Mike Palm stories, Page 14
Billie Eilish brings Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to PittsburghVideo
Pop star Billie Eilish transcended the arena setting Sunday night, putting on a display of intimacy among the almost 20,000 in attendance at a sold-out show at PPG Paints Arena. An arena might not sound like the optimal choice for a concert overflowing with intense emotions, feelings and reflections, but...
Mt. Lebanon native Amy Rigby on hometown show, moving to England, new albumVideo
There was a point during the covid pandemic when Amy Rigby considered moving back to the Pittsburgh area. The singer-songwriter from Mt. Lebanon, who has lived in New York City, Nashville, France and upstate New York over the years, got to the point of checking out homes online with her...
Lee DeWyze out to show he’s so much more than a former ‘American Idol’ winnerVideo
Lee DeWyze may have that he’s the Season 9 winner of “American Idol” on his resume, but it’s not the pinnacle of his career, not by a long shot. Likening his musical output to a Christmas tree, DeWyze is striving for a diversity of decorations. ”(‘American Idol’ is) a beautiful...
JVK singer Jo Krieger discusses Boston band’s tour, ‘Body Double’ single, more ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
Putting together the first cross-country tour for Boston-based rock band JVK has definitely been daunting for founder/frontwoman Jo Krieger. ”We’re very ambitious and we’ll do absolutely anything and everything to get to where we want to be. So we were coming up with this tour and all the dates, we’re...
Jelly Roll offers inspiration in sold-out Pittsburgh concertVideo
Jelly Roll provided a concise yet accurate description of his show at one point Saturday night, calling it “real music for real people with real problems.” In a sold-out concert at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, the country/rap/rock/pop star never flinched as he stared down those issues, while also being...
Pop violin star Kishi Bashi talks documentary, AI and new album ‘Kantos’
After spending years working on a documentary about Japanese-Americans incarcerated during World War II, Kishi Bashi joked that he needed something lighter to help with “cleansing my brain of sadness.” With the completion of the album “Omoiyari” in 2019 and the Emmy-nominated documentary “Omoiyari: A Song Film By Kishi Bashi”...
Crypta singer Fernanda Lira talks Brazilian metal band’s current tour, brush with a tornado and intense screamingVideo
Life on tour isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes, as Fernanda Lira, the singer for Brazilian death metal band Crypta, can attest. On Tuesday, an elevator issue left Lira and drummer Luana Dametto stuck in their Toronto hotel for about 30 minutes. “Everyone thinks it’s like really about...
Ann Hampton Callaway talks revamping ‘Nanny’ theme for Kamala Harris, more ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
For jazz singer Ann Hampton Callaway, there’s a sure sign that it’s been a good show. “One of the things I love is that people will be laughing and crying with their laughter, and then the straight men tell me that they cry during some of my ballads. So if...
Sold-out shows from Jelly Roll, Billie Eilish, Lainey Wilson highlight Pittsburgh’s top October concerts
The temperatures may be dropping as fall approaches, but the concert season in Pittsburgh is still heating up in October, with three sold-out arena shows. Here’s a look at October’s top concerts for the Pittsburgh area: Top shows Oct. 5: Jelly Roll, Warren Zeiders, Alexandra Kay at PPG Paints Arena...
Stevie Wonder launching fall tour in PittsburghVideo
Stevie Wonder is kicking off a fall tour of several battleground states ahead of the Nov. 5 election, with the first night of the trek set for Pittsburgh. Wonder, a 25-time Grammy winner, will play PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 8. The tour, dubbed “Sing Your Song! As We Fix...
Jhené Aiko’s Magic Hour tour coming to PittsburghVideo
R&B singer Jhené Aiko announced the third leg of her Magic Hour tour, which includes a stop in Pittsburgh. The six-time Grammy nominee will visit PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 1, with an all-female lineup that includes Jessie Reyez, Shenseea, Umi, Kiana Ledé and Starrza. Known for popular songs like...
5 questions with country star Josh Turner ahead of Greensburg concertVideo
In the midst of his Greatest Hits tour, country artist Josh Turner gets the opportunity to reflect on his career on a nightly basis. “It’s kind of wild. I tell my crowd every night that I’m just very honored and very blessed to even be able to say those words...
Review: Megadeth shows they can still thrash in Pittsburgh concertVideo
Megadeth earned its spot in the “Big Four” of thrash metal in the mid 1980s, and they showed they still have what it takes more than 40 years later. Founded in 1983 by Dave Mustaine, Megadeth put on a display of nearly unending guitar ferocity Wednesday when their Destroy All...
