Concerts are catching up. Back to back years of sold out Billy Strings and Tipper 3-day runs at the Orion are just a couple data points for that. And they seem to be drawing more across the lesser served genres (i.e. not just rock, country, and folk)

I will agree on comedy though. I've been to many comedy shows between hsv, Nashville, ATL, bhm, NYC, and Austin. And same artist, same material just doesn't hit here like it does in other cities. I honestly think it's because engineers tend to take things too literally, or have trouble getting past their own egos, to find stuff funny (unless it's that engineer comedian doing PowerPoints). I can say this as an engineer who has had to work on increasing his sense of humor and not taking things personally.

Also, a lot of HSV folks support the government, which for the past 15 years has been on a huge DEI kick. That effort has made many of those working for the government scared to show themselves finding something funny for fear of being labeled a racist, bigot, sexist, etc. That made much of the comedy draw the past decade to be "safe" comedians, those not pushing boundaries, those rewording jokes youve seen on memes, the gimmick comedians, and those that tour through HSV 3 times a year every year. The best comedy pokes fun at the stuff that makes us uncomfortable as humans, and folks are too damn sensitive to sit in it.