Pittsburgh talent shines in ‘A Benedum Christmas — Home for the Holidays’
An abundance of homegrown talent will be celebrating the season at “A Benedum Christmas — Home for the Holidays,” an annual concert featuring performers who are proud of their Pittsburgh roots. The festive showcase of vocalists, songwriters and musicians with ties to the city will take place at 7:30 p.m....
Mac Miller Fund will support Pittsburgh music programs
Even in death, Mac Miller continues to inspire and support youth music programs in his native Pittsburgh. A $100,000 grant established to honor the rapper’s legacy will go toward music programs for teens and young adults at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, according to officials at the Pittsburgh Foundation. The Mac Miller...
Sharing the sounds of the season Pittsburgh Pops style
The tradition of Christmas music stretches back many centuries but finds fresh expression in every generation. The vast and varied repertoire that has accumulated over time touches us not only with music’s emotional and spiritual powers. It also revives warm family memories of childhood. Daniel Meyer will conduct the Mendelssohn...
In final year, B.E. Taylor Christmas concerts come full circle
Rehearsals for this year’s “Feel the Love: Celebrating a B.E. Taylor Christmas” concerts are bittersweet, says B.C. Taylor, a drummer and son of the well-loved singer who died in 2016. The longtime tradition comes to an end this year, with the final series of five B.E. Taylor Christmas concerts, including...
Celtic Woman brings ‘Best of Christmas’ tour to Heinz HallVideo
While fans are looking forward to hearing the lilting melodies of Celtic Woman when the group comes to Pittsburgh, the members likewise are looking forward to the stop. “We’ve been joining amazing orchestras all around the world, and the Pittsburgh Symphony is certainly one of them,” says violinist/harpist/vocalist Tara McNeill....
Reports: Juice WRLD’s cardiac arrest was during police search; 70 pounds of pot confiscated
During a search of his and his entourage’s luggage, Juice WRLD suffered convulsions and went into cardiac arrest Sunday, according to the Chicago Tribune. Police and federal agents were looking for guns and drugs at Chicago’s Midway Airport, the outlet reported. TMZ reports cops confiscated 70 pounds of marijuana from...
Smokey Robinson talks Pittsburgh, songwriting and wine makingVideo
If anyone in popular music can be called a legend, it’s Smokey Robinson. He rose to fame in the 1960s as the founder of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. He wrote and recorded such hits as “Shop Around,” “My Girl,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me,” “I Second That...
Marie Fredriksson of Swedish pop duo Roxette dies at 61Video
STOCKHOLM — Marie Fredriksson, the female half of the Swedish pop duo Roxette, has died at age 61, her management agency said Tuesday. Fredriksson formed Roxette with Per Gessle in 1986. The two released their first album the same year and went on to achieve international success in the late...
Country singer Jamey Johnson to play Greensburg’s Palace Theatre
Grammy-nominated country singer/songwriter Jamey Johnson will play the The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on April 11. With 11 Grammy nominations, Johnson is one of only a few people in the history of country music to win two Song of the Year Awards from both the Country Music Association and the...
Rapper Juice WRLD dies after medical emergency in Chicago
CHICAGO — Chicago-area rapper Juice WRLD, whose real name is Jarad A. Higgins, was pronounced dead Sunday after a “medical emergency” at Midway International Airport, according to authorities. The Cook County medical examiner’s office was notified of the the death of Higgins, of Homewood, on Sunday morning, according to office...
Oak Ridge Boys get in the holiday spirit during Palace Theatre show
The Oak Ridge Boys returned to Greensburg for their “Down Home Christmas” show Friday night. The show started with a number of the band’s massive country hits. The Oaks ushered in the season, wrapping up the concert with a slew of holiday classics and new favorites....
Tarentum’s Central Presbyterian Church to host a ‘Russian Holiday’ performance
Experience the sounds of Russia in Tarentum on Sunday. The Academy Chamber Ensemble will present “Russian Holiday” at Central Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. The program will feature one of Joseph Haydn’s “Russian” String Quartets, Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet #1 and some holiday music. This is the sixth season for this...
