MUMBAI: The veteran chain of live music concert halls and restaurants- House of Blues (HoB) will lose its second centre this decade. After the closure of House of Blues in Atlantic City in 2013, the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood will close on 7 Augustthis year. The news came through a notice filed with the state Employment Development Department.

It was also revealed that Live Nation Entertainment Inc., which owns the entire House of Blues chain, will be laying off 197 employees, including bartenders, bussers, servers, directors, cooks, sales people, stage hands, managers and security, starting 31 July. However, the notice also said certain employees may be offered an opportunity to transfer to other Live Nation Entertainment operations, but it did not say which.

Speaking on the closure of the venue and employment lay-off, a Live Nation spokesman said that the House of Blues Sunset Boulevard venue had a good run and also that it is actively searching for a new venue under the HoB flagship. It was also stated that the HoB management is actively working with its employee base to assure employment.

The news actually broke out last summer that the site, leased by House of Blues at 8430 Sunset Boulevard, would be developed as a multi-utility condominium, hotel and entertainment facility. At the time, Live Nation said the West Hollywood location would operate for at least two more years.

Live Nation operates 12 House of Blues music and restaurant venues around the country, including the West Hollywood site. According to the company, the live music halls can accommodate 1,000 to 2,000 guests. Up until last year, according to a study of the most popular clubs in the country conducted by Billboard, the HoB in L.A. ranked number nine with an annual attendance of 172,005.