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From: "Shepard, Scott"
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 09:07:36 -0800
Subject: RE: N.O. report

What bothers me about the HOB is two things...one, that "themed" reality
can never happen at the same resolution as a real, organically grown
venue (ignore my email address on this one, please). No matter how much
creativity and money they throw at it, its just a shell and can't match
the feel (and smell?) of a place that's had years of great times, hard
times, beginnings endings and middles of relationships, etc....two, that
HOB has acted as the Wal-Mart of music clubs, coming in with corporate
money, hiring away the talent and making it hard for the real items to
exist, actually putting out the idea that they ARE the real deal. I'm
thinking of Tipitina's here, that went through some seriously hard times
after HOB came in, hired Sonny away (who'd booked for Tip's for years),
soon Tip's was up for sale and not having music every night (they've
since bounced back near as I can tell). I do beleive that it's up to
Tips and places like it to compete in the real world, so this second
"problem" is less of one to me, except that, as I understand it, HOB was
formed with a charter to "preserve American music" and I don't see
putting competition -- those places where the music's been living for
decades -- outta business as fulfilling that charter.

Actually tho', they book great music and I'll go wherever that is.
Still feels a little more forced at HOB than at, say, Tipitina's.

Is an $8 million blues club an oxymoron?

I do know that, as a business unit, they think of themselves as the most
successful movie themed restaurant. Tells me something...