Disney Rides a Blues Streak

I’ll always have bittersweet feelings each time I walk into a House of Blues, with visions of founder Isaac Tigrett bumming smokes and telling tales in my head. We first met in May of ‘94, the day before the flagship HOB opened on the Sunset Strip, and everything was chaos. Carpenters pounded nails, painters painted. Art leaned against the walls waiting to be hung. And city officials were dead set against there being any opening at all.

It was fewer than 24 hours before Aerosmith was scheduled to blow the roof off the sucka, yet Tigrett was calm, taking all the time in the world to explain his vision of the blues, how his nightclub would fund urban music and art programs and how its gauche-looking exterior was actually made from the tin of a cotton gin located near the Mississippi crossroads, the place where Robert Johnson reportedly sold his soul to the devil.

Although he was ousted by the company’s board of directors three years ago, Tigrett’s vision was pure, his intentions good. For him, it truly was about the power of music and art, and these are the reasons the House of Blues continues to be a nightclub franchise of substance. It’s also why its latest venture, the House of Blues Anaheim at Downtown Disney, shows great promise.

Before we go any further, however, you must decide whether you like cheese. If you don’t like cheese, i.e., theme-based developments such as Universal Studio’s CityWalk addition, I’m guessing you won’t like Mickey’s new crib.

Disney’s new shopping area, Downtown Disney, is plenty cheesy. Granted, you need a strong stomach for the overwhelming overload of cross-promotional tie-ins-from piped-in music featuring artists exclusively on the Disney-owned label Hollywood Records to the new California Adventure park, where I wouldn’t be surprised to find the urinals have corporate sponsors. But the strolling area of Downtown Disney is nicely designed, colorful and pretty to look at. From the lovely tile fountains with multicolored lights to the mouse-ear design details that pop up subliminally throughout the area, it all has a sense of whimsy.

The interesting thing about the House of Blues Anaheim is it’s smack in the middle of the cheese (don’t even get me started on the neighboring ESPN Zone-gag me with a baseball bat!), but the club stands in contrast. It’s a place that offers excellent music, good food and, on its walls, you can get American folk art history lessons, a good thing for those whose cultural interests extend beyond the literary section of the Disney Store.

In scale, it doesn’t compare to its Sunset Strip and Las Vegas counterparts, which are both more extravagant and feature larger capacities. But it does continue the tradition of sponsoring multiple artists, and when I was there last, the art was exceptional.

And unlike at the Strip, Anaheim has separate facilities for dining and clubbing. This element avoids the massive confusion that still reigns over the Sunset Boulevard venue. Namely, Sunset’s House of Blues will forever be the Bermuda Triangle to me. After seven years, I still get lost in it.

In Anaheim, you can dine in its festive restaurant and plan to wait awhile. Tourists congregate there like moths drawn to good jambalaya. Or you can go straight to the performance area, which holds about 900 people and has a simple design: a main stage and dance floor area with a second level where people can look down and see the action or be seated.

The thing I like the best about the Anaheim location is its being true to its ‘hood. Launching in January with shows by the Orange County-based band Lit, the club’s done a very good job of being true to its school and reaching out to the local music community.

From showcases for the Long Beach indie-label Skunk Records to multiple shows by O.C. legend Social Distortion, the club offers a high-class stage for hometown heroes.

And forget tourists for a moment (who may be thrilled to know Styx will be there in September), the House of Blues Anaheim gives O.C. residents a reason not to drive to Hollywood. This month alone, you can see the Cult (tonight), the Circle Jerks (Friday), Matthew Sweet (Aug. 11) or Ray Charles (Aug. 23).

I’m told parking’s a bit of a mess, but we stayed at the old Disneyland Hotel, and the club was only a short walk. It’s even shorter if you stay at the new Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, which is subdued and grown up for Disney and a good option if you don’t want to see Mickey and gang at every turn.

All in all, the House of Blues Anaheim gives you a good reason for taking a field trip to Downtown Disney. Ultimately, though, it’s the music that’ll bring you back.

*

House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, (714) 778-2583. Age limit varies, cover varies.