Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Sade, Oasis, Ozzy Osbourne among Rock Hall nominees for ’24
NEW YORK — Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinéad O’Connor and heavy metal’s Prince of Darkness are some the 2024 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a wide musical net that also includes the pop-soul of Sade and Britpoppers Oasis....
Taylor Swift fans in region gear up for Swiftie-themed Super Bowl parties
Bianca Bodde plans a Swiftie twist to her Super Bowl party decorations this weekend. Fans of Taylor Swift — Swifties for short — are prepared to show up in full force with themed gatherings to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers this Super Bowl Sunday....
Westmoreland student musicians to perform at annual Young Artists Competition recital
Franklin Regional student musicians had a strong showing in the annual Young Artists Competition, hosted by the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and Seton Hill University. Panther students swept the competition’s Level I instrumental category, and earned nine spots on the winners’ list. Winners will take part in a recital Sunday at...
Justin Timberlake extends Forget Tomorrow tour, including Pittsburgh concertVideo
Justin Timberlake added 15 more concerts to his Forget Tomorrow tour, including a Pittsburgh date. The “My Love” and “SexyBack” singer will visit PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 14. For his first tour in five years, he will be out in support of his upcoming album, “Everything I Thought It...
Usher says it’s been a challenge to squeeze 30-year career into 13-minute Super Bowl halftime showVideo
LAS VEGAS — Usher found fitting a successful three decades of music into a super-short Super Bowl halftime show a challenge, but the multiple Grammy winner decided to concentrate on past hits, moments from his popular Las Vegas residency and possibly draw from his new album. “I was very mindful...
Review: ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ doesn’t stirVideo
Bob Marley was born in 1945, the son of an 18-year-old mother and a much older white man who had nothing to do with his son. As a boy raised in poverty, he often slept on the cold ground. Five years after moving to Kingston’s Trench Town, he made his...
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ coming to Disney+ in March
LOS ANGELES — The blockbuster “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert movie will join the Disney+ streaming service March 15. Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday that it secured streaming rights to last year’s smash hit film in a deal that demonstrated, once again, the enormous appeal — and economic prowess...
Review: Dynamic guitar work shows Extreme is ‘More Than Words’ in Pittsburgh concert
Extreme may be best known for their two radio hits from the 1990s, “More Than Words” and “Hole Hearted.” But the hard rock band out of Boston showed they’re much, much more than power ballads in an electric performance as part of their Thicker Than Blood tour Tuesday night at...
Toby Keith’s Pittsburgh-area performances recalled
As the country music world mourns the death of country singer Toby Keith, Pittsburghers can look back on his many performances in and near town. Keith appeared in the Pittsburgh region a total of 13 times, the most recent being a Sept. 27, 2019, concert at Highmark Stadium outside of...
Madonna electrifies with theatrics in Pittsburgh ‘Celebration’ stop
Madonna certainly brought electricity to Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on Monday night in her “Celebration Tour.” The “Queen of Pop” performed a repertoire spanning her over-40-year career — all while sporting a knee brace. She kicked things off with “Nothing Really Matters” after a slideshow of pictures of her life...
Singer-songwriter Toby Keith dies after battling stomach cancer
NORMAN, Okla. — Toby Keith, a sometimes polarizing figure in country music who crafted an identity around his macho, pro-American swagger, has died. He was 62. The “Beer For My Horses” singer-songwriter, who was battling stomach cancer, died peacefully Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on...
Ratings for the Grammy Awards hit a sweet note as almost 17 million tune in, up 34% from 2023
NEW YORK — An average of 16.9 million viewers tuned in to see performances by Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish and watch Taylor Swift make history at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, the largest audience for the telecast in four years and another consecutive annual increase for a show that...
Taylor Swift announces new album while accepting Grammy
LOS ANGELES — Forget her “Reputation.” Taylor Swift has a brand new album coming out. Accepting the Grammy for best pop vocal album, Taylor said she’d been keeping a secret for two years. “My brand new album comes out April 19. It’s called the Tortured Poets Department. I’m going to...
