Rhythm & Refinement: Luxurious Experiences at House of Blues Anaheim

Concert venues aren’t traditionally a place most travelers look to for a luxurious experience – loud music volumes and big crowds rarely lend themselves to a VIP experience. However, discerning venues around Orange County have started to tailor their offerings to an audience that wants something more upscale than festival-style seating and draft beer in plastic cups.

Today’s luxury traveler is looking for private lounges, exclusive balcony seating, upgraded food and drink options and the ability to turn a musical performance into a memorable event. Take a step behind the velvet rope with us as we explore the luxurious VIP experiences available at the Foundation Room at House of Blues Anaheim:

Welcome to the Foundation Room

The House of Blues Anaheim has been serving music lovers for decades, with their current location (opened in 2017) capable of hosting 2,200 concertgoers in the main hall, a smaller space called The Parish for up to 400 guests, and their legendary Foundation Room holding space for just under 200 VIP guests.

The Foundation Room is HOB’s exclusive spot for dining, cocktails, intimate live shows or DJ performances, afterparties and much more. Steve Naughton is the director of the Foundation Room and is in charge of making sure that every guest gets top-tier treatment. “Our big focus is always an elevated experience,” Steve says. “We strive to make sure that the VIP experience is intact for everybody.”

That experience starts with food and drink menus that are elevated beyond your usual concert venue. Foundation Room guests can select from options like ceviche, Iberico ham on focaccia, pork belly tonkatsu bao and duck confit tacos. Drinks range from a wide wine list (with selections available by the bottle) to specialty cocktails and even to a house beer brewed just for HOB guests.

Guests can stop by for small plates and drinks before or after a show, but stepping up to a VIP membership is where the true luxury experience begins.

HOB Membership Has Its Privileges

The House of Blues offers two tiers of Exclusive Memberships - Select and Signature - and travelers on the go can use many of the benefits at any House of Blues nationwide (with nearly a dozen venues available). Both levels of membership grants you food and drink discounts, complimentary VIP parking, priority entrance and premium seating, plus free tickets to select shows, waived cover charges for Foundation Room events, and many other pre-show perks. Steve says that where you really want to be for a show, though, is the VIP lounge.

“The biggest thing members get is to come and enjoy the lounge. We have a big sliding door that opens right into the music hall, so you can go from the lounge right to your VIP seats for the show,” Steve says of the membership suite box seats with a center stage sightline. “No lines, no waiting, and they’re all reserved so you can enjoy the lounge as much as you want until you’re ready to go into the show.” Guests also have access to a private bar and even private restrooms as well.

Your Ticket(s) to a Luxurious Show

Select level guests receive eight concert tickets per year as part of their membership, while Signature-level guests receive 20 VIP reserved seats per year, plus artist meet-and-greet access and private performances (based on availability) and exclusive presale access to concerts. “Our members are stoked that they get the chance to sometimes meet some of their favorite bands,” Steve says.

Members aren’t limited to using those tickets for themselves, either - a Signature guest can walk into a show with 19 other friends and turn a concert into a semi-private party. “If you take the face value of tickets plus what it would cost to upgrade for each show, it pretty much pays for the membership itself,” Steve notes.

Concerts with a Concierge

VIP status at the House of Blues also grants guests access to a luxury perk found at very few venues: One-touch personal Concierge service. Guests can have the concierge make restaurant reservations, handle car service, set up ticket purchases and packages and any other special requests that they can accommodate.

“Our concierge helps handle requests that range from ‘we just want to come in for dinner,’; they’ll set all that up. If a show was just announced, guests can call and say ‘please hold four tickets out of my ticket bank and make us a reservation in the room for that night,’ and it’s handled,” Steve says. Upon arrival, VIP guests have a separate entrance (with complimentary Champagne upon arrival) with all credentials awaiting them.

From there, all a VIP guest needs to do … is simply enjoy the show.

To learn how you can take your concert experience to the next level, find out more about the VIP perks of membership, or if you just want to stop by for a cocktail and some live music (which is scheduled almost every night of the year), visit the House of Blues Foundation Room’s website.