1964 at the Benedum; Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Plays Mr. Smalls (CPs Sat., 3/22/14)

1) The Beatles were so consistently brilliant and prolific that a tribute band could sample from only a few years’ worth of their material and still have an exciting 90-minute set. That is exactly what 1964 will do at Benedum Center tonight. The hard-traveling group recreates a Fab Four show from the title year, the last in which The Beatles toured and the height of Beatlemania. They even pay careful attention to era-specific outfits and equipment. So expect mop tops, matching grey suits, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and covers of early rock and roll standards— not hippie hair, Sgt. Pepper’s jackets, “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and long song suites. The former is more than enough for an awesome, focused show. 8 p.m. 803 Liberty Ave., Cultural District.

2) In the last decade, some weird band names have come around: Vampire Weekend, Of Montreal, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Panic! at the Disco (always with an exclamation point in the middle) and Portugal. The Man (always with a period in the middle). The most random-seeming might be Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The four-year-old Detroit indie pop duo is not, in any way, related to the NASCAR driver and has never given a decent explanation for the name. When you get past the moniker, you’ll appreciate their cool, catchy, solid pop. They are at Mr. Smalls tonight with Valley and Marcus Meston. And yes, the actual Dale Earnhardt Jr. approves. 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Milvale.

3) The Carnegie Museum of Art’s 80,000-photo Teenie Harris archive is the gift that keeps on giving. In 2012, the museum showcased the best of the long-time Pittsburgh Courier photographer’s images of African-American life in the mid-20th century, in a career retrospective. Last year, the CMOA selected a few choice photos that had to do with hair and hairstyling. Now it has compiled Teenie Harris Photographs: Baseball in Pittsburgh, which opens today and features pics of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. The subject was near to Harris’s heart; he was briefly a second baseman for the Crawfords. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

4) For better or worse, comic book conventions have gotten glitzy. Their centerpieces are now first peeks at upcoming projects from big movie and TV studios. For those who hunger for the cons of old, dedicated to one specific art form, there are events like today’s Pittsburgh Indy Comix Expo, held far from any Hollywood glamor in a nondescript South Side office building. Here, independent cartoonists will compare notes, show off their projects, and mingle with fans. Guests include Gary Groth, publisher of the long-running indie shop Fantagraphics Books; Farel Dalrymple, creator of the fantasy series Pop Gun War, and Pittsburgh’s own Ed Piskor, the man behind the hacker adventure Wizzywig. 10 a.m.-11 p.m. 10 S. 19th St., South Side.

5) Adam Granduciel of Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs is a Generation-Y guitar god. Granduciel isn’t flashy. He doesn’t do a lot of solos. He does sincerely believe in the melodic ability of the electric guitar and it beautifully drives each and every song on the band’s three albums. Think Mark Knopfler for an indie rock set. Granduciel has been leading The War on Drugs since cofounder Kurt Vile left for a wildly successful solo career. Check out the group at Altar Bar tonight. White Laces, a distortion-drenched band from Virginia, opens. 8:30 p.m. 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District.

6) Today at Consol Energy Center, the Tampa Bay Lightning will do their best to strike down our mighty Penguins. 1 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

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Nick Keppler

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