MAKESHIFT HOUSE OF BLUES CLUB PACKS 'EM IN DURING OLYMPICS.

Byline: James Zoltak Amusement Business

The temporary House of Blues set up in Atlanta's historical 93-year-old Baptist Tabernacle church for the Centennial Olympic Games has proved to be a hit.

The sold-out, July 19-20 grand opening of the $4 million venue, with a capacity of 2,200, featured performances by the Blues Brothers Band with Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and John Goodman; James Cotton and Luther ``Guitar Jr.'' Johnson plus Phatback.

Artists slated to perform during the venue's run, which concludes Aug. 4, included the Mavericks and special guest Junior Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Al Green, Little Richard, George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, Dr. John, Tito Puente & his Latin Jazz All-Stars with special guest Celia Cruz, and gospel's Kirk Franklin and the Family.

Ticket prices are $15 to $50.

HOB also has a stage at Atlanta's Buckhead, with performances scheduled by Tinsley Ellis, RL Burnside, Tracy Nelson, Studebaker John & the Hawks, Guitar Shorty, Bob Margolin and others.

The idea to set up the temporary HOB came after Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell challenged HOB founder and chief executive officer Isaac Tigrett to build the hottest place for entertainment at the Summer Games. Some 250 HOB employees from Los Angeles, Boston and New Orleans joined Atlanta locals in scrambling to get the 62,000-square-foot church up and running in time for the Games' July 19 opening ceremonies.

``It's been a marvelous response,'' Tigrett said during a phone interview a few days after the opening. ``Bill Campbell took me aside at the Black Mayors Conference 12 weeks ago and asked me to be involved ... and here we are. It's been extraordinary.''

Tigrett said the venture was expected to turn a profit. ``Absolutely,'' he said. ``We're not doing it for fun.''

Asked if he was having fun nonetheless, Tigrett quipped, ``I would if I could get some sleep.''

Tigrett said being a part of the Atlanta Games is an historic event and he wasn't about to pass up a chance to get involved. ``This is the last world event before the new millennium,'' he said. ``The world is here and we decided to come, too.''

The temporary venue, which will be removed and the church returned to its previous state when the Games conclude, features a display of self-taught folk art known as ``Outsider Art,'' of which Tigrett is a major collector, as well as intimate ``Foundation Rooms'' and suites for sponsor parties and special events.

The temporary HOB also is offering a Gospel Brunch, a popular fixture at the chain's permanent venues, and will have on display the rustic cabin in which legendary bluesman Muddy Waters was born.

On July 15, HOB New Media and Sun Microsystems launched a World Wide Web site called the Java Joint Online, which features live music, chats with artists and athletes, and more.

HOB is also producing a Web site dedicated to offering an off-the-beaten-path look at the American South, with entries focusing on such things as roadside artists, pool halls, barber shops, country stores, gospel churches, juke joints, bait shops, tattoo parlors, smokehouses and porch swings.

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Photo

Photo: Dan Aykroyd

Performed at grand opening