Luke Bryan in First of Two Concerts at First Niagara; ‘Sharon’s Grave’ Near End (Fri., 7/31/15)

1) One of the biggest acts in country music, Luke Bryan, hits the region on his Kick the Dust Up tour for back-to-back concert performances. Since 2009, the native Georgian has been on a tear with eleven songs rising to number one on the U.S. Country charts. “Country Girl (Shake it for Me)” went triple platinum and is the third-best-selling song by a male country artist. Early in his career, Bryan earned his keep as a Nashville songwriter by penning tunes for the likes of Travis Tritt and Billy Currington. He has proved to be more than capable of stepping into the spotlight himself, winning the 2013 Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award. More often seen in a baseball hat than a cowboy hat, Bryan has become a fan favorite by writing music that deals with some pretty popular themes (see tracks like “Wild Weekend,” “Cold Beer Drinker,” and “I’m Hungover”). Luke Bryan will be joined by Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch at First Niagara Pavilion. 7 p.m.  There is a second concert on August 1. 665 Pennsylvania 18, Burgettstown.

Dinzie Conlee (James FitzGerald) on the back of his brother Jack ( J. Alex Noble) to get a better look as to whether their uncle Donal Conlee ( John Henry Steelman) has died yet. Photo: Suellen Fitzsimmons.

2) The “I” is for “Irish.” PICT Classic Theatre was originally named Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, and the company still schedules intriguing plays from Ireland that are steeped in that country’s lore but seldom seen in the U.S. Next up is Sharon’s Grave, a macabre tragicomedy for which playwright John B. Keane was evidently channeling his inner banshee. Set in a rural seacoast area, Sharon’s Grave features a death watch, a wake, a feud over the dead man’s land, and a haunting. The villain pursuing the land grab is grotesquely unhinged: picture Voldemort without the emotional stability. The spirited daughter of the deceased insists on inhabiting the premises, while her brother is inhabited by spirits from Celtic mythology. 8 p.m. Ends Aug. 1. In the Henry Heymann Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. (MV)

3) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation — Okay folks, I think it’s time for us to hold an intervention. If we don’t act now, someone we care deeply about is going to be hurt. Yes, I’m talking about Tom Cruise and his latest MI:5 movie. I’ve seen the trailers, and in them Cruise is swinging off the wing of an airborne plane, zooming down the highway on a motorcycle at about 120 miles an hour, doing karate kicks while suspended from the ceiling with chains, and driving sports cars up walls and over stairways and across great divides. And here’s the thing: he’s 53 years old. How can I possibly enjoy a film when I’m going to spend most of my time worrying if the leading man is going to break a hip? In this movie, he’s fighting, as usual, some international cartel of terrorists and, as usual, everybody but a handful of supporting players—Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames—are trying to kill him. Why bother? Just get his AARP card revoked; that’ll show him who’s boss. Check Fandango for screens and times. (TH)

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