Rapper Meek Mill’s conviction thrown out, granted new trial
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Wednesday overturned rapper Meek Mill’s conviction in a drug and gun case that has kept the rapper on probation for a decade and made him a celebrity crusader for criminal justice reform. The unanimous three-judge opinion granted the rapper a new trial because of new...
Jeff Jimerson takes Hempfield Park amphitheater stage
Jeff Jimerson and Airborne headline the latest “Concerts in the Park” series in Hempfield Park. Jimerson will perform at noon July 28 in the park’s new Hempfield Smail Auto Group Amphitheater, according to the township’s website. Jimerson is well known in the region for performing the national anthem at Pittsburgh...
Meek Mill launches new record label with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation
Meek Mill is in a Jay-Z state of mind: The Philadelphia rapper-turned-entrepreneur is launching a new record label in a joint venture with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. The two hip-hop players celebrated the launch of Dream Chasers Records on Tuesday at the Roc Nation headquarters in New York City, signing contracts...
Led Zeppelin’s ’73 Pittsburgh concert brought music and a melee
One of the more memorable rock concerts in Pittsburgh history happened on July 24, 1973, when Led Zeppelin drew 40,000 fans to Three Rivers Stadium. At the time, it was largest crowd ever to attend a musical event in the Steel City, and, for a while, things got out of...
Queen and Adam Lambert roll into Pittsburgh for sold-out showVideo
It’s a steamy summer for pop/rock star Adam Lambert. With his new single “Comin in Hot” and his current Rhapsody Tour with British rock band Queen selling out venues everywhere it plays – including a July 31 date at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh – Lambert is on fire. In...
Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift score 10 MTV VMA nominationsVideo
Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift are the top contenders at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, each scoring 10 nominations. MTV announced Tuesday that Grande and Swift will compete in eight of the same categories, including video of the year. Swift’s gay pride anthem “You Need to Calm Down” and...
Go bananas, swing dance al fresco in Latrobe with Yellow Tie Gala
Call it lemon, canary, sunset or honey, just make sure your wardrobe has some hues of the sunniest shade for the seventh annual Yellow Tie Gala. Slide on your dancing shoes and bring your sweet tooth as the Latrobe Art Center toasts the Great American Banana Split Celebration in style...
Saxophonist Vanessa Collier to play Pittsburgh Blues & Roots FestivalVideo
Acclaimed young blues singer and saxophonist Vanessa Collier will be part of the lineup at this weekend’s Pittsburgh Blues & Roots Festival, set for July 27 and 28 at the Syria Shrine Center in Cheswick. Collier, who recently received a 2019 Blues Music Award for “Best Horn—Instrumentalist,” is a 2013...
B.B. King’s ‘Lucille’ guitar going up for auction
Her name was “Lucille,” and in B.B. King’s hands she gave voice to the “King of the Blues.” Julien’s Auctions announced Tuesday that King’s black Gibson ES-345 prototype guitar is among the items from his estate that will go up for bid on Sept. 21. Julien’s says Gibson gave King...
Lil Nas X ties Billboard record set by Mariah, ‘Despacito’
Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi. “Old Town Road” logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart...
Country ‘poet’ Kip Moore to sing stories at The Palace TheatreVideo
Country artist Kip Moore brings his “Room to Spare” acoustic tour to Greensburg’s The Palace Theatre Oct. 24. The singer-songwriter released his third album, “Slowheart,” in 2017. It was described as an “embrace” of Moore’s rugged “rock roots” and his “poetic prowess.” The show features special guest Tucker Beathard. Presale...
Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World don’t disappoint at sold-out Stage AE
It was hard to be disappointed with the show Saturday night at Stage AE. The “Summer Gods Tour 2019” with Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World came through Pittsburgh’s North Shore for a sold-out show. Both bands played for over an hour, each playing most, if not all, the...
