Ali Siddiq closed out his In the Shadows tour on New Year’s Eve in front of a hometown crowd, bringing his one-hundredth and final show of the year to Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land. The finale marked the end of a national run that demonstrated how an independent Houston comic can build his own touring model, launch his own production ecosystem, and define Texas comedy through a Houston lens.
“The last date of the tour—we did ninety-nine shows. Houston was number one hundred,” Ali said. “I wanted it to be the biggest show of the year, because I think it was the biggest venue that we did this year.”
The New Year’s Eve show brought together performers Ali wanted beside him as he closed a year that carried him across the country. The energy around the lineup reflected personal history, mutual respect, and the kind of chemistry that only forms through years of working together.
“These are friends—kicking it with your friends and bringing in a new year with your friends,” he said. “Ryan is opening it up. David Banner is closing out. I wanted to introduce Ryan to the market just like we did on the internet.”…