This is a warning for even the most frequent of concert-goers: remember that the live music enterprise is a cash-fueled, sick cold, try hard business.
Last Tuesday’s Lana Del Rey show at the House of Blues cruelly (but deservedly) whipped me back from my momentary naivete in thinking the show would actually be about the fans. I expected above-average ticket prices and outrageous demand – every ticket at $70 a piece sold out in mere minutes. But I took my miraculous ability to actually snag one off Live Nation as a sign I need to be at this concert. It was a performance I thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the mega-starlet in a semi-intimate venue.
I’m only slightly ashamed to admit my obsession with the enigmatic, order pouty-lipped singer, so when the day of the show rolled around I was hyperventilating from excitement. But it only took a couple minutes at the venue to realize my hopes had been way – way – too high.
The whole night was a mix of nightmare logistics and corporate greed that made me wonder how I couldn’t have seen this coming. Here’s what went down:
I headed down Landsdowne around 7:30. The opening act wasn’t scheduled until 8, and Lana didn’t take the stage until 9. I never expected to get an amazing view (LDR fans are the epitome of fanatics and had been in line since that morning to snag a spot close to the stage), but I figured I could still settle somewhere decent on the floor.
When I made it to the venue box office, though, the line to pick up tickets was strung down the street – about a 45 minute wait (screw that). So I met with friends, returned at 8:45 to pick up my ticket, headed inside and accepted the fact I’d likely end up towards the back of the concert hall.
But I was stopped at the door. My $70 “general admission” ticket, the same purchased by the majority of the crowd, was for some reason only good for the mezzanine. If you haven’t been to the venue before, this is the section that wraps around on the second level like a balcony; you overlook the performance from above and unless you’re in the front, you’re stuck with a terrible sightline.
As one of the highest-demanded events ever at the venue, the House of Blues oversold the show (like when an airline oversells a flight, only the HOB doesn’t offer you $300 and a fancy hotel to make up for getting kicked off your trip). The HOB went on damage control, meaning it was first-come-first-serve to see the show from the first floor, a chance I didn’t get because I didn’t wait 45 minutes to pick up my ticket.
I had never encountered this policy at any other HOB performance, even at sold-out gigs. But it was for fire safety, an employee told me. Fair enough, so I reluctantly trotted upstairs.
The mezzanine’s notoriously mediocre views were worsened, I found out, thanks to the HOB’s partnership with jewelry line Alex & Ani. The joint venture meant huge banner ads were hanging from the balcony railings right in front of about one-third of the mezz crowd. With everyone else piled around the few remaining open spaces, there was no chance for a view of the stage.
It was when two flower-crowned girls, sitting on the floor of the balcony underneath one of these ads to catch a glimpse of their idol, were told to get up off the floor or leave the venue (another fire hazard) that I decided the HOB had gone too far this time in prioritizing profits over the fan experience.
Of course the HOB can’t be entirely to blame. Music fans are forced to accept high ticket costs, surcharges, members-only presales and the overall inconvenience of fighting for a chance to see their favorite acts. And the music industry is just that: a money-making industry. But smaller venues are supposed to be about having that grip of corporate greed lessened to actually enjoy the art of live music performance. The House of Blues botched that job real hard last week.
When the venue lets a literal advertisement sit between you and the stage, you really feel the sting of wasted money.
A little heads up from the venue about how this was all going down would have been nice. But here’s your warning: don’t expect to get what you pay for.
Hob acting as hob always does. Shoulda known better. This is never an intimate venue because livenation is straight business
just destroy the military ties holding the signs up…easy to snap. i had to do it last year at the XX show. well worth the effort.
sorry to hear of your miserable experience. what won’t destroy dreams and bank accounts are house shows which are nurturing, community based, and full of awesomeness. one can listen to lana del rey at home and have more fun than at the house of blues. WORD!
Thank you! I has the same experience at Haim last night! I won’t be back to the house of blues!
Had the same experience with the Knife a couple weeks back.
I try to avoid the HOB if at all possible. Their militant approach to security drives me crazy. I prefer to drive to either Portland, Northampton or Providence if the same tour makes a stop there as well.
not sure what you were expecting from a youtube sensation at the HoB but nothing shouldve surprised you if ur at all familiar with HoB’s M.O… as for the $70 price, paying that much for anything better be an all day festival
Worst major venue in Boston. I’d take a show at the TD over the HOB.
Sadly their extreme security measures does not make for good security. We all know they suck and are very inconsistent. My daughter had floor tix to this but her friends only had 3rd level tix. Lucky for them, they were allowed on the floor with my daughter….
She’s had such awful experiences there that I’m happy they got to stay together, but if I had floor tix and wasn’t allowed on the floor I’d have gone batshit.
If I may add something here. I work at the venue as Laura knows and we are under a tight watch by the licensing board. They do a surprise inspection at least once a week.
In a standing room only venue if we have patrons sitting on the floor we can be cited for it or shut down. Reason being is that if there were an emergency, the people sitting would get trampled. The city of Boston has set capacity limits for our venue. 1438 on the main floor, 500 on the mezz and 487 on the top floor. While it may seem crowded we don’t oversell shows. We can’t. As for the Lana Del Ray show, we were notified approx one week before from the tour that the whole event would be forced will call. Logistic nightmare. As Laura Jean Reardon, can testify, I am not one of the corporate d bags. I try to take care of people when I can. Some of our security staff members are beyond ridiculous and it is something we are working on. It can’t change overnight.
I know this will not sway the opinions of most if not all people but I did want to throw my two cents in here.
Neil you definitely do your job well and go above and beyond.
Some of us, and you know a specific incident, have had horrible experiences there. It’s sad because our favorite acts play there and we want to see them in a safe environment. Security is a necessity. My daughter reached out to your manager and got no response. Things can’t change if nothing is done.
I’m gonna bring this issue to the Gm. My boss sucks and is about to be fired
yo MAJOR shout out to Dave Wedge for taking a look at this and giving me some serious advice on avoiding a bitch-and-moan rant tone. And shoutout to Allston Pudding for having the balls to publish this one
Nice piece Carolyn! Props to Allston Pudding too!
The House of Expensive Booze has been a joke since it opened. But you can’t blame them completely. The city of Boston has created an environment that threatens to shut down any music venue for any reason. The city hasn’t liked these places forever, and will never like them. There’s fights, drug overdoses, fire hazards and complaints from neighbors. Boston just doesnt want want to deal with this hassle. So they impose these ludicrous rules and HOB is in primetime area and the most obvious target. HOB does overdo it, but they kind of have to. Any one bad press (like that drug stuff in the news a few months ago) and they could get shut down. Your best bet is to only go small club shows in cambridge or move to a city that supports live music like New Orleans or Austin. Sad but true.
I will never go to HOB again, went to a Dan Deacon show: was also stuck on the mezannine despite purchasing GA ticket, girlfriend was groped by the 3 levels of security, terrible views, car commercials in between acts, threatened with forcible egection from teh venue for sititng down between acts, etc.