After closing its Harvard Square location six years ago, House of Blues once again returned to Boston, opening a new location adjacent to Fenway Park in February. The venue, formerly Axis and neighboring nightclub Avalon, offers three primary event spaces, while the entire 53,000-square-foot space can be bought out for as many as 2,200 guests.
The main restaurant seats 85 or can accommodate 125 for receptions, and features the folk-art-themed decor that characterizes House of Blues locations nationwide. The menu boasts hearty Southern-inspired cuisine with specialties such as a pan-seared voodoo shrimp starter and Creole seafood jambalaya. In keeping with the folk theme, the lobby leading to the Music Hall showcases a plaster “blues gods” wall of legends such as Etta James, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King.
The tri-level Music Hall offers full in-house production capabilities, post-production facilities, and a distribution platform. The space can hold 2,000 for receptions. For concerts, the first and intermediate levels seat a combined 300, and the loge level offers an additional 287 stadium and balcony seats.
The members-only Foundation Room consists of four areas: prayer room, lounge, 60-seat dining room, and media room. These spaces, which hold a combined 250, have Indian-inspired decor, with Persian rugs, statues, and walls embellished with opulent embroidery and appliqué. Clients must become members in order to use the Foundation Room for events, but in certain cases, House of Blues can negotiate the required dues, which start at $2,250 per year.
