Durham has picked up some excellent recognition in the venue-attendance world, as chronicled by the concert-industry trade magazine Pollstar. Pollstar just released its list of top-selling theaters in the world for the first half of 2012, and the Bull City is in the top-100 -- not just once, but twice.

Coming in at No. 2 in the world is Durham Performing Arts Center, whose 223,641 tickets sold rank behind only Mexico City's Auditorio Nacional. That makes DPAC No. 1 in the United States, ahead of fabled venues including Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre (No. 3 worldwide), Atlanta's Fox Theatre (No. 5) and New York's Radio City Music Hall (No. 14).

Durham's other entry is the Carolina Theatre, which sold 32,678 tickets through June 30. That placed the Carolina at No. 88 on the Pollstar list.