House of Blues: Alt-J

Alt-J at the House of Blues Dallas

       

The House of Blues Dallas location was built in 2007 in the historic White Swan Building on the borders of the West End District and the Victory Plaza Development.  The building is rich in history that dates back to the 1920s.  It is a legend that there is a metal box of Mississippi Delta mud under the stage of every House of Blues location.  Who knew there was such rich history surrounding this venue?

This venue is close to many attractions in the city like The Perot Museum, Dallas World Aquarium and American Airlines Center.  It is also very close to the West End stop for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).  We chose to ride DART in from North Dallas for the concert.  The stop is about 10 minutes from the House of Blues entrance, making it an alternative option to expensive parking and traffic after the show.  We arrived early, but since the venue is standing room only, we were unable to get close to the stage.  When we arrived, I ran into a familiar face, Milton.  He was a bartender that worked every event since the venue opened.  He has since been promoted to management and runs around checking on people like they are his customers.  They are in a sense, but he went around to the concert goers asking them, "How are you doing?"  "How is everything?"  I have never seen a venue manager personally check on people.  Milton noticed that I was taking pictures and escorted me to the sound crew's equipment and let me get the shot below.








This venue has three different rooms, the Cambridge Room, the Voodoo Room, and the Main Stage that hold concerts all week.  They host everything from local cover bands to intimate options for international superstars.  There is also a full service restaurant that operates nightly.  When many bands are just starting out, they begin their relationship with Dallas at the House of Blues.  Imagine Dragons performed here and gave fans an up close and personal experience, they have since hit it big and will most likely play at a larger venue when they return.