Pittsburgh Symphony, Comcast play sweet music together
Hear the sounds of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra throughout the city — from your home. Comcast will offer “Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience” On Demand for Xfinity customers in Pittsburgh and throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. The first of five episodes, “Our Love for Pittsburgh” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Monday. “The...
Virtual beer festival hosted by Pittsburgh-area women will bring performances from G. Love, Flavor Flav
Alyssa Smith and Michelle Dangelo Arnoni are best friends. They were having a girls’ night, drinking and laughing, when they came up with an idea. Fill a box with 24 beers and have a virtual beer festival during the pandemic. “We really want to connect people and bring a little...
412 Food Rescue hosting virtual concert fundraiser with Wiz Khalifa
A virtual “Yinz Citizen” concert and fundraiser hosted by 412 Food Rescue and featuring appearances by Wiz Khalifa, Anti-Flag, The Commonheart, Joe Grushecky, Donnie Iris and others is set for Nov. 12. The event is designed to raise money for 412 Food Rescue’s work to combat hunger and food waste....
Post Malone owns Billboard Awards, John Legend shines onstage
NEW YORK — Walking into the show with 16 nominations, Post Malone won nine honors at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, where John Legend gave a heartfelt performance that was dedicated to his wife. With his voice aching as he sang passionately from the piano, Legend told viewers “this is...
Stage Right plans outdoor, circus sideshow-inspired ‘Rocky Horror Show Live’
Get ready to do the time warp again. Stage Right Theatre Company will stage “The Rocky Horror Show Live” under a big top tent on Oct. 23-24 and 30-31. There will be a few pandemic-driven changes to the company’s long-running Halloween season production, including the outdoor venue, said director and...
Hong Kong orchestra quarantines after member contracts covid
HONG KONG — About 100 members of a Hong Kong orchestra are being quarantined after one of its members tested positive for the coronavirus. A bass clarinet player for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was infected, according to a Facebook post by fellow orchestra member Andrew Simon. Simon, the orchestra’s...
Westmoreland Symphony’s virtual season opener features ‘the other Bach’Video
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s virtual concert season opens Oct. 24 with “Back to Bach,” streaming live at 7:30 p.m. from the stage of Greensburg’s The Palace Theatre. The Bach listed in the program is not Johann Sebastian, but rather Carl Philipp Emanuel, son of the renowned composer and also a musician...
Connellsville’s Harold Betters, known as ‘Mr. Trombone,’ dies at 92
Known as “Mr. Trombone,” Western Pennsylvania native Harold Betters succeeded on the world stage, but he always called Connellsville home. It was in Connellsville where Betters died peacefully Sunday, surrounded by family, according to his daughter. He was 92. Betters, well known for his command of the trombone, was for...
Valerie Bertinelli, David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, others post tributes to Eddie Van Halen
Rock legend Eddie Van Halen died Tuesday at the age of 65 after a long fight with throat cancer. Eddie, along with his brother Alex on drums, Michael Anthony on bass and singer David Lee Roth started Van Halen the band in Pasadena, Calif., in 1974. Eddie’s unique style and...
Linda Ronstadt looks back at her most cherished momentsVideo
Growing up close to U.S. border in Tucson, Ariz., Linda Ronstadt was exposed to the music and culture of Mexico from an early age. Her father would often sing at their home in Spanish. “I heard Mexican radio my whole life,” the American singer told The Associated Press in a...
Pittsburgh DJ Sean McDowell ranks Eddie Van Halen among greatest guitarists
Longtime WDVE disc jockey Sean McDowell has no doubts about guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen’s place in rock history. “I’ve always had him at number five on my list of the greatest rock guitarists ever,” said McDowell. “I’ve always had him there, at least since 1978, along with (Jimi) Hendrix,...
Guitar rock legend Eddie Van Halen dies at 65Video
NEW YORK — Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock’s biggest groups, fueled the unmistakable fiery solo in Michael Jackson’s hit “Beat It” and became elevated to the status of rock god, has died. He...
