Hometown Rapper Wiz Khalifa and Fall Out Boy Play First Niagara; Dark “Brewed” Running at No Name (Thurs., 7/2/15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdy5LJdZe5s

1) Wiz Khalifa loves Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh loves Wiz Khalifa.The Taylor Allderdice alum is also one of the hardest working people in the entertainment industry. His rap music has been nominated for seven Grammys, including the hometown fave “Black and Yellow.” In between frequent solo releases, Khalifa has collaborated with artists as diverse as Snoop Dogg and Maroon 5. His Taylor Gang Entertainment label, headquartered in the Steel City, recently partnered with Neff, an active lifestyle brand, to produce 26 pieces of apparel, featuring hats and T-shirts. Blacc Hollywood, his fifth studio album, went to number one on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart in 2014. Khalifa recently performed the lead single from Blacc Hollywood—”We Dem Boyz”—on both ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” He’s returning to Pittsburgh with the Boys of Zummer tour.

Pop-punkers Fall Out Boy, from the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, are also on the bill. Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley make up Fall Out Boy. The band, started by Wentz and Trohman,  started out as a pop punk side project of their respective hardcore bands. Stump joined shortly thereafter, with Hurley joining later. Since 2004 Fall Out Boy has been nominated for 43 music awards, winning 23. The group has three albums that garnered double platinum sales status. Fall Out Boy is currently touring in support of their sixth studio album, American Beauty/American Psycho, released this past January.  Hoodie Allen opens. 7 p.m. First Niagara Pavilion, 665 Route 18, Burgettstown.

2) If you want dark comedy, Brewed is super-dark, and what’s brewing is not artisanal coffee or any such sissy stuff. This play by Pittsburgh native Scott T. Barsotti—which stunned Off-Loop audiences in Chicago two years ago—puts a capital D on “dystopian.” Brewed is a surreal tale of six weird sisters doomed to perpetually stir a bubbling pot of something-or-other while failing to get along rather spectacularly. Sister Nannette races stock cars while Babette spews venom from a wheelchair; Roxette (for some reason) brings home her new girlfriend to meet the family; there are fistfights and more. In other words it’s just the kind of play that audiences love to see from No Name Players, and they’re doing Brewed at off the WALL Theater. 8 p.m. Through July 11. 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. (MV)

3) There’s a great Italian restaurant in Wexford, tucked into the same building that houses the prestigious Oxford Athletic Club and several other businesses. Grazie Restaurant and Event Center, a comfortable family style restaurant with high-quality food, full bar, and an outdoor patio overlooking the Oxford Athletic Club’s pool, is open to the general public. The menu offers rich, traditional Italian fare as well as healthier options. Menu categories are appetizers, salads, specialty pizzas, hoagies, gourmet burgers, sandwiches, pastas, and seafood. Highlights include Fried Zucchini, Buffalo Chicken and Margherita Flatbread Pizzas, Grazie Portabella, Blackened Salmon Salad, Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, Pasta a la Grazie, New York Strip Steak, and Crab Cakes. We’ve all heard of soup and salad, or half sandwich and salad, Grazie has an even better combo—a meatball and salad! The servers are friendly and attentive. Grazie is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. 100 Village Club Dr.

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