Teen rapper Tay-K found guilty of murder, faces up to 99 years
A teen rapper who three years ago notoriously made a music video while on the run from police was found guilty of murder Friday. Taymor “Tay-K” McIntyre, 19, faces five to 99 years behind bars after a jury convicted him of murder, but not the more serious crime of capital...
Trump says he will help rapper A$AP Rocky get out of Swedish jail
President Trump on Friday tweeted that he, after conversing with Kanye West, will work toward bringing rapper A$AP Rocky back to the U.S. after he was jailed in Sweden. A$AP has reportedly been jailed without charges following a street fight in June. “Just spoke to @KanyeWest about his friend A$AP...
Gin Blossoms, Cowboy Mouth to headline Flood City festival in JohnstownVideo
Johnstown hosts the annual Flood City Music Festival, not South by Southwest. But those two directions perfectly describe two of the festival’s 2019 headliners. The Arizona-based Gin Blossoms and New Orleans-based Cowboy Mouth will headline the two-day festival, set for Aug. 2 and 3 at Peoples Natural Gas Park in...
27 hot songs to go along with the heat
Look, there’s no escaping the heat outside. The National Weather Service says temperatures are set to head into the 90s in the coming days, with heat indexes hitting 105. So you might as well make the best of it. Crank up this playlist and let the music pour out of...
At 71, Alice Cooper refuses to burn out — let alone fade away
Alice Cooper is 71 years old. And while there are those who may cling to the idea that it’s better to burn out than to fade away, the man born Vincent Damon Furnier has no intention of doing that. He recently released a live album, “A Paranormal Evening at the...
Third Eye Blind’s new music won’t have any ‘smoothed-out edges’
A couple of years ago, Stephan Jenkins, frontman of Third Eye Blind, announced that the group would no longer make full-length albums. It’s a thought that’s occurring to plenty of music acts these days, given the way the major-label music industry emphasizes singles and how streaming encourages putting out music...
Hootie & The Blowfish back on the road after decade-long hiatus
Hootie & the Blowfish could easily have made their return after a decade-long hiatus with a tour on which they simply played their hits and fan-favorite album cuts from the five albums the group made during their initial 20-year run. Instead, the group will have a new studio album to...
PSO to play movie score while ‘Empire Strikes Back’ screens
The force is definitely with John Williams. His scores for the “Star Wars” series of films are among the most popular music for orchestra of our time. Excerpts from Williams’ film music have figured prominently at Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concerts for decades now. Williams himself has led the local orchestra...
Review: The Psychedelic Furs rock McKees Rocks
It was 10 p.m. Tuesday night in the beautifully restored Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks and the Psychedelic Furs still hadn’t hit the stage. The bill, which featured opening bands of James and Dear Boy, was running behind but I had waited nearly 40 years to see these guys, so,...
Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish closing in on historic No. 1 status, enlisting others to help outVideo
As pop music’s summer season hits its stride, the race at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 single chart is generating heat. If Columbia Records has any say in the matter, at the end of the month Lil Nas X’s left-field smash “Old Town Road” will surpass four months at...
Murals are a testament to Nipsey Hussle’s legacy
Months after his death in March, Nipsey Hussle’s influence pulses through the city — in alleys, on the fronts and sides of buildings, along busy highways and streets, on billboards and basketball courts, in galleries and breweries. In rich, vibrant colors, his face is amplified on dozens of murals and...
The Clarks to perform at Freedom Farms summer ‘hootenanny’
The Clarks are going down on the farm. Freedom Farms in Butler County will host the popular band on July 20 to celebrate Pittsburgh’s small businesses with a “Husks and Hops Hootenanny,” an event that will feature more than 20 locally owned breweries, three local bands and food straight from...
Carnegie Science Center to showcase rock-themed films on giant screen
The Carnegie Science Center’s Rangos Giant Cinema wants to take you to school this summer. The school of rock, that is. Pittsburgh’s largest screen is showing a series of rock ’n’ roll films showcasing pioneers of the 1960s sound, English rock royalty, and jam band titans. The list includes the...