Bruce Springsteen will offer a documentary with new album
Bruce Springsteen isn’t just releasing a new rock album later this month — he’ll also offer a documentary on the making of the music. “Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You” will offer performances from The E Street Band, in-studio footage and never-before-seen archival material, featuring “a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic...
PSO virtual concert series opens with celebration of Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will bring a new type of front row experience to music lovers via an online concert series premiering Oct. 19. ”Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience” will include five episodes that will traverse the region and offer classical and popular music, along with Holiday Pops and...
Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker take over as CMA Awards hosts
Country stars Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are promising laughs and good music when they co-host this year’s CMA Awards in November. McEntire, a Country Music Hall of Famer and veteran host of country music awards shows, returns after hosting last year with Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton. It will...
Black singer of regional Mexican music sparks buzz, emotion
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Before clicking the Instagram video, the sight intrigued most. Sarah Palafox, a Black woman, held an iPhone while standing in front of mariachis. When users turned on the volume, they heard a woman belting out a heartbreak interpretation of Jenni Rivera’s “Que Me Vas A Dar”...
Mom, nurse, cancer survivor, singer: ‘Miss Freddye’ soothes in all aspects of her lifeVideo
When Freddye Stover learned she had breast cancer in 1998, the tears flowed.“Receiving the ‘C’ diagnosis is heartbreaking,” said Stover, known in the regional music scene as “Miss Freddye.” “I cried for 24 hours straight. I went to bed crying. I woke up crying. I cried in the shower. I...
Country star and hit Elvis songwriter Mac Davis dies at 78Video
NASHVILLE — Country star Mac Davis, who crafted the Elvis hits “A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto” before launching his own successful artist career, has died. He was 78. His longtime manager Jim Morey said in a press release that Davis died in Nashville on Tuesday after heart...
‘I Am Woman’ singer Helen Reddy, ’70s hitmaker, dies at 78
Helen Reddy, who shot to stardom in the 1970s with her rousing feminist anthem “I Am Woman” and recorded a string of other hits, has died. She was 78. Reddy’s children Traci and Jordan announced that the actor-singer died Tuesday in Los Angeles. “She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and...
Review: Live album shows why Adam Lambert is perfect for Queen
Adam Lambert is not Freddie Mercury. Nor, to his credit, does he try to be. What he is, though, is the perfect successor to the iconic Queen vocalist, seemingly predestined to revive the supergroup with his own impossible vocals and over-the-top showmanship. “Live Around the World,” culled from every tour...
Moon band Chip & the Charge Ups prepare for album-release party this weekendVideo
Chip Dominick, singer and guitarist for Pittsburgh rock group Chip & the Charge Ups, isn’t just making a band pun when he said he misses the electricity between the band and audience at live shows. “We have a passion for our music and our fans have a passion for what...
Hambone’s owner Jeffrey Holt remembered for supporting Pittsburgh’s art, music scene
One of the Pittsburgh area’s longtime supporters of its music and comedy scene died Thursday. Jeffrey D. Holt of Mt. Lebanon owned the popular Lawrenceville bar Hambone’s. He was 46. A cause of death wasn’t listed in obituary information, and his family declined to discuss his manner of death. “We...
John Williams, Ben Folds have new Pittsburgh Symphony dates
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced new 2021 dates for two special concerts that were postponed from the 2019-2020 season. “An Evening with Honeck & Mutter & Williams” will take place on June 9, while Ben Folds will appear with the orchestra on Oct. 15 next year. Both concerts will begin...
Pittsburgh hip-hop artist Mars Jackson talks new album, social justice, ways to ‘Look Up’
Pittsburgh hip-hop artist Mars Jackson has a knack for surprising people. He performed in art galleries, like Penn Avenue’s Most Wanted Fine Art, when clubs weren’t his style. Threads of soul, jazz and gospel are prominently displayed in his melodic brand of hip-hop music. He openly discusses the benefits of...
Annual John Lennon tribute, in 40th year, goes online
NEW YORK — Like many other events, an annual John Lennon tribute concert that takes place in his adopted city of New York on his Oct. 9 birthday has been forced online because of the coronavirus pandemic. There was no way it was being canceled, not on what would have...
