Last night in Chicago, I had the opportunity to have dinner at House of Blues, in the members-only Foundation Room. Very cool – the place is amazing! The building is rather odd outside – I likened it to an inflatable barn. Inside, however is a combination of styles that boggles the mind. The main floor is pretty much what you’d expect. But things change as you start to make your way to the more exclusive parts of the building.
To reach the Foundation Room, assuming your name is on the guest list, you go up to the top of the building via an elevator with gold-leafed doors. The walls are upholstered with cloth sewn by Indian craftswomen. The Foundation Room is dark and scented with incense, and filled with Indian influences. Statues of Ganesh and Sheba abound. I had a key lime martini, which I don’t necessarily recommend, but it was definitely interesting. Dinner was in the Foundation dining room, which is down a curved staircase in an area only accessible by Foundation members. The dining room is an odd sort of gothic design, with a few private rooms and booths covered by canopies. Fantastic food!
After dinner, we went back up and took our places in private opera boxes overlooking the stage and the proletariat on the main floor. The act that night was Buju Bantu (I think that’s how it’s spelled) but not being a reggae fan, I can’t really comment. I couldn’t understand a word of it…
Above the stage is a call for unity in diversity, with icons of all major religions — amen.
