House of Blues: Lansdowne Rocking to Resume in February

Whether you were a fan of Avalon and Axis or not, one must at least acknowledge that Boston's 2008 music scene was noticeably affected by the empty void where the former Lansdowne Street venues used to be. If you're like us, you attended at least one show this year, at some other venue, and thought to yourself, "This was a show that definitely would have been at Avalon...back before."

While the venues aren't coming back, music is almost set to return to the spot where the venues used to be. The highly-hyped new House of Blues complex (it'll take a bit to get used to that, as we still fondly think of the old -- ORIGINAL -- Cambridge HOB) is scheduled to open in February. Tickets for several shows, including the BB King & Buddy Guy, Jimmy Eat World and local boys Dropkick Murphys, will go on sale Saturday via the new HOB Boston site.

What should concertgoers expect to find? The new complex, according to Live Nation, will feature a 2,400-capacity concert hall, restaurant, store and VIP club. And, come summer, gospel brunch (which means Bostonians will now be able to decide between gospel, Jazz Brunch at Ryles in Inman Square and Disco Brunch at Gargoyles in Davis).

Shows announced thus far for the new venue include:
Feb. 22 - BB King & Buddy Guy
Feb. 26 - Jimmy Eat World
Feb. 28 - The Disco Biscuits
March 10 - Flogging Molly
March 13-17 - Dropkick Murphys
March 21 - The Pogues

Image of the HOB construction site earlier this year by flickr user Isiegert