Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, is often skipped over by major concert tours. This leaves many Houston music fans wondering why their city gets overlooked. There are a few key factors that contribute to Houston’s absence from most tour itineraries.
Limited Large Venue Options
One of the main reasons tours skip Houston is that the city lacks venues large enough to host major concerts from top-selling artists. Houston’s biggest indoor concert venue is the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets, which can seat around 18,000 for concerts. Other major venues in the city include the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (16,500 seats) and NRG Stadium (72,000 seats).
While these venues can accommodate large crowds, they pale in comparison to massive stadiums and arenas in other major metro areas. For example, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX can seat over 100,000 people. Climate controlled stadiums like the United Center in Chicago (23,500 seats) and Madison Square Garden in New York (20,000 seats) also outsize Houston’s indoor arena options.
Houston’s lack of very large, state-of-the-art venues makes it less appealing for major concert tours, especially for pop, rock and country artists who tend to draw tens of thousands of fans per show.
Competitive Texas Market
Houston also faces stiff competition from other Texas cities for major concert tours. San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin all have large indoor arenas plus massive outdoor stadiums that regularly host major concerts. Additionally, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area draws from a broader population base across North Texas.
For tours traveling through Texas, there is often an unspoken rule that you play San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Austin. Since these cities already cover a large portion of the Texas population, Houston gets left off due to its close proximity. Essentially, Houston loses out based on poor geographic luck.
Reputation as a Rock Concert City
Compared to other Texas cities, Houston has gained a reputation as a great city for rock and heavy metal concerts in particular. Legendary rock radio station 94.5 The Buzz is based in Houston and draws rock fans from across the region. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion has hosted major rock festivals like Ozzfest and Warped Tour.
However, Houston’s reputation as a rock city means it tends to lose out on concerts from pop, rap, R&B and country performers. Those genres tend to favor playing in Dallas, Austin or San Antonio instead. So Houston’s rock reputation, while great for rock fans, potentially hinders it from getting more diversity in its concert lineup.
Lack of Support from Recording Industry
Unlike Nashville, Los Angeles, or Atlanta, Houston does not have major recording industry connections to facilitate bringing big concert tours through town. The lack of major record labels, publishing companies, artist management firms, and promoters based in Houston cuts it out of the loop for major touring decisions.
Cities with deep music industry ties have an advantage when it comes to lobbying and relationship-building to attract concert tours. Houston’s less prominent industry presence puts it at a disadvantage compared to other big cities in getting on the touring circuit.
Decline of Rock Music
As rock music has declined in mainstream popularity, Houston’s identity as a major rock city has likely made it less appealing for tours centered on pop, rap, and country music. The rock acts that do tour are more likely to play smaller theater venues than massive arenas. So Houston’s rock reputation, while great for rock fans, may actually hinder it as rock becomes a less dominant genre.
Lack of Support from Local Government
Local government support and policies can have a significant impact on attracting concert tours to specific cities. Unfortunately, Houston lacks some of the music-friendly policies, incentives, and marketing support that other cities benefit from. For example, Austin actively promotes itself as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”
Houston city officials have been criticized for not making music more of a priority. Without palpable local government support, it can be difficult for cities to get on the radar of concert promoters and big-name tours.
Geographic Isolation
Unlike many cities, Houston does not have large metro areas clustered nearby. It is geographically isolated from other major Texas cities like Dallas, Austin and San Antonio by a few hundred miles. This makes Houston a less convenient tour stop for many artists trying to plan efficient travel routing.
Cities that are located in close proximity to other big metro areas often benefit for touring logistics. For example, the cluster of major midwest cities including Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and Milwaukee makes routing tours through that region more appealing.
Lack of Public Transportation Infrastructure
Houston is well-known for its lack of robust public transportation infrastructure compared to other major U.S. cities. The city does not have an extensive rail/subway system. This transportation gap likely factors into some tours skipping Houston.
Concertgoers in cities with strong public transit have an easier time getting to and from events without driving. Easy access via buses and subways makes booking events in New York, Chicago and Boston more enticing for promoters.
Timing of Annual Rodeo & Livestock Show
Houston’s NRG Stadium hosts the massive annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March. The event brings big-name country and pop acts to perform concerts each night during its three-week run. However, the timing often conflicts with major spring concert tours.
Because NRG Stadium has to keep dates open for the Rodeo’s headliners in March, it limits the other concert tours that Houston can accommodate during that time. If an artist is playing the Rodeo, they often cannot schedule a separate proper Houston concert as part of their tour.
Limited Tour Routing Options
Houston’s location in the southern U.S. means many national tours have limited options for routing a stop there as part of a larger tour. It lacks the central geographic location of cities like Dallas, Nashville or Atlanta that have more potential connections.
From a logistical standpoint, it is difficult for many tours to route from Houston to their next city without significant backtracking. The limited routing options likely exclude it from consideration on some national tours.
Smaller International Airport
Compared to other major U.S. hubs, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport is smaller and offers fewer direct flight options. Many national tours start on the east or west coast and work their way inward. Limited flight connectivity makes Houston a less convenient city for artists to fly in and out of.
Cities with massive international airports like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago have advantages attracting tours since performers can easily get direct flights in from European dates or other legs of North American tours.
Lack of Support from Prominent Artists
A few other cities have benefited from big-name artists who hail from the city and publicly advocate for more tours to stop there. For example, Dave Matthews Band actively pushed for more artists to play shows in Charlottesville, VA earlier in their touring career.
Houston lacks that public activism from its famous music artists. If prominent Houston-born artists like Beyoncé, Lizzo, Travis Scott, and Kenny Rogers were more vocal about bringing tours to the city, it could make a difference.
Competition from Festival Market
In recent decades, music festivals have exploded in popularity and provide significant competition to traditional concert tours. Major Texas festivals like Austin City Limits and South By Southwest siphon off acts who might otherwise play Houston on a proper tour.
Festivals only continue to gain prominence. Houston’s lack of a major, nationally recognized festival means more artists choose to play festivals over a standard tour stopping in Houston.
Notable Houston Concerts & Tours
Despite the challenges, Houston does still occasionally get passed over by major concert tours. Here are some of the notable shows and tours that have stopped in Houston over the past decade:
Artist | Tour | Year |
---|---|---|
Beyoncé | The Formation World Tour | 2016 |
Guns N’ Roses | Not In This Lifetime Tour | 2017 |
Bruno Mars | 24K Magic World Tour | 2017 |
Taylor Swift | Reputation Stadium Tour | 2018 |
Justin Timberlake | The Man of the Woods Tour | 2018 |
Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 2018 |
Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour | 2019 |
Eagles | Hotel California 2020 Tour | 2020 |
These major concert tours choosing to stop in Houston give hope that the trend of skipping over the city can be reversed. But it will likely require investment in larger, modern venues plus efforts to attract promoters through marketing and incentives.
Conclusion
In summary, Houston’s absence from many major concert tour itineraries can be attributed to its lack of large, modern venues, geographic isolation, limited routing options, competition from other Texas cities, and insufficient local support networks. However, the city’s rich musical heritage and engaged fanbase deserve better from the touring industry.
With strategic initiatives and partnerships to address these weak points, Houston could once again establish itself as a regular stop for A-list concert tours. The city has already proven it can draw huge crowds when given the opportunity. Reviving Houston as a go-to tour destination would be a win for artists and live music fans alike.