‘Luck of the Iris’: Donnie Iris and the Cruisers still know how to rockVideo
Attending a Rolling Stones concert is somewhat akin to looking through an ultra-powerful telescope and seeing light that has been traveling this direction practically since time began. In the context of rock ’n’ roll, Mick, Keith and company started wowing audiences just a few years after the genre’s advent. For...
Bryan Adams gives a performance ‘straight from the heart’ at PPG Paints Arena
Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams remembers the first time he ever played in Pittsburgh. “The first time I ever played in America properly, I opened for The Kinks here,” he recounted to the audience during his show Friday night at PPG Paints Arena. “I started when I was 15 but...
Get your St. Patrick’s Day playlist readyVideo
Grab your best green hat and pour a Guinness — although, were it me, we’d be pouring a Murphy’s Irish Stout, but I digress — and let’s put together an appropriate playlist for St. Patrick’s Day. Being that the holiday falls on a Sunday this year, let’s start the occasion...
Pittsburgh’s Low Kings bring Celtic rock to town — and not just on St. Patrick’s Day
March is the busiest time of year for Pittsburgh-based Celtic rock band The Low Kings — St. Patrick’s Day is prime time for their style of music. “We get to feel like the special person at the prom, which is awesome,” said Shawn Melvin, lead singer, guitarist and founding member...
Meghan Trainor bringing Timeless tour to Pittsburgh in SeptemberVideo
Singer Meghan Trainor announced a new album and tour Thursday, with a stop planned in Pittsburgh later this year. The “All About That Bass” singer is scheduled to bring her Timeless tour to Petersen Events Center on Sept. 6, with Chris Olsen opening the show. Trainor’s sixth-studio album, “Timeless,” which...
Meet Ciara, superstar wife of new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson will soon officially be the new quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35-year-old set social media on fire on Monday with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that played “Renegade” over clips of fans waving Terrible Towels. His wife, Ciara Wilson, reposted it with a series...
Joey Vera interview: Armored Saint bassist on the band’s legacy, touring, AI and moreVideo
When Armored Saint started in 1982, even the band members couldn’t imagine still going strong more than 40 years later. “No. So this fact is a great reminder of how much we appreciate this opportunity to still be able to do this,” bassist Joey Vera said. But that’s exactly what...
‘I’m excited’: Donnie Iris ready to hit the stage a year after cancer diagnosisVideo
It’s been more than a year since Donnie Iris last got to play a concert, but he isn’t nervous. Not after the year he’s had. “No, I’m excited,” Iris said in a phone call last week. “I’m excited more than anything.” Iris, who just turned 81 on Feb. 28, finally...
Staind, Breaking Benjamin opening co-headline tour in PittsburghVideo
Staind and Breaking Benjamin are launching their co-headlining tour in Pittsburgh. The modern alternative rockers, who both rose to fame in the early 2000s, will play the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown on Sept. 10. Lakeview, a country band with ties to Pittsburgh, will open the show. Staind’s 2001...
Review: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit in top form in Pittsburgh concert
At one point Saturday night, as Jason Isbell surveyed the Benedum Center crowd, he made the observation that it didn’t seem to be a season-ticket holder crowd. It’s one thing to be “out there expecting ‘La traviata,’” he said with a pause, “and then get scared by ‘La rednecka.’” Instead...
Steve Lawrence, singer, entertainer and half of popular stage duo Steve & Eydie, dies at 88
NEW YORK — Steve Lawrence, a singer and top stage act who as a solo performer and in tandem with his wife Eydie Gorme kept Tin Pan Alley alive during the rock era, died Thursday. He was 88. Lawrence, whose hits included “Go Away Little Girl,” died from complications due...
K.K. Downing interview: Ex-Judas Priest guitarist on new band, KK’s Priest, Hall of Fame induction, moreVideo
The way K.K. Downing sees it, creating a setlist can be difficult, but he pretty much can’t make a bad pick. Downing, a co-founder and longtime guitarist for British metal legends Judas Priest, is on the road now with his new band, KK’s Priest. That means he can choose from...
Prosecutors drop charges midtrial against 3 accused of possessing stolen ‘Hotel California’ lyrics
NEW YORK — New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their criminal case midtrial Wednesday against three men who had been accused of conspiring to possess a cache of hand-drafted lyrics to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits. Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Aaron Ginandes informed the judge at 10 a.m. that prosecutors...
