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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
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If that lineup is indicative, this is gonna be an enormous waste of space. At least Avalon had bands I actually wanted to see!
You're missing one other (terrible) show: The Gypsy Kings play the first gig (2/20).
With the possible exception of Gypsy Kings and BB King, these are all shows that probably would have happened at Avalon anyways.
Disco Biscuits and The Pogues could probably play the Orpheum but I'm sure they were given sweet deals to bring them into the new space.
The capacity is about the same as Avalon so I imagine we'll continue to see the same kinds of shows. With that size of club there isn't a lot of 'curation' that goes into the booking process. I guess the only thing that could be different is that the H.O.B. network can get some bigger names to play the smaller space for special shows.
This isn't exactly much compensation for losing Avalon, Axis, the Paradise Lounge and the Abbey Lounge the past year or so. So there's a comparable replacement for Avalon but even then only as a music venue and apparently not as dance club, leaving Boston still without a single club that compares at all well to the better NY/LA dance clubs.
What's really annoying about this new HOB, though, is that other HOB's, like the new Houston one, often include a smaller music venue called "The Cambridge Room" -- which is named after the original, much smaller HOB in Cambridge -- to accommodate local and smaller touring acts. But note how there is no "Cambridge Room" listed at all for this supposed return to the Boston area. Oh, the irony....
I tried to see the Gypsy Kings there on Friday night. The line was wrapped around Cask n' Flaggon!! At 7:45! I asked if they would delay the start of the show and they said "no". These idiots have ONE door to get in. Such a huge disappointment. I'm trying to get my money back from those fraudulent shysters.