Butler-native Bret Michaels Plays Hollywood Casino at Meadows; Girl Talk at Stage AE (Sat., 4/30/22)

1) He’s the good-looking man in the red bandanna! You can bet the house will be packed when Butler native and die hard Steelers fan Bret Michaels revisits his home turf for a gig at Hollywood Casino Meadows Event Center. Michaels, born Bret Michael Sychak, has won fame in practically every way available. In addition to the solo career he launched in 1998 he’s been a founding member and longtime lead vocalist of the glam-metal rockers Poison. He wrote, directed, and starred in the movie A Letter from Death Row, with his friend and colleague Charlie Sheen. Michaels has even had his own reality TV shows. Expect to hear him doing metal/country hits like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” maybe “The App Song,” and more. Michaels is currently on an extensive U.S. tour, but he always makes time for many charity events as well. 8 p.m. 210 Racetrack Rd, Washington. (M.V.)

Bret Michaels performs in Massapequa, NY in 2014. photo: Rjkowal and Wikipedia.

2) Girl Talk has released five albums without playing a single instrument (unless you count “laptop” as an instrument). This anomaly is easily explained—Girl Talk’s albums consist entirely of samples, sometimes over 300 of them. Gregg Gillis, the man behind Girl Talk, shuffles these samples to create genre-spanning mash-ups, all of which are highly dance-able. A Pittsburgher, Gillis worked as a bio-medical engineer before quitting his day job to pursue music full-time. The 2014 Broken Ankles EP saw Girl Talk collaborating with Philadelphia’s Freeway, with the former providing the beats and the latter the rhymes. The release has left listeners salivating for another full-length Girl Talk LP, the last of which was 2010’s All Day. In 2020 he released a single called “Fallin'” with Sudanese American rapper Bas. Girl Talk was the first act to ever perform at Stage AE. Now he returns to the venue for his latest appearance. Special guest is Hugh Augustine. Doors open 8 p.m. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Dr., North Shore.

3) Handmade Arcade has its Spring Market at Construction Junction featuring talented emerging Pittsburgh makers, arts, and craftspeople. On hand will be bath and body products, handcrafted bags and wallets, candles, creative ceramics, and unique artwork. Food trucks from Hermes Food Truck and Sprezzatura will be on hand to add to the festivities. There will also be several live demos. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 214 N. Lexington St., North Point Breeze.

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