19-Oct-16 – A retired Chicago police officer says he was confronted and followed to his car by a man claiming to be the owner of House of Blues in River North for shooting video outside the concert venue.

Paul Huebl, currently a private investigator and videographer in Los Angeles – and a former resident of Marina City, where HOB is located – says on August 30, while in town for a funeral, he stopped by to briefly capture video for a project. After setting up a tripod in a spot on a private driveway painted to divert vehicles around it, Huebl says a “bald-headed beefy white guy” approached and asked what he was doing.

“I say I’m exercising my rights under the First Amendment, how are you today? And he started grilling me, [saying] ‘Well, you know, in times like this…’ and I say, ‘In times like what?’”

Laced with profanity, the conversation went downhill from there, with Huebl claiming the man identified himself as “the owner of House of Blues” and threatened to call police. Huebl did eventually identify himself, showing the man a card and badge that shows Huebl is a retired police officer but “it doesn’t slow him down a minute.” (Left) House of Blues at Marina City, photographed in 2011.

Deciding he had the video he needed, Huebl started carrying his camera and tripod down a short ramp to Dearborn Street, where a friend was waiting in a vehicle parked north of the driveway.

“He follows me, about one foot behind me,” says Huebl. “This guy just kept it up.”

Huebl says the man tapped him on the shoulder and shot video of Huebl with his mobile phone.

House of Blues is owned by Live Nation, a company based in Los Angeles. Neither Live Nation or local management at HOB would elaborate on any policies they may have regarding people photographing or video recording their building. The area between House of Blues and Hotel Chicago, where Huebl shot his video, is private property but Huebl says otherwise he was “acting properly.”

“I had on a sports coat, was dressed decently,” says Huebl (right). “If I had a cell phone camera, nobody would get excited but I had a decent video camera with a tripod so that automatically gets people goofy.” Huebl says he was treated “like I’m a terrorist taking pictures of this building that I’m going to blow up.”

Ryan Shea, General Manager of House of Blues Chicago, says Huebl “would not respond to multiple questions asking why he had a tripod up and was taking video. And then finally, he [said] he was a terrorist – in jest, I’m sure, but not real classy.” (Left) Shea performs on HOB’s Back Porch Stage in 2011.

Shea would only identify the man who confronted Huebl as “Joe” and that he was an employee of House of Blues. He says police were called to HOB after Huebl left.

In April 2010, House of Blues settled a lawsuit filed by a 23-year-old woman, Brittney Hernandez, who was assaulted by a security officer, Darrell Gibson, who objected to Hernandez taking a photo of pop rock band Hanson’s tour bus. Gibson pled guilty to misdemeanor battery and was fired by HOB.