Being ‘b-b-b-bad’ has been good for blues-rocker George Thorogood
Sometimes it’s good to be bad. Bad to the bone, that is. The 1982 song by that name sure paid off for George Thorogood and The Destroyers, who will play Greensburg’s Palace Theatre on Oct. 10, despite never making the charts. “Bad to the Bone” gained popularity when the video...
With her ‘Head Above Water,’ Avril Lavigne heads to Pittsburgh still a bit ‘Complicated’Video
Following a five-year break, Avril Lavigne is back on tour, taking her sixth studio album, “Head Above Water,” out on the road, including a planned Pittsburgh stop. Lavigne, 35, first drew attention in 2002 while a teenager with the hit singles and videos “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” from the album...
PSO Pops pays tribute to ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin
Just over a year after Aretha Franklin died, the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops will open its season with a tribute to the American icon. Her voice was unforgettable and irresistible, but it was the conviction and style with which she used it that made her performances speak to everyone. “When it...
Split Stage celebrates 50 years of The Who’s ‘Tommy’Video
Split Stage Productions co-founders Rob Jessup and Nate Newell are among the “Tommy” faithful who couldn’t let the 50th anniversary of British rock band The Who’s famous rock opera album go by without recognizing the band and its music. Worldwide celebrations have honored the half-century milestone of “Tommy,” which was...
Phil Collins livens up PPG Paints Arena
British singer/musician Phil Collins has been entertaining and inspiring fans for 50 years. Those who have admired him over the years for his talent and endurance can take solace in the title of his current tour: “Phil Collins: Still Not Dead Yet, Live!” It’s not an extensive tour – only...
3 charged with providing drugs that killed Mac Miller
LOS ANGELES — Three men arrested during the investigation into rapper Mac Miller’s deadly overdose last year have now been charged with providing the drugs that killed him, U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday. A grand jury indictment that was unsealed in Los Angeles accuses the men of conspiring and distributing cocaine...
Placido Domingo resigns as general director of LA Opera
SAN FRANCISCO — Opera star Placido Domingo resigned Wednesday as general director of the Los Angeles Opera and withdrew from future performances at the company following multiple allegations of sexual harassment reported by The Associated Press. “I hold Los Angeles Opera very dearly to my heart and count my work...
Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s former house for sale in Seattle
The home where Kurt Cobain killed himself is on the market. Listed for $7.5 million, the Queen Anne-style home in the Denny Blaine neighborhood of Seattle, was the scene of the Nirvana singer’s death in 1994, reported SeattlePI. According to the listing by realtor Ewing & Clark, the home was...
Garth Brooks to receive Gershwin Prize for Popular SongVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country music superstar Garth Brooks has more than just friends in low places. The Library of Congress said Wednesday the Grammy winner will receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in March 2020. Previous recipients include Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Carole King and Willie...
Baldwin native will perform with Navy jazz ensemble in HempfieldVideo
As part of the Navy’s signature outreach program, Baldwin native Shawn Purcell will have a chance to perform in the Pittsburgh area for the second time as a member of the U.S. Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble. The group will play an Oct. 23 concert at Hempfield Area High School....
Saint Vincent concert series guest adds storytelling to music
Pianist, composer and storyteller Jeanne Cotter will perform Oct. 19 as part of the Saint Vincent College Concert Series. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center in the Robert S. Carey Student Center on the Unity campus. Cotter, a singer-songwriter and liturgical composer, has performed...
Christian band MercyMe set for Pittsburgh stop on 25th anniversary tourVideo
MercyMe’s current tour may be billed as a 25th anniversary outing, but the popular Christian rock-pop band isn’t being all that nostalgic when it comes to the choice of songs in the set list. “We actually had that discussion early on about kind of how much looking back we wanted...
Metallica’s James Hetfield returns to rehab, band postpones tour
Metallica has posponed its upcoming tour as James Hetfield addresses his addiction issues. The band announced Friday it would not play its Australia and New Zealand dates as its frontman / guitarist “had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again.” “As most of you probably know,...
Jennifer Lopez, Shakira sharing Super Bowl stage
Super Bowl LVI looks to be a ladies night … at least during the halftime show. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will perform for the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV halftime show, according to nfl.com. They are, understandably, excited. They weigh in with these statements on nfl.com: “Ever since I saw Diana...
2019 is 100% the year of Lizzo
Lizzo is having a year that has moved so readily from peak to peak that sometimes it feels scripted. She appears destined to win a bunch of artist-of-the-year accolades in a few months, a case of a talented if highly unconventional innovator arriving on a bigger stage at just the...
Sweet Judys bid bittersweet farewell at Casino Theatre
It will be a bittersweet Saturday. Sweet Judys, an all-female trio, will play a final concert at the Casino Theatre in Vandergrift. The Crosby, Stills & Nash tribute band has been taking the stage together for two years, but other life commitments have led to this decision. “We are so...
Hillman Performing Arts Series opens with a winner
The Hillman Performing Arts Series at Shady Side Academy starts its new season on a high note with a performance by a Grammy Award winner and two-time Emmy nominee as part of its Black Box Series. The series opens at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 with Dom Flemons, whose repertoire covers...
Phil Collins brings ‘Still Not Dead Yet Tour’ to PittsburghVideo
British singer/musician Phil Collins has been making beautiful music for 50 years. Just take a listen to his epic “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” his No. 1 hit from 1984 or “In the Air Tonight,” his first solo outing after his years as Genesis’ drummer and...
Gabby Barrett returns to Pittsburgh with Toby Keith tourVideo
Gabby Barrett has Pittsburgh in her heart. The “American Idol” finalist and Munhall native is busy making a name for herself in Nashville and traveling all over the country for concert dates – and she’s still thinking about her hometown. Even in the lyrics of her latest song, “The Good...
Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead’s poetic lyricist, dead at 78Video
LOS ANGELES — Robert Hunter, the man behind the poetic and mystical words for many of the Grateful Dead’s finest songs, has died at age 78. Hunter died Monday at his Northern California home with his wife, Maureen, at his side, former Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally told The Associated...
Previously unreleased track by Aretha Franklin is coming out
Christmas is bringing the gift of a previously unreleased Aretha Franklin recording. “Big Band Holidays II” from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis has a holiday album that will feature the late icon singing “O Tannebaum.” Franklin performed the song as she played the piano at a...
All-star group bringing ‘White Album’ tribute to The Palace
A group of veteran rockers will stop at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on Nov. 30 to play a tribute to the Beatles’ “White Album.” The “It Was 50 Years Ago Today” tour features Todd Rundgren, Christopher Cross and former Monkee Mickey Dolenz, along with Jason Scheff (Chicago), and Joey...
Kenny Chesney returning to Pittsburgh for Heinz Field megashow
Kenny Chesney will be chillin’ once again in Pittsburgh. The eight-time Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year will bring his “Chillaxification 2020 Tour” to Heinz Field May 30. It will be his 11th performance in the Steel City. The stop also features Florida Georgia...
Westmoreland Choral Society will hold ‘Technicolor’ coat drive
Westmoreland Choral Society members are hoping Joseph’s “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” can help provide coats for others as well. The society’s Oct. 4 concert, which features music from the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, will kick off a partnership between the society, the Community Clothes Closet in New Kensington...
Bob Marley estate remembers the legend’s last show, in Pittsburgh 39 years ago
On Sept. 23, 1980, reggae superstar Bob Marley and his band, the Wailers, played a sold-out show at the Stanley Theater in downtown Pittsburgh. No one knew then that it would be his last concert. Almost eight months later, he was dead. On Monday, the official Twitter account of the...
