House of Blues Review

alot of people do not like the security at this venue , they call them goons and minimum wage flunkies , this is not fair. it is ALWAYS DIFFICULT to do this job, then add alcohol and it gets dangerous, remember EVERYBODY THINKS THE RULES DONT APPLY TO THEM, they want to EXPLAIN WHY security is mistaken , or that they were just, and they were only, and it is not fair,they have a tough job and do not HAVE TIME to listen to every excuse , in this time we live in we must act on the side of caution with any gathering of people, we in the security business want people to have a good time but there are certain things than we have no leeway on ,drunk people, drinking outside ,people sneaking things in, (booze .guns.weapons ,pressure cooker bombs ) we only have seconds to make judgement calls, it is easy follow the rules and you wont have issues. these are the same people who will have to deal with the guy who will endanger everybody smoking and ditching the but in a trashcan or punching you in the head because he is tanked and dont like your face . A SMILE GOES A LONG WAY.......THANKS MAN and your in.

My wife and I attended a concert last night, and have attended 4-5 other shows here over the past 8 years or so.

Pro: the foundation room is great. Very cool ambiance, and major props to the staff member who was kind enough to give us an extra wristband when he noticed that we only had one (we accidentally bought one access pass instead of two).

Con: our tickets for last night were standing room only on the 2nd floor balcony (we've sat or stood elsewhere in the venue, but not there). It should be noted that HALF OF ALL PEOPLE on that balcony could not see the stage AT ALL. I literally watched the entire show on the nearby TV, and did not physically see the band or the stage at all.

It's a nice venue, but that really grinds my gears. No-one should pay $100+ for tickets and be unable to see the stage. The staff were apologetic, but I got the impression that this overbooking is routine. Very disappointing, and it did not incline me to want to reward them with future business.

The people here are the worst, not going to anymore shows here

There is a difference of being a staff and being rude. Most staffs are very unprofessional. They just ruin your night before the show starts and give people attitude. I hope all the future events Imma gonna attend will be held at other places. I paid to have fun, not to get offended.

Cool venue, dug the place as a whole, and have some killer acts!

Great small concert venue for intimate concerts with large performances. Also great for night life on the weekends.

Great performances, lots of room, always full houses. Great for concerts, would recommend the pit or upper mezanine with standing room.

Excellent venue! This place has plenty of bars and bathrooms and an excellent sounds system!

Saw Dido play 06/17/2019 and what a performance. She is absolutely amazing.
Now lets talk about the Venue itself. I paid for standing room on the first floor, but my tickets said the second floor and they wouldn't do anything to assist us. You can't see anything from the second floor because only the third floor covers half the second floor, so if you not up against the railing your not going to see the show. The concert was more like pay per view cause if you want to see the band you'll have to watch one of the many tv's they have on the second floor.
Staff is rude, I guess when you work there the words "Excuse Me" are not permitted. Instead there are long drooping faces that if your not on security look as though you really hate your job.
The bartender we had literally had no idea how to make a drink even with the limited drinks he could do he couldn't get them right. The beer was mostly IPA's so if you want something like a Sam Adams you won't get one there. Try the Home Lager it was actually really good.
So will I ever drive from Florida to Boston for a concert, well yes. Will I do so if they are playing the Boston House of Blues, NO!!!

one of my most favorite venues, for myself or with my daughter (14). Staff and security very helpful and observant in case they are needed.

A beautiful interior and sound quality. The drinks are overpriced tho

Horrible place to see a show. I ve been waiting in line for 2 1/2 hours to get up front and just found out that they are letting people who didn t eat in the restaurant get in that line. There is easily 200 people now in front of me. Lazy bouncers. They wouldn t make working it at any other place!!

Venue is large, beautiful decor around stage and has boxes around to put things on or sit. Bartenders super nice, quick service.

Foundation Room before concert is definitely worth it for a seat if you will be standing for the concert. Mostly standing with some seating on upper level. 2500 capacity. Great smaller venue to see live music.

I wish I could select POOR without fair, because this place is unfair beyond belief.

I purchased a ticket to see Lotus, the show was supposed to start at 9:30 so we parked and arrived at the doors well before 9. They had a line that nearly wrapped around the block - this line was not even moving. It took an hour and a half for us to get inside the venue. By this point, we had missed the entire first set and the set break had just begun. They told us it took so long because they had to do "full body pat downs" - which was a complete lie because all I did was show my ID to the staff and get a wristband. There were TWO people working the door and HUNDREDS outside in the snow for hours. HOURS. I have never been so frustrated and disappointed with a concert venue. They are unprofessional, disorganized, understaffed, and flat out rude. They do not care about their customers whatsoever.

