This restaurant/showclub (owned in part by "Blues Brother" Dan Aykroyd) is a prime spot to catch some of the best blues artists in action such as John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Koko Taylor, and The Blind Boys of Mississippi, as well as rock, pop, oldies, country, and Soul acts.

With a very eclectic booking policy, live shows at the House of Blues have included: Eric Clapton ("Layla"), Boz Skaggs ("Lido"), Little Richard ("Good Golly, Miss Molly!"), Kenny Rogers ("The Gambler"), Natalie Cole ("Unforgettable"), Joe Cocker ("Up Where We Belong"), Chuck Berry ("Johnny B. Goode"), Huey Lewis & the News ("The Power of Love"), The Kinks ("Lola"), James Brown ("I Got You (I Feel Good)"), Tom Jones ("It's Not Unusual"), Cheap Trick ("The Flame"), Cyndi Lauper ("Girls Just Want To Have Fun"), Jefferson Starship ("Miracles"), Hall & Oates ("Private Eyes"), Pat Benatar ("Hit Me With Your Best Shot") Foreigner ("Double Vision"), Johnny Rivers ("Poor Side of Town"), Isaac Hayes ("Shaft"), Sheila E ("The Glamorous Life"), Blood Sweat & Tears ("Spinning Wheel"), George Thorogood ("Bad to the Bone"), Booker T & the MG's ("Green Onions"), the Sir Douglas Quintet ("She's About a Mover"), Junior Walker & the All-Stars ("Shotgun"), Dogstar (with Keanu Reeves), Men At Work ("The Land Down Under"), Sister Hazel ("All For You"), the Blasters (seen in the movie "Streets of Fire"), salsa star Celia Cruz, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Judas Priest, America, Heart, Jethro Tull, Natalie Cole, Waylon Jennings, Leon Redbone, The Band, War, Marianne Faithful, Leon Russell, Joe Walsh, Steven Stills, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, The Neville Brothers, KC & the Sunshine Band, They Might Be Giants, Little Feat, the L.A. band "X," Buckwheat Zydeco, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Deep Purple, impressionist Rich Little, the legendary Les Paul Trio, even rap artists like LL Cool J and Run DMC.

Sometimes performers pop up unexpectedly on HoB stage . In 2007, Britney Spears, fresh out of rehab, showed up under a "secret" billing ("The M+M's"). Word leaked early though, and the shows sold out early, with some tickets scalped for $500.

These performers are presented on a small stage, in a setting that - while not quite intimate - sure beats those giant concert arenas. There is a large dance floor downstairs, and restaurant reservations are first-come-first-served (unless you make reservations at the time you buy your tickets to the show).

The club even has a weekend cable TV show ("Live from the House of Blues") on the TBS network, plus a "House of Blues Radio Hour" broadcast each Saturday night on KLSX (97.1 FM).

You can hear a list of future acts by calling the House of Blues' 24-hour concert hotline at (323) 650-1451.

Advance tickets to the shows are sold through TicketMaster: (213) 480-3232. Tickets to minor acts usually go for around $15., but ticket prices increase with the fame of the performers; for instance, tickets to the Kinks' concert cost $37, and a year later, tickets to the November 1997 concert of Hall & Oates went for $40 each.

$5 concert parking is available on the Strip at either the nearby Hyatt Hotel, Piazza Del Sol, or the Peterson & Raleigh Buildings.

 Getting there: From Hollywood & Vine: take Vine Street south (two blocks) to Sunset Boulevard. Turn right (west) on Sunset, and go west about three miles. The House of Blues will be on your left (south) side, just before La Cienega.