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...
Pete Townshend regrets not staying to mourn after Who stampede in Cincinnati in 1979
NEW YORK — Forty years after a stampede left 11 people dead and 23 injured at a Who concert in Cincinnati, Pete Townshend says he’s always regretted not sticking around to deal with the aftermath. Instead, the band left the Riverfront Coliseum on Dec. 3, 1979, and moved on to...
Cheap Trick plans winter show at Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick will play The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on Feb. 9. Promoter pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. Dec. 5 via eventbrite.com with the passcode “PALACE.” Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org. Tickets...
Bluesman Robert Cray schedules Palace Theatre concertVideo
Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray will play The Palace Theatre in Greensburg on March 13. The original Robert Cray Band came together in 1974 in Eugene, Ore. Its debut release was “Who’s Been Talkin’” in 1980. Songs from the 1986 release of “Strong Persuader,” brought the band...
Chicago tour featuring Rick Springfield coming to PittsburghVideo
Legendary rock and roll horn band Chicago and pop icon Rick Springfield have announced a North American summer amphitheater tour that includes a July 25 date at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at livenation.com Chicago has been honored...
Vocal Confluence plans ‘Metro Holiday’ concert
Vocal Confluence, Pittsburgh’s men’s a cappella chorus, will perform its metro holiday concert, “A December to Remember,” on Dec. 8. The 3 p.m. performance will be held at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh. The group performs music in a variety of styles, including barbershop, jazz, traditional choral and...
Murrysville group will host Italian Christmas program with tenor Marco FioranteVideo
The American Association of University Women’s Murrysville chapter will host Italian singer Marco Fiorante at its Dec. 12 meeting for a special holiday program. Born in Cellino San Marco in Italy’s Puglia region, Fiorante completed his musical study in “canto lirico” (“opera performance”) at the Conservatorio Tito Schipa in Lecce,...
