Oct 23 2009
House of Blues Chicago in Chicago, IL - Music venue review
Chicago has a lot of things to be proud of. One of them is its House of Blues.
Established in 1996 and located right on Chicago River at 329 N. Dearborn St, the House of Blues is the diamond of Chicago Loop. The place has an extraordinary décor with exotic architecture and a visually appealing local, colourful art of deep blues greens and lush red fabrics. As soon as one enters the venue, they immediately feel the appeal on all their senses. From the immense collection of folk art to the smell of incense pumped through the place and the dark lounge area with the comfy couches for sitting.
By entering further in the venue, one encounters the “Divinity Room”, a special room set off for private parties. There is no doubt that the House of Blues has a lot of energy circulating and the atmosphere is addicting. Unlike other live music venues that are dirty with bottles and cups on the ground, particularly when overcrowded, the House of Blues is typically kept extremely clean making it more pleasant to stand and enjoy the show.
Although the venue falls under the name House of Blues, it celebrates all kinds of music from Salsa, Reggae, Latin, Blues and Jazz to Rock, Alternative Punk, Industrial, R&B, Funk, Soul and Hip Hop. By offering the opportunity to great groups, but also less known groups to perform on its stage, the House of Blues presents amazing shows anchored by an excellent sound system, which does not distort at all the great acoustics of the venue. Moreover, the stage is set up in a way that the audience can see from any sitting in the venue.
The restaurant, concert venue and the bar have a total capacity of 1,500 people and they consist of a groundbreaking multimedia restaurant, a classic music hall with an elevating stage, and a two-level Foundation Room with folk art covered walls. The food offered in the House of Blues covers a great variety of tastes. The place offers brunch, lunch and dinner in buffet style and at relatively reasonable prices. The lines are quite long before the show starts, but as soon as artists start performing lines get significantly shorter. The drinks are fairly expensive; however, the amazing shows compensate the audience by all means.
Security people in the House of Blues are polite and helpful. No matter how crowded the place is, they always keep things moving and they are friendly while doing so.
By and large, the House of Blues at Chicago is a great place, with a long-established reputation and situated at a great location. The place offers an unforgettable experience to its audience and is a must, not only for the tourists that visit Chicago, but also for the local people.
