Consol Has Five Finger Death Punch; The Rides Pull in for CHMH Concert (Mon., 5/9/16)

1) Attention, mortal weaklings: Be warned that what happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas. The extremely scary band Five Finger Death Punch, spawned in Las Vegas in 2005, has been known to go out on tour. On rhythm guitar they’ve got the Hungarian assassin, Zoltán Báthory, winner of the Golden Gods 2010 Best Shredder award from Metal Hammer. Five Finger Death Punch as a whole—as an awesomely destructive cosmic black whole, some would say—has itself received numerous accolades, such as Metal Hammer’s Best New Band (2009) and Bandit Rock’s Best International Group (2014). Notable albums range from 2012’s American Capitalist to last year’s Got Your Six.

And listen up, ye who scorn metal: The boys are more than mere brutes. In numbers like “Jekyll and Hyde,” they display a humorous self-awareness and keen sensitivity to the quandaries of life. Their “Wrong Side of Heaven” video, done to call attention to the plight of homeless veterans, is a YouTube hit. Therefore, a multidimensional head-banging experience awaits those who catch Five Finger Death Punch co-headlining with Shinedown at Consol Energy Center. 7 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (MV)

2) The Rides is an American blues rock supergroup that formed in 2013 and is composed of two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee singer/songwriter/guitarist Stephen Stills, five-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and noted Chicago blues rock keyboardist Barry Goldberg. Providing a solid rhythm foundation are touring musicians bassist Kevin McCormick from Stephen Still’s band and Shepherd’s drummer Chris Layton, who also played with Stevie Ray Vaughn. Stills calls The Rides “the blues band of his dreams.” Shepherd and Stills both have family roots in a swampy region of Louisiana and share an affinity for not just guitars and blues, but classic cars. The group’s first album, 2013’s Can’t Get Enough, made the top 40 of the Billboard 200. The Rides are touring in support of Pierced Arrow, released this year. 8 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall.

3) Born to Be Blue – Jazz music, as everyone knows, is famous for it’s improvisational riffs. Canadian writer/director Robert Budreau fittingly uses that idea in his take on the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, which he describes as “semi-factual, semi-fictional.” Baker was a leading exponent of West Coast cool jazz and who, thanks to his good looks and musical talents, became one of the biggest musicians in the 1950’s. By the end of that decade, however, he was a hopeless, dedicated heroin addict whose legal troubles were legendary. In the 60’s, allegedly during a drug-buy-gone-wrong, Baker was beaten up and his attackers kicked in his front teeth, destroying his embouchure and ending his career. But thanks to new dentures and rediscovery by critics, he had a late career revival until his death at 58. Budreau, along with Ethan Hawke playing Baker, presents that story with lots of riffs and wildly invented scenes which are delighting film fans but infuriating Baker fans. It’s no wonder the movie has not been “authorized” by the Baker estate. 7:30 p.m. Continues through May 12. Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. (TH)

Share on Social Media