DO NOT attend a concert at this venue. You will regret it.

Very cool venue for a show! I've always been on the main floor and it's a great concert experience. It's not too packed that you can't enjoy it.

My first time going here was St Patty's Day to see The Dropkick Murphys. What a great time!! The drinks were EXPENSIVE but that's sums up drinking in Boston. BUT I was happy to see they served jager and red bull! I recommend not wearing a jacket in there, its warm and you will be stuck holding it. They do have a spot you can pay to have them hold your jacket. AND make sure you notice the bathroom in the lobby, you are going to want to use that bathroom, because the other one will have a HUGE line!

Nice venue, lots of bars. All standing room, no seats. Decent views from floor. If you're on the blacony, get a railing spot early if you're short, not easy to see from up top. 10 dollar parking near by (when no Sox game in town)

Went here for Trixie Mattel's Moving Parts show. Had a very nice structure and staff, and there were even bars on every floor next to the audience. They also offered an after party which was very nice, and allowed for pictures if you didn't get to attend the meet & greet.

Bought tickets for the foundation room and a concert. I was not disappointed one bit. Worth every dollar for a great night.

The app was broken for tickets and could be better for seating other wise the vibe was good

Been here several times. Can be difficult to get a decent view and takes too long standing in line to get in. 30 minutes last time in the rain. But they get some great acts...

shows start real late-- "seats" are poorly situated. Place is a hastle.

Been to two shows here, one on the floor and one on the mezzanine. They do a great job of crowd control without interrupting the show. The bartenders are great, but I wish they had been giving out cups of water on the mezzanine like they were on the floor.

Kitchen employee Johnny Clifford has been publicly posting rape threats against local women on Facebook and management doesn't do anything about it. Avoid this rape culture enabling establishment.

You can't see the stage from the mezzanine unless you're in the first or second row. What's the point? VIP services were great.

I went to the trey songs show and the manager Joe spano was really unprofessional. I brought some food and the Bartenders told me to come back and get my food after the show due to long wait so then I did that after the show and I talk to Joe Spano the Manager really unprofessional I was on my phone and he tells me if I write a review of my experience that he will not refund me back my money. Wow and he is a manager so unprofessional someone need to take action in this matter . First time at House of blues will not recommend anyone here to this place .

As a concert venue it's fantastic, five stars.

If you eat at the restaurant before the show you can get in a special line and get in before everyone else. However, the food and service was definitely one star the night I was there. I would go back and order and entree just to get a better spot in line but wouldn't eat there again.

Great concert location. I've come here 4 times now for different bands and it's always great.

House of Rules is a better description, music and sound is always top notch but they certainly crack down on everything.

Excellent venue with a well curated offering of indie shows

The balcony is really nice, excellent view! Pretty good sound

For a big music venue this place is awesome. But they're run like a big music venue. Expect metal detectors, bag searches, and stricter rules...trying to keep everyone safe. Makes sense. Can someone tell me why they don't allow chapstick?

Except for the insane security checks it's a great place to hear music !

Great music, great crowd. Musicians are so talented...

5 Stars for the groups I've seen and the times I've been there. I saw Lettuce, George Clinton, and a couple of other shows. Large venue and can get crowded at points, but for the most part, friendly.

***TIP***
Bring ear plugs
Use the lobby bathroom; its just larger
Prepare for a high drink bill
and
BRING EAR PLUGS!

Awesome place great show for Lukas Graham and Lauren Duski

I am the tour manager for a band that just played here. Had a great all around experience.

The house of blues in Boston has to be the worst concert venue i have ever been to in my whole life. First, after a long night of working i went to the show i payed my $40 to get into. I waited for almost an hour and a half to get to the front of the line. Once i got to the front a doorman took me and my friends aside and asked us if we had been drinking and the funny thing is we hadn't but the took our licences threatened us. one of the bouncers got right up in my face when i said that what they were doing was ridiculous. So at the end of it all we got kicked out after paying for parking in Boston and our tickets. I've been to this venue before and I had seen what the staff do and the sound and floor layout of the place isn't that good. I will never go to a show here again after the way I was treated by the thuggish staff here.