Taylor Swift wins album of the year Grammy for a record 4th timeVideo
LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift won album of the year at the Grammy Awards for “Midnights,” breaking a record for most wins in the category with four. She began her speech by thanking her producer and friend Jack Antonoff and added, “I would love to tell you this is the...
The 2024 Grammy Awards are here with SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Victoria Monét leading the nominations
LOS ANGELES — The 66th Grammy Awards are set to take place Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and there’s a lot to be excited about. Women outpace men in the major categories, so expect to see a spotlight on its female nominees. “That’s the same throughout the...
Wayne Kramer, co-founder of revolutionary rock band the MC5, dead at 75Video
NEW YORK — Wayne Kramer, the co-founder of the protopunk Detroit band the MC5 that thrashed out such hardcore anthems as “Kick Out the Jams” and influenced everyone from the Clash to Rage Against the Machine, has died at age 75. Kramer died Friday at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles,...
‘Nostalgia’ bands draw reliable crowds, spur economic activity
Classic rock band The Guess Who took the stage last night at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, belting out hits such as “American Woman” and “These Eyes.” Nostalgia is the primary draw for bands of a certain vintage who are looking to capitalize on the magic of classic rock’s heyday....
Country music icon Jason Aldean to open restaurant on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
A country music megastar plans to open a new bar/restaurant in Pittsburgh this year. Jason Aldean’s Kitchen+Bar is opening at the old Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36 location. The new business, at 393 North Shore Drive, is in partnership with TC Restaurant Group, owner of Tequila Cowboy. The nearly 10,000-square-foot venue...
Popular TikTok music pulled in contract dispute
If you were scrolling on TikTok Wednesday night and noticed that certain songs from popular artists like Taylor Swift have disappeared from videos, you weren’t alone. Universal Music group said it would stop licensing its songs to TikTok if the two companies could not reach a new deal, as reported...
5 things to know ahead of Madonna’s Pittsburgh concert
The “Queen of Pop” is coming to Pittsburgh Monday night for the “Celebration Tour.” Madonna, the 65-year-old singer, songwriter and actress, was initially set to perform at PPG Paints Arena on Aug. 7, 2023, but then her concert was postponed. Here are five things you need to know ahead of...
From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacleVideo
LOS ANGELES — Underneath his umbrella, NFL legend Dan Marino stood nearly drenched on the sideline watching Prince’s epic “Purple Rain” Super Bowl halftime performance in 2007 during a torrential Miami downpour. For Marino, Prince’s iconic show was one the greatest moments in the history of halftime shows — which...
The Guess Who: Current, former members battle in court, public opinion over band’s legacy
Seeing The Guess Who in concert? Well, that depends on who’s telling the story. At what point does a band become just a brand? That’s essentially the question being asked in a very public war of words between current and former members of The Guess Who. The Canadian rockers climbed...
Country singer Riley Green discusses new album, being raised right, and an unreleased song ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
Country singer Riley Green’s second album, “Ain’t My Last Rodeo,” came out in October, but an upcoming tour will be the first real test of those songs. The tour’s second stop comes Feb. 9 at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. “I think that my perspective and favorite songs will...
Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and others may vanish from TikTok as licensing dispute boils over
Universal Music Group, which represents artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, says that it will no longer allow its music on TikTok now that a licensing deal between the two parties has expired. UMG said that it had not agreed to terms of a new...
Homecoming: Branford Marsalis new artistic director at New Orleans music center named for his father
NEW ORLEANS — Branford Marsalis, the jazz saxophonist and composer acclaimed for his movie scores, Grammy-winning recordings and his stint as the leader of The Tonight Show band, is taking on the role of educator in a return to his hometown of New Orleans. Marsalis was named Tuesday as the...
