CLEVELAND ROCKS, SLIM'S GETS BIGGER

There's another Cleveland venue under the House of Blues roof, and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco has changed owners again—and that's not the half of it. Oh, wait, that's all of it.

House of Blues Concerts and Jacobs Investments, owners and operators of the Nautica Entertainment Complex in Cleveland, have entered into a 15-year agreement, making HOB the exclusive promoter and manager of the Nautica Stage, with the company opening up a Cleveland office. The venue will be renovated to increase capacity to 5,000, add VIP amenities, put in permanent restrooms and add an "attractive tensile-style roof." HOB already manages the 19,500-seat Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, and owns, operates or exclusively books 20 arenas and amphitheatres in 20 cities, and operates eight HOB venues.

Said HOB Sr. VP John Van Zeebroeck: "Cleveland has had a strong influence on the development of rock & roll, and House of Blues is proud to be part of a city with suck a rich music heritage. I can't wait to check out the concert promoters section of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though I can't figure out why it's next to the dumpsters in back."

Across the country, the owners of Slim's in San Francisco have put together a group of investors to purchase the legendary Great American Music Hall. The venue went up for sale in March when the bursting of the dot-com bubble sent its owner, Riffage.com, into bankruptcy.

In its nearly 100-year history, the Music Hall has been a restaurant, a bordello and jazz club. Slim's General Manager Dawn Holiday says that ticket prices will drop because the two clubs won't be fighting for the same artists. Then she went back to playing the popular Parker Brothers boardgame "Monopoly."