEMS. The last thing I want to see are security busting people and talking on their walkie-talkies while trying to enjoy a concert. There was this ridiculously exhaustive list greeting us when we first attempted to enter the venue with some items in bold and others highlighted. I took a picture of the list and used OCR, the list is below. RESTRICTED ITEMS: The following items are not permitted. . NO Masks . NO Illegal Substances. NO Drugs or Drug Paraphernalia - NO Pets . NO Massagers . NO Laser Pointers . NO LED Gloves or LED Microlights used for Light Shows . NO Glowsticks . NO Pacifiers . NO Eyedrops . NO Nose spray . NO Glass, Cans, Cups or Coolers . NO Markers, Pens or Spray Paint . NO Large Chains or Spiked Jewelry . NO Stickers or Fliers . NO Balloons, Balls, Inflatable Balls or Frisbees . NO Backpacks . NO Open Lip Gloss or Chapstick . NO Candy bracelets / Candy Necklaces . NO Camelbacks or Bota Bags, . NO Large Purses or Bags (Anything over 10" x 10") . NO Fanny Packs . NO Stuffed Animals or Dolls (Including Plush Backpacks) . NO Open Packs of Cigarettes or Unsealed Tampons (Upon Entry) . NO Outside Food or Beverages of Any Kind (Including Alcohol, Candy, Gum, etc.) . NO Weapons of any kind (Includes Pocket Knives, Pepper Spray, Fireworks, etc.) . NO Professional Recording Equipment - Photo Video, or Audio (No Detachable Lenses, Tripods, Big Zooms or Commercial Use Rigs) . NO Video Cameras or GoPros . NO Toy Weapons or Real Weapons of any kind . NO E-Cigs Stay away unless it is a must see act.

CH

Christie Taylor

Ive seen many shows at House of Blues. There are several parts to this venue. The Restaurant, Venue, Peacock Room and the Foundation Room. I have enjoyed eating at the restaurant that has musicians booked most of the time. The staff there is really nice. The Peacock Room Ive never been in. The Venue.... thats where all the shows really go on!! My last concert there with Alter Bridge, was amazing, however, i got upset with the management because he didnt know the band managers name, I had about 20-30 performers credentials from creed/Scott Stapp solo band and 2 back stage passes from the last show alter bridge did here in Houston. i had a face book conversation with one of the artist of getting in to the meet and greet to get my friends 16 yr old sons guitar signed. it was his birthday. And the manager told me I had to call them when they were on stage sound checking and wouldnt have their phone til after the show. My bf knows these guys, opened for these guys but was out of town that day. I have introduced myself to them previously. But, no matter how many credentials i presented to the manager as a performer with creed... I didnt have the one i needed and he couldnt even tell me where there manager was. I know his name, but he did not. And none of the staff could talk to the band members. It just irritated me when i show up early and he tells me to call them right in the middle of sound check. I kept explaining, Im not even trying to get backstage. Im not a crazy person. I just wanted to surprise a 16 year old on his birthday!! I got a call back from the guys the very next day, but still didnt solve the surprise I was going to do for my friends kids birthday. He didnt even know i had his guitar!!! But the overall concert venue was great!! Just dont ever expect anything from the staff.... I mean no one could tell me anything nor could they even take the guitar inside for me to get it signed. Drinks are expensive . about 23.00 for 2 drinks.... so prepare to spend money or drink before you go in!!!

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