5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 21-23

It’s the first weekend of summer, and the rain is supposed to push on out of here. Here are some things to do.

Pittsburgh’s own

Donnie Iris and the Cruisers and The Clarks both perform Saturday — at separate venues. Tough choices for true Yinzers. Iris, a local favorite, will be on stage on Saturday at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall in Munhall.

The Clarks are at Stage AE on the North Side on Saturday. The band is part of DVE Rocker along with the Gathering Field, the Hawkeyes, the Affordable Floors and Gene the Werewolf.

Iris became known for the song “Ah! Leah!” which peaked at or around No. 29 in Billboard’s Singles Chart. Don’t forget “Love Is Like A Rock.”

The Clarks have 11 studio albums and their latest album covers songs the band has played over the past 10 years. Hits include “Cigarette” with the lyric, “It houses circus freaks, temptation and the Fayette County Fair. And it reeks of love gone sour, suspicion and big hair!” Of course, there’s also “Penny On The Floor.”

What’s it gonna be, Pittsburgh? “Dawnie” or The Clarks.

Details: http://www.donnieiris.com/ or http://www.clarksonline.com/index.html

We were born ready! https://t.co/3YQGfJQRmo

— The Clarks (@theclarks) June 19, 2019

The new kids

Multiplatinum selling pop super-group New Kids on the Block will perform Sunday at PPG Paints Arena, Uptown. The “MixTape Tour” includes guests Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Naughty by Nature. New Kids on the Block has sold over 100 million combined records worldwide. Songs you most likely will hear are “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” and “Step By Step.”

Details: http://ppgpaintsarena.com

The 30th Anniversary Edition of Hangin’ Tough is out now! #HanginTough30 https://t.co/e0Krycr71p pic.twitter.com/lsSHSkId4T

— New Kids on the Block (@NKOTB) March 8, 2019

Jazzy

The iconic Patti LaBelle will be the featured performer at the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival on Friday.

Presented by the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown, the event is curated and directed by Janis Burley Wilson, president and CEO of the cultural center.

The festival is a combination of free outdoor concerts and ticketed shows and runs through Sunday. The theme this year explores funk from “Butcher Brown” to “WAR,” and “Black Women Rock Coalition’s tribute to Betty Davis” to “Stanley Clarke Band.

There will also be a jazz crawl on Friday and “Jazz Time,” on Saturday morning at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Education Center on Liberty Avenue to engage children and adults through the story of Anqwenique Wingfield and music and lyrics by Douglas Levine.

A Pittsburgh’s own “Tamara Tunie CD Release Party” is on Saturday with other free concerts Saturday and Sunday.

Details: http://aacc-awc.org

Fridays At The Frick

Every Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. through Aug. 23, the Frick Pittsburgh in Point Breeze hosts “Summer Fridays at the Frick.” It’s an evening of entertainment, family-friendly activities and dining options at The Café at Frick. There will also be food trucks where you can picnic on the grounds. Opening night coincides with the Summer Solstice. There will be a drum circle and chanting led by Miguel Sague Jr., sun salutations on the lawn with Joanie Barr, fitness manager of Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center. While you are there check out “A Sporting Vision: the Paul Mellon Collection of Sporting Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,” which opened Saturday.

Details: https://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/

In the garden

The “Urban Garden Party: SOLSTICE” is Friday at the Mattress Factory on the North Side. The event encourages guests to party like the sun will never set since it’s being held on the first day of summer — the longest day of the year. There will be drinks, food and music. On Sunday, there will be a community garden party, which is a family fun celebration.

Details: https://www.mattress.org/