House of Blues - Boston
Boston, MA
Located on Lansdowne Street in the shadow of Fenway Park, the House of Blues is one you must go to if you are to call yourself a true Bostonian.
Like we said in our review of Brighton Music Hall, if you don’t know your way around Boston I’ve got two suggestions: stay out or take public transportation. Use the Kenmore stop on the Green Line (except for E-Line) for the closest T stop to the venue. If you’re coming on the Commuter Rail from Worcester, use the Yawkey stop and you’ll be right around the corner. Parking can be a hassle. With a double decker garage located directly next to the venue you would think parking wouldn’t be a problem. Well, November through April it isn’t. Come baseball season, you better pray the Sox are out of town for your show. On a non-Red Sox gameday, show parking is only $15-20 and easy to find; on gamedays parking can run you anywhere from $40-60 and even more. If you don’t mind a bit of travel around the city then take notes. Park at the Green Street Garage in Cambridge (excellent prices and location - you’ll hear about this garage in another review), jump the Red Line to Park Street where you can catch the Green Line to Kenmore and boom, you’re at Fenway. All in all, it’s less than paying $40 for a spot.
Boston is a great food town, and the Fenway area is loaded with places to eat. Pre-show meals are easy to find, but we always prefer to eat at the House of Blues restaurant. It sure as heck beats standing in line; especially when some shows have lines that (literally) wrap around the block. Hate to do it, but we have to take Red Sox traffic into consideration for this score since concertgoers deal with it for the majority of the year. Location: 7 Accessibility: 9
One of the bigger venues in Boston, the House of Blues can hold 2,500 at it’s max capacity. You’ll rarely see this unless a big name artist is in town. Dropkick Murphys, Sum 41, Green Day, and Four Year Strong are two we can think of immediately. It gets cozy in there, so I hope you don’t like your personal space. Crowd capacity: 10
There isn’t even a need to write anything here. Boston’s House of Blues is a perfect example of what a professionally run venue should. Sound is never, never, never, a problem. Sound quality: 10
With three bars on the first floor, another on the mezzanine, and more drink offers on the third floor, there is no shortage of drink offers at HoB. Whiskey, rum, mixed drinks, beer (good and bad), wine… whatever you want, they’ve got it. And for a good price. Drink offers: 10
The staff and security at House of Blues are some of the best. Getting 2,500 people into a show can be a hassle, especially when you only have two doors to do so. The ticket window works like a well-oiled machine, have your ID ready to go and things will move quickly. Before doors open staffers walk up and down the line checking IDs and giving those over 21 wristbands. Staff at the doors do a great job of hustling people through in a timely manner once doors open. Security always makes sure crowdsurfers get over the barrier safely and have no problem pulling someone aside if they are being too rough. Even better, they try their best to protect the multitude of photographers behind them who are trying to get the best shot possible. Just make sure you don’t overstay your welcome. Three songs. That’s it. Staff: 10 Security: 10
Like all venues, the bathrooms can get messy during a show, but that’s really the only problem you’ll run into. HoB takes pride in keeping the venue as clean as possible. Cleanliness: 10
Like we said in our review of Brighton Music Hall, bands love coming to Boston. Crowds at House of Blues shows are always, always, always full of energy, it doesn’t matter what kind of show is happening, people will always be smiling. Because of that (and the great capacity) House of Blues can draw some great shows. Expected shows & tours: 10
I’ve always had a good time at House of Blues. Really, the only time I didn’t was because of some drama caused by an ex-girlfriend, and even then my friends kept buying me beers and crowdsurfing me to the front. There’s something special about being one of the first people in the venue, which I’ve been able to do through my job at WAAF. Even when nobody is there, the atmosphere is electric. The hair on the back of your neck stands up, goosebumps run up and down your arms, and your fingertips start to tingle. If you haven’t been to the House of Blues I highly encourage you find a show there soon. Just make sure you know if/when/where the Sox are playing! Driving to the venue during rush hour isn’t terrible, but it’s not great either. Overall experience: 10
