Cody Johnson in Concert at PPG Paints Arena; Pittsburgh Opera Opens ‘La Boheme’ at Benedum (Sat., 10/18/25)

1) Sometimes it seems the whole country has been taken over by country—musically speaking, that is. And as the country music tidal wave sweeps through Pittsburgh, it brings to town one of the form’s beloved practitioners, Cody Johnson. The man is from Texas and his bona fides appear to be pretty darn bona: When young, he rode bulls at rodeos. Johnson also is known as a neo-traditional kind of country musician. He says he’s been influenced by esteemed old gaffers like George Strait, Willie Nelson, and way-back legend Hank Williams. Johnson’s style is flowing, lilting, and natural. His songs sound like they come from a born-and-raised storyteller. And the songs on his 2023 release Leather won him the Country Music Association’s award for Album of the Year. Now you can enjoy the specially enhanced version, as Cody Johnson brings his Leather Deluxe Tour to PPG Paints Arena. The guest artists are Clint Black and Walker Montgomery. 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (M.V.)

LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini, with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Pittsburgh Opera. October 18 – 26.

2) A little extra publicity never hurts. Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, a longtime audience favorite, gets an added boost in modern times by being known as the opera that inspired the musical Rent. See (and hear) what made the original popular, as Pittsburgh Opera stages La Bohème. The opera is loved for its music, of course—the romantic duet O soave fanciulla (“O sweet girl”) comes across wonderfully even without English translation—and the story is richly engaging. It’s set during the 1830s in Paris, where the term “bohemian” was first applied to artistic types living at the fringes of society. Puccini knew the lifestyle from his younger days, and for La Bohème he worked with a pair of skilled librettists, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Together they crafted an opera that’s an emotional roller coaster, following a group of young bohemians through hilarious escapades mixed with the tensions and perils of living at the edge. Singing the lead roles for Pittsburgh Opera are tenor Daniel O’Hearn as Rodolfo and the heralded South African soprano Vuvu Mpofu as Mimi. In Italian with English supertitles. Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (MV)

Share on Social Media