First of Two Nights for Drake and J. Cole at PPG Paints Arena; Ghost Hounds to Appear at Roxian Theatre (Fri., 2/16/23)

Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17

1) If he had done nothing else, Drake would be renowned in the annals of hip hop as the artist who popularized singing as well as rapping to the beats. But he’s done much more, becoming an all-around cultural icon and the very model of a modern global superstar. Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham in Toronto in 1986, first rose to Canada-wide fame as a teenager when he won a featured-actor role in a teen drama series on Canadian TV. But even then, he had scenes in which he rapped—like the notable one where his character raps from a wheelchair after being shot. And once Drake focused on music, the results were spectacular. His debut mixtape in 2006 drew modest sales but had a prophetic title: Room for Improvement. Indeed. Since then, Drake has won five Grammys and numerous other awards while cutting eight studio albums and placing a record-breaking 328 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. His other ventures range from fashion and fragrance lines to producing TV shows and serving as global ambassador for the Toronto Raptors NBA team. Drake is portrait-ized in wax at Madame Tussauds in London. His combined Wikipedia pages run to the length of a small book. And …

Drake is booked in Pittsburgh for two shows on his joint tour with J. Cole. On this journey—double-titled the It’s All A Blur Tour: Big As The What?—they’re scheduled to be joined by special guests Boi-1da, DJ Prince, and maybe more. Drake and friends play PPG Paints Arena at 8 p.m. on February 16 and again at 8 p.m. on the 17th. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (M.V.)

Drake performing in 2016. (Photo: ‘The Come Up Show’ and Wikipedia)

2) Billionaire businessman Thomas Tull is a Sewickley renaissance man. He sold his ownership in Legendary Entertainment and bought an ownership stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009. He owns a dairy farm in Washington County and is an investor in The Milkshake Factory. He also co-founded and plays guitar in a rock band called the Ghost Hounds, who most famously opened for the Rolling Stones here during their concert in October 2021. He also started the Maple House Festival a few years ago which featured the Ghost Hounds and several other prominent names in the music industry. The band’s latest album is this year’s First Last Time. Another top local talent in the Hounds is keyboardist Joe Munroe. You can catch the Ghost Hounds in their rescheduled show at McKees Rocks’ Roxian Theatre. Special guest is Orianthi. 7 p.m. 425 Chartiers Ave. (R.H.)

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