House of Blues Back Porch Stage

When the House of Blues (see Rock, pop & hip-hop) opened, one of the things that critics had a problem with was the name—why in the world would you have “blues” in the name of the venue when other kinds of music get more space? We don’t know if the HOB established the Back Porch Stage to counteract this, but at least we don’t feel funny saying the name anymore. The majority of the bands featured on the downstairs Back Porch Stage are blues bands, playing in a well-lit setting meant to look like a juke joint (but actually resembling a museum of modern art). Like Kingston Mines and Buddy Guy’s Legends, the HOB also serves food with a down-home slant.