House of Blues announces lineup

[SlowwHand]

MUSIC: First 20 shows in Dallas are diverse

10:13 AM CST on Friday, March 9, 2007

By MIKE DANIEL Staff Writer


House of Blues Dallas' initial offering of concerts was announced Tuesday, and the 20 shows are broader in scope than expected.

As announced last week, Dallas neosoul diva Erykah Badu will inaugurate the 1,650-capacity Music Hall on May 8. Emerging British R&B singer Joss Stone, with her fire-red locks, will perform the next night, while funk master George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic spaceship will engulf the venue for an evening on May 10. The official opening party on May 12, with the Blues Brothers featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, is an invitation-only event.

Remaining concerts range from hip roots rock (Kings of Leon, May 13) and token old-school blues (Buddy Guy, May 24) to Scandinavian shock metal (Dimmu Borgir, May 25) and Mexican pop rock (Jaguares, May 26). Booked acts with local ties include alt-country band Old 97's on May 11, rockabilly outfit the Reverend Horton Heat on Aug. 3 and youthful Colleyville multi-instrumentalist the Rocket Summer (a.k.a. Bryce Avary), who will open for Hellogoodbye on May 29.

Other announced shows:

•Joe Bonamassa, May 9-10 in the 400-capacity Cambridge Room

•Joseph Arthur, May 11 in the Cambridge Room

•Say Anything and Saves the Day, May 17 in the Music Hall

•Live, May 18 in the Music Hall

•Ghostland Observatory, May 19 in the Music Hall

•Martin Sexton, May 22 in the Cambridge Room

•Tower of Power, May 23 in the Music Hall

•Eagles tribute act Tequila Sunrise, May 25 in the Cambridge Room

•Jackopierce and Creede Williams, July 28 in the Music Hall

Tickets for these shows go on sale today at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster outlets as well as at www.hob.com.

"I suggest you buy as many blues albums as you can", John Belushi.

[-Jrabbit]

So Dallas is getting a HOB, eh? You can look forward to a great restaurant, very funky decor with lots of outsider art, and a consistently uneven parade of artists.

Sounds like this one is going to be huge -- about 1/3 larger than any other HOB by the looks of it. Should be worth checking out.

[SlowwHand]

Oh, I'm going to be checking it out. The few Blues bars..well, I have to be aware at all times. That's just the way it's been.

[-Jrabbit]

Calling HOB a blues bar is defintely a misnomer. They pay tribute to the blues, they celebrate the blues -- but they book whatever will put fannies in the seats in the music hall.

BTW, if you've never seen Buddy Guy live, you should target that appearance.

[SlowwHand]

I was just eyeballing that one.

Joss Stone, VERY young, is sold out, standing room only.
She may be 18 by now.

[Monk]

Joe Bonamassa

I saw the dude back in 2001, he did very well.

[SlowwHand]

You know how he got his start? BB King included him in a Blues Festival he put together.

[Dinner]

The House of Blues is a chain, sloww. They're every where.

[SlowwHand]

That does me a fat lot of good if there wasn't one here, now doesn't it, Oerdin?

[-Jrabbit]

I've been buddies with the head of production for HOB for many years. As chains go, it's a lot more palatable than the Hard Rock. It started with a pretty firm commitment to the blues and roots rock, but they had no choice but to broaden their appeal if they wanted to stay in business. They started out with a small group of clubs, then expanded into more tourist destinations as a way to keep the cash flowing. Generally, the ones I've been to ( ) have been pretty cool.

Original HOB lineup:
Hollywood
Chicago
Cambridge Mass. -- now closed
New Orleans

Later expansion:
Las Vegas
Orlando
Myrtle Beach
Anaheim
Cleveland
Atlanta
San Diego
Dallas

The company owns a ton of other, traditional concert venues as well, throughout the US and Canada.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Based on that line-up, House of "Blues" should be sued for misrepresentation.

[Berzerker]

I have Yes live at the House of Blues

[SlowwHand]

I tell you what, Laz,Belushi and Akroyd had it right. Won't be long until the only place you find Blues is in the historical music section of your local library.
All the rock I liked was Blues based, and it's fading fast.
Joe Bonamassa, Jonny Lang, Sonny Landreth are the last of what appears a dying breed.

Blind Lemon Jefferson couldn't make the trip. Ditto Muddy Waters. Same for Lightnin' Hopkins.

Be glad for the one's still pursuing the art form.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
That does me a fat lot of good if there wasn't one here, now doesn't it, Oerdin?

So they've finally filled up all the desirable locations and are now forced to expand into cultural backwaters like Dallas?

[SlowwHand]

I'm surprised there's not one in St. Louis, for one.