On Thursday, June 26, Blues Brother and House of Blues Co-founder Dan Aykroyd donned a hard hat and grabbed a shovel to celebrate the beginning of the construction of the stage at the brand new venue. During the traditional "Mississippi Mud Pour" ceremony, shovels full of rich, dark mud from the banks of the Mississippi Delta are actually imbedded in the stage to symbolically infuse the House of Blues with the spirit of Southern hospitality. The "Mud Pour" ceremony began with the very first House of Blues, which was established in Cambridge in 1992.
"A House of Blues club is like no other music venue in the world," said Deb Eybers, President of House of Blues. "Each of our venues has been built from the ground up, with the live music experience as the guiding light for their construction. The 'Mud Pour' is an important part of the cultural traditions that have made every House of Blues venue such a unique concert and dining experience, and we are pleased to continue the celebration in Houston."
It's still just a bit hard to visualize the posh nightclub that will develop out of the concrete floors and steel beams, but the final result will be worth the wait. (Even Aykroyd got a bit confused as he led a tour of the site, joking once, "Maybe I should pick up those plans off the floor and learn my way around!")
The House of Blues Houston is scheduled to open in October. It will be the 12th House of Blues venue, joining clubs in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Cleveland, San Diego, Atlantic City and Dallas.
