The Attractives

Mike Vecchione has spent over two decades in New York comedy clubs perfecting an understated, joke-heavy style that relies on constant misdirection and a quiet, sleepy-eyed deadpan. In The Attractives, his debut one-hour special, he brings that deliberate pace to Nashville, playing his club-hardened New York cynicism against a polite, southern crowd at Zanies. Vecchione starts with the premise that attractive people suffered uniquely during the pandemic, then paces through a structured set covering dating younger women, gym culture, and a misguided decision to run with the bulls in Spain. Rather than leaning on high energy or physical performance, he relies on short setups and sudden left turns, including an analysis of why his girlfriend’s mortal enemy is actually his ultimate role model, and a bit arguing that crucifixion was a slight overreaction. Directed by his friend and fellow comic Nate Bargatze, the special was the flagship release for Bargatze’s Nateland Entertainment, capturing a veteran club comic putting his most polished, writerly material on the board.