Really pretty venue with good music acts but their staff are terribly rude. I was playing with an LED toy and a security guard came up to me, and aggressively told me that it was a "weapon" that needed to be confiscated. I've never had such a terrible experience with security in my life and it left a bitter taste in my mouth about the whole place.

Watch from upstairs. Don't tell cause I don't want it crowded up there.

3 out of 4 shows I have attended here the openers have started at seemingly random times compared to what the HoB website states. In one case the doors were listed at 6PM and upon entering my friends and I ended up seeing only the last song of an opening act at 605PM, one we really wanted to see. The doors/show times are usually just wrong so arrive early. Beer selection is OK but overpriced for sure with everything in the $10 region. Sound is usually really good and probably the only saving grace about the venue.

The staff were really nice on the night of The Speacils

Awesome the sound system is so good, lighting is awesome

One of my favorite venues. Safe, acoustics are amazing, floor room is great and there are 3 levels for viewing.

Extremely over priced alcohol small amount in a small plastic cup $12 seriously for 4oz of a mix drink and $10 for a can of beer seriously. Other then this employees are friendly and the place is really nice looking.

Due to the set up of this venue it is often difficult to see the stage or find a good spot to stand. Also would be nice if they had some seating. They pull in great artists but it is not an ideal venue.

The sound is ok depending on the band. Good area on the first floor to get up close, but if you are on the mezzanine level you basically can't see anything if you aren't on the railing

Seen sublime. Was a really cool venue to see a show

Nice venue, staff are helpful and bathrooms are clean

Saw tech n9ne here.cool venue next to Fenway think it use to be the avalon

Awesome Venue, Got Drunk As Shit While Badflower, Nothing More, Of Mice And Men and Palisades laced the stage!

Nice enough place. A little pricey. Tons of other options for what is around Fenway!

I absolutely love seeing shows at this venue, the views and space provides an intimate feeling, you can easily get a drink with bars on both sides of the floor.

This was a great venue. Staff was super helpful when a lady got too drunk and -very- violent. Was so glad the staff was so helpful; will definitely return to this venue.

Saw LP to a packed house. She is a Grammy winning song writer. With her 3 1/2 octive voice, arguably has the best voice in rock music today. If you hurry, you may get to see her in a small venue, but I predict that within the next 12-18 months, that won't be possible, as she'll be packing stadiums.

I've seen her three times, and each time the venue doubled in size. Hurry and see her and you'll fall in love with her and her music as I have.

The food and venue are great, but the service was absolutely horrendous. After waiting 20 minutes for a table we waited another 20 for service and once our order was taken, yet another 20 minutes for ONE of the 4 waters and 4 drinks that were ordered; this, while a table closely was able to have their drinks & food dropped off, fail. The waitress seemed to ignore the fact that she ignored us for most of the night, and the manager, despite us needing to ask two times before being attended to, offered only 15 pct of the food bill (amounted to approx 1.25 per person). Go here for music, not service (although the drink were great!)

It may be a great bar but I was there during a video game event. It was super packed, beers were expensive AF, and no offense but if you let that many video game "streamers" in, have someone check them at the door to make sure they showered.

A decent place to see a show, and plenty of places in the neighborhood to go to afterward

It is set up very well for funk music. I was in the stadium seating up high and I still had a good time.

One review wont make a difference, but if you're less than 6'-2" and dont have $200 for a seat, I wouldn't waste my time or money. Took my wife as a treat, paid $50 per ticket, waited in line for an hour all to look at a tv screen, could have just watched a netflix for almost a 10th of the price. Only reason this place even exists is because its in Boston. Don't waste your money.

My friend John does sound for Blackberry Smoke and invited me. I did not know what to expect since it was my first time and he said that it had an awesome sounding pa. Not only did they sound great the whole venue was awesome...

Great atmosphere. Smaller venue. Not many obstructed viewpoints (just two support beams). The entire venue is standing-room only, so if you're short, you may want to move to another area. To that end, there are two balcony levels, that give a great view. Plus, the back of the site and the bars are one-step higher than the main floor. The bartenders and bouncers were friendly. The sound was really good.

I've seen some really wonderful performances here, but the venue itself isn't the best. It's either a hit or miss when it comes to getting a good view of the stage. I've been lucky whenever I've gone and had a good view from the balcony, but if I had arrived later and been stuck standing behind anyone I probably wouldn't have been able to see the stage.