A conversation with British vintage rockers The Heavy Heavy ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
On the day before The Heavy Heavy released their debut album earlier this month, singer Georgie Fuller ran into someone she hadn’t seen since March. “They were like, ‘Is the album out?’ I was like, ‘Tomorrow!’ That’s so crazy. I’ve been talking about it for so long,” she said with...
Seether bassist Dale Stewart on new album ‘The Surface Seems So Far,’ fatherhood and more ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
Dale Stewart, the bassist for post-grunge veterans Seether, thinks there should be a calculation for “road years,” similar to the math surrounding dog years. “It’s like, how old are you in road years? In road years, I’m 73,” he said with a laugh. “Going by the equation.” In real life,...
Sessanta V2.0 featuring A Perfect Circle, Primus and Puscifer hits Pittsburgh in 2025Video
The unique Sessanta tour, which features A Perfect Circle, Primus and Puscifer sharing musicians and the stage together, will visit Pittsburgh next year after a successful run earlier this year. Sessanta V2.0 will hit the Petersen Events Center on May 20, 2025. Originally created to mark the 60th birthday of...
Thomas Rhett brings Better in Boots tour to PittsburghVideo
Country star Thomas Rhett will be back in Pittsburgh next summer on as his Better in Boots tour. The “Die A Happy Man” and “Marry Me” singer will visit the Pavilion at Star Lake on June 13, 2025, with Tucker Wetmore opening the show. Rhett’s most recent album, “About a...
Victoria Canal talks new album ‘Slowly, It Dawns,’ flying in a helicopter with Tom Cruise and moreVideo
Singer-songwriter Victoria Canal calls her upcoming album, “Slowly, It Dawns,” her most ambitious work to date, with the record reflecting her artistic journey and life. “That’s the only way I know how to write really,” Canal said in a recent Zoom call from East London. “It mirrors my mid 20s,...
Blues singer Shemekia Copeland talks ahead of Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival appearanceVideo
With an album just released a few weeks ago, blues singer Shemekia Copeland can’t wait to play some of those songs live as part of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. “We’ve been doing lots of songs from the record,” Copeland said Wednesday in a call from California. “I’m very excited...
Country artist Brent Cobb latest to play Sheetz parking lot concert
Sheetz is serving up more than just made-to-order sandwiches and coffees, with pop-up parking lot concerts on their menu now. Country artist Brent Cobb became the second of the convenience store chain’s Truck Bed Sessionz with a show Wednesday in McKees Rocks. Cobb played an hour-long set, including his hits...
Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo discusses career-spanning shows, band’s current lineup ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
Back in the 1980s, the L’Amour club served as the “rock capital of Brooklyn,” drawing metal bands of the era to either play or just hang out. Glam metal band White Lion grew out of that scene, and their bassist James LoMenzo recalled Megadeth’s “In My Darkest Hour” being used...
Interview: Gwar singer Blöthar the Berserker on entitlement, blood, Lzzy Hale and moreVideo
For the uninitiated, a Gwar concert could be considered an otherworldly experience, appropriate for the shock rock band whose mythology includes intergalactic warriors. With band members named Sawborg Destructo, Grodius Maximus and Bonesnapper, just to name a few, Gwar features over-the-top costumes, geysers of (fake) blood and mock executions accompanied...
Atlanta Rhythm Section’s Rodney Justo on rejoining after 40 years, maintaining band’s legacyVideo
When Rodney Justo, the original lead singer of Atlanta Rhythm Section, left the music business in the 1980s, he did more than retire. He “over-quit.” “I didn’t sing a note, I didn’t listen to music,” Justo said in a recent call from his home in Tampa, Fla. “For a guy...
Randy Bachman talks The Guess Who lawsuit resolution, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and ‘better days’
After years of legal wranglings over The Guess Who name, Randy Bachman is thrilled that it’s finally been resolved. The saga pitted Bachman and Burton Cummings, the band’s principal songwriters, against drummer Garry Peterson and bassist Jim Kale. It’s a complicated tale involving trademarks, accusations of tainting the group’s legacy,...
Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper deliver horror-infused rock in Pittsburgh showVideo
Every night could be Halloween on the Freaks on Parade tour, co-headlined by Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. Zombie, who also writes and directs horror movies besides his musical career, and Cooper, the godfather of shock rock, brought their unique but complementary versions of horror business Tuesday night to the...
