Donna the Buffalo Ride into the Rex; Pittsburgh Ballet’s Running ‘Le Corsaire’ (Fri., 4/15/16)

1) There are many buffalo references in music—e.g. the former band Grant Lee Buffalo, the song “Buffalo Stance” by Neneh Cherry, and Ted Nugent’s “The Great White Buffalo.” Another interesting buffalo is Donna the Buffalo, a band that plays across the musical genres of folk, rock, country, bluegrass, and zydeco, and hails from the Finger Lakes region of New York. The songwriting heart of the band is composed of Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins, both of whom perform vocals and are multi-instrumentalists. They even have a “Funky Side.” Donna the Buffalo is one of the founding/host bands for the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance and additionally the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival. Followers of the band are known collectively as “The Herd.” The band got its name when the musicians mis-heard a friend suggesting the name Dawn of the Buffalo. 8 p.m. The Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side.

2) Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre closes its 2015-16 season with a classical favorite, Le Corsaire (a.k.a. The Pirate). This ballet has a long and distinguished international pedigree. The story is drawn from Lord Byron’s book-length 1814 poem The Corsair, about an outcast but heroic pirate. Byron’s poem, a best-seller in its time, inspired several dramatic adaptations, including more than one ballet. The ballet being danced by PBT is based on the most enduringly popular version, which was choreographed by the 19^th-century master Marius Petipa and premiered at Russia’s Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in Saint Petersburg. Petipa kept tweaking Le Corsaire through numerous revivals and updates, and modern companies have followed suit. Expect to see high-octane dancing, because however it’s played, Le Corsaire is a swashbuckler. 8 p.m. Performances through Sunday. Benedum Center, 237 7^th St., Cultural District. (MV)

3) The Pirates game today is a tribute to a great American and a great baseball player—Jackie Robinson. And if that’s not enough it’s also Free Shirt Friday with the first 20,000 fans receiving a Bucco’s T-Shirt.  Oh, by the way the opponent is the Milwaukee Brewers. 7:05 p.m. PNC Park, 115 Federal St., North Shore.

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