Huey Lewis and News Play Palace; One Republic and Fitz and Tantrums at KeyBank (Tues., 7/18/17)

1) When the album Sports dropped in ’83, it propelled Huey Lewis and the News to the higher echelons of the music industry charts. It achieved the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 on June 30, 1984. Like a musical tornado, it spun off four Top 10 and one Top 20 hit. “Heart and Soul,” “I Want a New Drug,” “The Heart of Rock & Roll,” and “If This Is It” were all over the radio and a very young MTV. “Power of Love,” which was used in the soundtrack for the movie Back to the Future, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1986. The band’s sound is part bar rock with a touch of soul, R&B, blues, and doo wop. Fun, uptempo music combined with Lewis’ entertaining persona always make them a good act to catch. 8 p.m. The Palace Theatre, 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. (RH)

2) I hadn’t seen One Republic live before, but they were the opener for a  U2 concert I attended a few weeks ago in Louisville. I had liked their sound, but seeing them perform a high-energy show solidified me even more as a fan. Lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Tedder is a highly talented, fun, and humble front man for One Republic. The group cites many influences from a wide-ranging spectrum of artists and genres, including U2, The Beatles, and M83. Surviving some setbacks after forming in 2002, the band dropped their first album, Dreaming Out Loud, in 2007. The lead single, “Apologize,” cracked the Top 5 of virtually every major music chart in the world. The follow-up, “Stop and Stare,” was another international success and cemented the band as a force in pop music. They’ve had several more Top 10 singles since then, including “Good Life” and “Counting Stars.” One Republic’s 2016 album, Oh My My, debuted on the Billboard Hot 200 chart at No. 3. Opening is L.A.-based pop rockers Fitz and The Tantrums, who scored a big hit in the past year with “HandClap.” James Arthur is also on the bill. KeyBank Pavilion. 665 Rt. 18, Burgettstown. (RH)

One Republic performing at Surf Beach in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2013. photo: Vernon Chan and Wikipedia.

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