Lansdowne Street, From the Boston Tea Party to Avalon to the House of Blues
Behind the Green Monster: Led Zeppelin at the Tea Party, two decades of dance nights at Avalon and Axis, and the House of Blues since 2009.
Lansdowne Street, the short block behind Fenway Park’s Green Monster, has been one of Boston’s nightlife strips for more than fifty years. Most of that history happened at one address, 15 Lansdowne.
The Tea Party years
The Boston Tea Party opened as a rock hall in the South End in January 1967, then moved to 15 Lansdowne Street in 1969, taking over the space of a club called the Ark. It booked the era’s big names: Led Zeppelin played there in May 1969, and the Velvet Underground were regulars. Lou Reed called it the band’s favorite place to play in the country. It closed at the end of 1970.
Avalon and Axis
For years after that, the building reopened under a string of names. As Avalon and its neighbor Axis, at 13–15 Lansdowne, it was known for huge dance nights, plus national bands on stage. Axis hosted early shows by Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins in 1991. Both clubs closed on September 30, 2007.
The House of Blues
The House of Blues took over the site and opened in February 2009 with a J. Geils Band reunion. It’s still the street’s anchor, a concert hall for about 2,200 people. See who’s playing there next, or what else is on in the Fenway.
Sources: Wikipedia: Boston Tea Party (concert venue), Vanyaland, GBH.
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