Pittsburgh seems to do better with specific genres and with large, multi-stage summer festivals supporting local artists than with curating nightly or weekend shows on a consistent basis.

From a festival perspective, the Deutschtown Music Festival and Millvale Music Festival both do an excellent job of bringing a wide range of local artists from around the region. All genres, all tastes. Family-oriented during the day, a bit rowdier at night.

I think the best evaluation of the local scene is that the smaller venues bring in regional or even national touring acts to fill out their schedules and/or bring in more revenue.