David Byrne in Concert at Benedum; Lake Street Dive Plays Mr. Smalls (Sun., 5/13/18)

1) No surprise David Byrne’s concert at the Benedum Center is already sold out. Byrne was the frontman for Talking Heads, a band which was part of the ’70s New York City punk scene but evolved into something so much more. Early singles, such as “Psycho Killer,” looked beyond New York (the song’s bridge is in French). 1980’s Remain in Light incorporates afrofunk. And “(Nothing But) Flowers,” one of the group’s last singles, contains a Caribbean flair. You can hear such worldliness in Byrne’s work outside of Talking Heads, including My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, his collaboration with producer Brian Eno. The album samples Arabic singers and employs African rhythms. Byrne won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for his work on the score of 1987’s The Last Emperor. His latest solo album is 2018’s American Utopia. The concert will incorporate solo work and Talking Heads favorites, but don’t expect his big suit, his outfit from the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. 8 p.m. 237 7th St., Cultural District. (CM)

David Byrne playing at “Austin City Limits” in 2008. Photo: Ron Baker.

2) When Lake Street Dive were in town in 2016, they played the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival … the evening the Penguins won the Stanley Cup Finals. If you missed them then or when they played Mr. Smalls in 2017, hopefully you already bought tickets because their next show at Mr. Smalls Theatre is sold out. The members, who met while students at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music, named their band after a dive-bar-rich street in Minneapolis, trumpeter/guitarist Mike Olson’s hometown. The group’s sound has touches of pop, Americana, jazz, and soul. For proof of their cross-genre appeal, check out 2016’s Side Pony, their fifth studio album. It debuted at the top of three Billboard album charts—Rock, Folk, and Alternative. “Call Off Your Dogs,” a song from that album, moves in many musical directions and features a music video filmed at the famed Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Free Yourself Up, their sixth album, is out May 4. Mikaela Davis opens. 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale.  (RH, CM)

3) Our battlin’ Buccos take the diamond again today against the San Francisco Giants. It’s also Kids Day, with a Family Fun Zone outside the ball yard beforehand, and all fans 14 and under receiving a Kids Drawstring Bag and a chance to run the bases after the game. Moms will receive a Beach Bag. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. Next up for the Pirates is a two-game home series against the Chicago White Sox beginning Tuesday. PNC Park, 115 Federal St., North Shore.

Share on Social Media