Ben Folds to play Three Rivers Arts Fest in Pittsburgh
Ben Folds dropped the tour dates Wednesday for his “Paper Airplane Request Tour,” and a stop in Pittsburgh at the Three Rivers Arts Festival is among them. Folds will play on June 9 during the fest. The festival has not announced this show yet, so this is a little bit...
Q&A: Norah Jones on her ‘ratty-sounding’ new album and the old song that’s almost ‘too sad’ to play
Twenty-two years ago, Norah Jones blasted into superstardom at age 23 with the release of her instant-smash debut, “Come Away With Me.” An easygoing blend of jazz, folk, pop and country, the LP sold 4 million copies in its first 12 months and spun off an adult-contemporary radio staple in...
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar ready to open on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
A vintage 4020 John Deere tractor is parked inside the establishment with built-on shelves displaying of bottles of alcohol. The signature bright green paint on the vehicle with bold yellow wheels and large rear tires is consistent décor. It’s pretty much a given who owns this place. Country music star...
Andy Falkous interview: Mclusky guitarist/singer on Pittsburgh, touring, reunion and new albumVideo
Andy Falkous, the singer/guitarist for Welsh post-hardcore group Mclusky, will be paying his first visit to Pittsburgh later this month — “unless I got really drunk in 2003 and we played a show somewhere that I just don’t recall.” Aside from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he admitted to not knowing much...
Marc Broussard interview: ‘Bayou soul’ singer/songwriter celebrating with 20th anniversary tour of ‘Carencro’ albumVideo
Louisiana singer/songwriter Marc Broussard looks back at 2004 as a great time for music. At the time, he was signed to Island Def Jam records, which released his major-label debut, “Carencro,” that year, and he opened for Maroon 5 and the Dave Matthews Band. Now 20 years later, the Bayou...
Kacey Musgraves bringing Deeper Well tour to Pittsburgh in NovemberVideo
Country singer Kacey Musgraves is launching the biggest tour of her career, and it includes a stop in Pittsburgh this fall. Musgraves, the seven-time Grammy Award winner, will play PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 10 as a part of the Deeper Well world tour. Indie rockers Lord Huron and bluegrass...
Cage the Elephant, with new album coming soon, announce Pittsburgh tour stop
Cage the Elephant announced a new album and tour, which includes a stop in Pittsburgh later this year. The Grammy Award-winning rock band will visit the Pavilion at Star Lake on Aug. 29, with special guests Young The Giant and Bakar. Their sixth album, “Neon Pill,” is scheduled for a...
JP Saxe interview: Singer/songwriter on internet conspiracy theories, new music and oversharing ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
For Canadian singer-songwriter JP Saxe, a role in an internet conspiracy theory is just a rite of passage in media nowadays. That happened with his song, “If the World Was Ending,” released in October 2019, or just a few months before the coronavirus pandemic rattled the world. Featuring Julia Michaels,...
2 men convicted of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay nearly 22 years after rap star’s deathVideo
NEW YORK — More than 20 years after Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay was brazenly gunned down in his recording studio, two men close to him were convicted Tuesday of murder, marking a moment authorities had long awaited in one of the hip-hop world’s most elusive cases. An anonymous Brooklyn...
Band, orchestra shine in Music of Pink Floyd show at Heinz HallVideo
Half a century after its release, audiophiles continue to demonstrate their latest gear by playing Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” The landmark LP by the British band not only pushed the boundaries of recorded clarity and depth, but its popularity is practically unparalleled, with 45 million copies...
Photographer accuses Taylor Swift’s dad of punching him in the face on Sydney waterfront
MELBOURNE, Australia — A photographer told police he was punched in the face by Taylor Swift’s father on the Sydney waterfront on Tuesday, hours after the pop star’s Australian tour ended. Ben McDonald said he provided police with a statement alleging that Scott Swift assaulted him at the Neutral Bay...
Zach Bryan, Donnie Iris, Fall Out Boy highlight March’s top Pittsburgh concerts
One of country music’s hottest stars, a Pittsburgh legend and a band known for pop-punk anthems will take the stage in Pittsburgh this month. Here’s a look at the most notable shows coming to the area in March: Top shows March 9: Zach Bryan, The Middle East, Levi Turner at...
