I rode a Greyhound from Dallas to Chicago. I arrived at House of Blues around 4PM after meeting up with my friends. We finally got in around 6PM, right when the doors opened. I was surprised at how big the layout was. There was an upstairs and a downstairs area. Each of them were huge and with a great layout. I didn't spend much time upstairs as I wanted to be downstairs were the action was. The downstairs had lots of tables and chairs and the area where those were was very crowded due to the chains and tables being in the way. There were two bars; one in the back, and one over on the right where you could get drinks. I didn't buy anything due to the prices being way to high. The area where the concert was had a great space. It was nice and wide and the floor was rubber, so you wouldn't hurt yourself when you fell. The sound system they had was great and crystal clear. It was a great experience and I would go back once more since the place was so beautiful.

"Well, this is a neat bit of packaging," I observed as we stepped into the House of Blues. Make no mistake: this concert venue/ restaurant/bar/hotel/ entertainment complex is definitely packaged, although I mean that in the nicest possible way. If you’re expecting the bare-bones aesthetic of a genuine blues joint, this isn’t it. Actually, if you’re after authentic Chicago-style blues, go elsewhere.

If, however, you’re looking for a dinner-and-music spot with a lighthearted (if admittedly "engineered") vibe, then this may just be the place for you. A lot will depend on which act you catch and what the audience is like that night. Rumor has it that House of Blues can be outrageously crowded at times, not to mention that drink prices are some of the highest in town. That’s probably to be expected in a place that brings in so many out-of-towners. But what House of Blues does best is showcase bands that can’t fill a major concert hall (yet) or performers who - how shall we say this? – once filled major halls but now play the House of Blues. Know what I mean?

You’ll either love or hate the faux folk art decor, all distressed wood, funky colors, and voodoo motifs on literally every surface. At least you won’t be bored by it. If it smacks a bit of the pre-packaged aesthetic of chains such as Hard Rock Café, well, House of Blues is a chain. No getting around that. And, yeah, you can buy T-shirts and other paraphernalia to prove you were there, if that makes you happy. At least this is the original HOB opened by Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi in 1996. The showbiz connection is apt, as there is a certain show-busy-ness to HOB.

My advice? Go with the flow. Let yourself be entertained. Resistance is futile.

We began our HOB experience on a Friday night by having dinner in the downstairs restaurant, which is dubbed "The Back Porch" for some obscure reason. Unfortunately, the main hall was booked with some act we had no interest in. However, a house band (or lesser band) plays on the small stage in the Back Porch starting around 9pm. If you’ve already had or are having dinner when the band starts, you won’t have to pay a cover charge. The Back Porch’s menu runs to southern fried/New Orleans specialties, such as jambalaya and catfish. My turkey sausage gumbo was decent but not spectacular, as was my husband’s "Elwood," a blackened chicken breast sandwich. We shared (actually, we fought over) a side order of amazing rosemary cornbread served with maple butter.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time – not in that slightly hysterical "thank god it’s Friday – I’m gonna to get lit" way, but in a more relaxed manner. Before the band came on, we moved to a table closer to the stage and struck up a conversation with the people next to us. And then, yes, we let ourselves be entertained.

The concert was great, except for my hurting feet. I would definitely going VIP here. Standing for about 4 hours was not fun, but the concert itself was great, with great sound and lights. Balloons dropped at midnight. The concert was taped live, so we got to watch it afterwards. Beers were around $6 a piece.

The House of Blues is one of the premier clubs in Chicago although all genres of music are catered for here including jazz, rock, and of course blues. It is part of the Marina City complex and is found at 329 N. Dearborn St. Seven of us had tickets to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and had arranged to convene at 6pm to dine prior to seeing the show.

Brenda, Kay, Arlene, Mark, Fleance, and Lorrie were my dining companions so we took our seats, ordered a beer, and perused the extensive menu. I eventually opted for the jambalaya and this arrived at the table within ten minutes, not bad considering how busy the place was. The portion was enormous and although I wouldn’t dream of leaving shrimps, sausage, ham or chicken, I did have to leave a mountain of rice that there simply was no room for. The total bill for my food and two large Sam Adams’ was around $25 which I thought to be very good value (Kay, I still owe you for that too...)

Now, one of the main reasons for dining here is that, according to the club website, diners get preferred entry into the concert hall before the people who’ve just come for the music, thus availing themselves of the best seats or standing areas. Not quite so in reality; we entered the hall via security that would grace Heathrow Airport to find every single barstool or chair had a "reserved" sign on it. So what was the point of dining here then? Lorrie had a sore foot and parked herself upon a stool only to face the wrath of a security guard within ten seconds who told her to move. Lorrie replied that she’d be happy to move once the seat’s "owner" turned up, but this fell on deaf ears and she was asked to vacate the stool immediately.

The bar inside the concert hall was extortionately expensive, $6.50 for a small beer in a plastic glass. On principle, I didn’t buy one but just had a Pepsi (that was expensive, too). A couple of the ladies went to check their coats and were staggered to be charged $5. Arlene was also asked to check her camera and was charged $2 for the privilege. Talk about a rip off!!

Soon, the "warm up" act took the stage and quite frankly, I wish she hadn’t bothered. Some daft bint with delusions of grandeur trying to sound like John Lee Hooker didn’t do much for me I have to say and the song that included those immortal words "scratch my kitty" was quite frankly awful.

GET OFF!!

At least BBVD made up for it with his wonderful blend of blues, jazz, and swing, and he soon had the place hopping. The House of Blues has great acoustics and although it is a reasonably large venue, it does retain the atmosphere of a small club. It’s just a shame about the rip-off attitude of the management...