I so wanted to go to a great Gospel Brunch for my first time and I had high hopes for the one at the House of Blues on Decatur street but it was a big disappointment. The problem was that they crammed so many people into such a small space that at least 40 people had no view of the stage, and we were one of them. They put our tables on the floor right next to the elevated stage so that my shoulder touched the speakers and I couldn%26#39;t see a thing. When all the customers were seated after the brunch line, the chair backs all butted up to each other and there wasn%26#39;t an inch left to get up and go to the buffet again or even to stand up and clap along with the show - which the entertainers encouraged the strapped-in audience to do.
The buffet food was better than expected - great fried chicken and sausages and biscuits. But we didn%26#39;t get served the complimentary beverage for over an hour and we couldn%26#39;t get out of our seats to find the bar. We saw people with custom-made omlets but we could never figure out where they got them from. There was basically no service, just herding of customers in and out. The music sounded good but we couldn%26#39;t see any of it. I cried with disappointment.
Gospel Brunch at House of Blues - bad experience for us
Personally, I think it%26#39;s a tourist trap, especially since it%26#39;s a chain venue, and there are better House of Blues Gospel brunches elsewhere! There%26#39;s so much better and authentic food and music to be found in the city!
Gospel Brunch at House of Blues - bad experience for us
It was terrible Pre-Katrina and sounds like it hasn%26#39;t improved..Pack the tourists in and overcharge for a lousy show and powdered eggs.
And yet I have friends who wouldn%26#39;t miss it when they are in NOLA.....Sorry your experience was bad.
I';ve had two visits there and rate it average to poor considering especially all the fine music and better food within the area.
I love gospel music, and my husband and I were excited about going to this. What a disappointment. House of Blues gospel brunch in New Orleans is a total ripoff!!
The show is supposed to be 90 minutes but you spend about half of that time standing in line to get food and get seated. The made-to-order omelettes are good but the buffet lines are so long that you can forget about standing in more than one line or going back for seconds.
The show we saw was basically 3 acts. The first was ';Joe Cool,'; an old guy in a wheelchair who later gets up and walks. How hokey is THAT??? He%26#39;s not a very good singer either. The second act was the “Zion Harmonizers” quartet, who remind me of the 4 Tops or Temptations. They had good voices and sang religious-themed songs but this was NOT what I%26#39;d call gospel. The third act was a female ';reverend'; with an excellent voice. But again, not really gospel. She led us in a ';finale'; where we all joined in a New Orleans%26#39; ';second line'; to exit the theater. Hello? Second line is a tradition in brass band parades NOT gospel!! This was just a way to get us out of there quickly, before our 90 minutes were even up!
The poster at the HOB box office has a photo of a gospel choir. Do not be fooled. There is no choir.
The audience is a bunch of white tourists who have to be repeatedly exhorted to clap and applaud. Mostly because the show is so uninspiring, not because the tourists are poor sports.
Take your $45 to any local church instead. You will probably hear much better music and you can praise the Lord without someone telling you when to do it. This is the first time I have EVER felt like asking for my money back after a show.
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