Singer Smokey Robinson to visit Lumaze Pittsburgh holiday light festival
Legendary Motown singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson will be in the spotlight on Sunday. He will visit with fans from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Lumaze Pittsburgh, the indoor holiday lights festival at the 31st Street Studios in the city’s Strip District. Tickets for the Lumaze event with Robinson are $99.95. Meet...
Lawn Pass back for 2020 at KeyBank Pavilion
If you want to go to every show at the Burgettstown amphitheater, you can. Lawn Pass is back. For $199 plus fees, the pass will get you a spot on KeyBank Pavilion’s lawn in 2020, including sold-out shows, according to a Live Nation release. General admission parking and fast lane...
Hills Church in Murrysville will host ‘Christmas in Germany’ concertVideo
Over the summer, Masterworks Concert Chorale Director Snezana Lazich fell in love with a piece by one of her favorite composers. “I found Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C,’ and it has such beautiful moments in it,” Lazich said. The 40 members of the MCC, along with a 15-piece orchestra of local...
Renowned Finnish conductor returns to PSO for 2 programs
One of the world’s leading conductors returns to Heinz Hall this week to do double duty. Osmo Vanska will lead a particularly interesting program for a pair of BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts, and also conduct a masterpiece for the holiday season, “Messiah.” Vanska will conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra...
Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe coming to Pittsburgh in 2020
Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are coming back to Pittsburgh. The bands will co-headline “The Stadium Tour” with support from Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in 2020, with dates from July to September. The tour comes to PNC Park on Aug. 16. Tickets go on sale Dec. 13,...
Jay-Z is 50 and his music is back on Spotify
Jay-Z’s milestone birthday comes with some good news for his fans. Today on the 50th birthday of Hov, the rapper’s music has returned to Spotify after being going for years. According to Pitchfork, most of Jay-Z’s music was removed in April 2017 from the streaming service. As far as a...
Westmoreland Symphony schedules annual ‘Home for the Holidays’
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Home for the Holidays” concert of choral and instrumental holiday pops this year will include a world premiere of “For Behold from Henceforth,” by Pittsburgh-based composer Nancy Galbraith. Also featuring guest conductor Maria Sensi Sellner, the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at...
Maroon 5 coming to Burgettstown’s KeyBank Pavilion on 2020 tourVideo
Three-time Grammy Award-winning band Maroon 5 will play KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown on June 19 as part of its 2020 tour of North and South America. The tour will include the biggest U.S. shows of the band’s career, with the group playing iconic venues such as Wrigley Field in Chicago...
Willie Nelson says he’s quit smoking marijuana over breathing issues
Country icon and marijuana proponent Willie Nelson is saying no to pot … because he wants to keep touring. Nelson spoke to San Antonio’s television station KSAT and said that he wants to continue performing and that he loves touring. But he has to be more healthy. Nelson, 86, told...
Oak Ridge Boys prepared to fill Palace Theatre with holiday cheerVideo
The audience will get a bargain when the Oak Ridge Boys return to Greensburg for their “Down Home Christmas” show. “It’s two shows for the price of one,” says bass singer Richard Sterban of the Dec. 6 date at The Palace Theatre. “At the start of the show, we do...
New holiday albums run the gamut from traditional to original tunesVideo
It’s been a rather prolific year for holiday albums – the 17 titles covered in this column even omit a few 2019 releases. And there aren’t any real duds, either. So here’s a look at this year’s selections. Idina Menzel: “Christmas: A Season Of Love” — If one 2019 Christmas...
Phish jams out at Petersen Events Center
Phish rolled into Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center on Wednesday for its seven-date Fall Tour. The rock band, formed in 1983 on the campus of the University of Vermont, performed its massive catalog of songs to the delight of the crowd. Phish kicked off the show with “555,” “AC/DC Bag” and...
Drake is Spotify’s most streamed artist of the decade
NEW YORK — Drake is the king of streaming: the rapper has been named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the decade. Spotify announced Tuesday that Drake has been streamed 28 billion times in the past 10 years. Ed Sheeran came in second, while Post Malone, Ariana Grande and Eminem round out...
