House of Blues
The
House of Blues is a chain of restaurants founded in 1992 by
Hard Rock Cafe founder
Isaac Tigrett and his friend
Dan Aykroyd. The charter restaurant, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, has since closed.
James Cafarelli designed and built all the House of Blues's except the most recent two.
Originally, the venture was promoted as a restaurant that featured music, but the concert to open was so popular that it was reconceived as a concert hall that featured food. It has also expanded into the casino business, working with
Harrah's Entertainment to open a HOB-themed poker room at the Showboat Hotel-Casino in
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The franchise has expanded to a number of major American cities. The location in the
Los Angeles Sunset Strip is famous with being lined with tinfoil from the house where
Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the
devil. All the unique decorations and design is credited to
Cafarelli who is a restaurateur in New England and has designed and built over 250 different restaurants and clubs all across the country.
Current locations:
Cleveland, Ohio,
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
San Diego, California,
Chicago, Illinois,
New Orleans, Louisiana,
Los Angeles, California, two venues on casino property including
Las Vegas, Nevada (at Mandalay Bay),
Atlantic City, New Jersey (at the Showboat Casino), two venues on Disney property, one at
Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Florida, and one at
Disneyland in
Anaheim, California. (Disney was at one time a partial shareholder, according to
DisneyWar by
James B. Stewart.) The Chicago location is adjacent to The House of Blues Hotel, which is managed by Gemstone Resorts International, LLC
Plans for the immediate future call for locations in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (set to open in spring 2006) and
Houston, Texas.
In his
stand up comedy routine "You Are All Diseased,"
George Carlin comments that the House of Blues ought to be burned down by black people in retaliation for white people burning down black churches.
The pop rock band,
They Might be Giants has created about three songs for each House of Blues venue they have played,
New Orleans,
West Hollywood, and
Anaheim, California. All songs can be heard on the Venue Songs CD.During
The Cult's 1999 reunion tour, every time the band played at a House of Blues, the owners would change the sign on the marquee to read: House of Cult.
The Cult played eight sold out nights in a row at the Los Angeles House of Blues, more than any band has ever done before or since.
On
July 5,
2006, it was announced that
Live Nation bought House of Blues. The deal should close by the end of the year.
*
House of Blues official site*
House of Blues Hotel, Chicago,IL*
Case Study about House of Blues, Isaac Tigrett and Spiritual Leadership
