‘Mystic India’ Brings Big Bollywood Show to Byham; Pittsburgh Guitars’ Big Beatles Show (Sun., 11/8/15)

1) Here comes a really big show for lovers of Bollywood song and dance. Mystic India—The World Tour, by Amit Shah, is a musical stage extravaganza that sets out to present a tour of India itself, past and present. That’s a tall order, given that India is a large, complex country with about four times the population of the United States,10 times the U.S.’s recorded history, and correspondingly more of everything else. But as countless movies and music videos richly attest, if any entertainment industry is up to the job, it’s the one based in Mumbai. The Bollywood aesthetic thrives on “more of everything”!!!! Mystic India has waves of mass musical numbers paying tribute to various regions and cultures. It has a live narrator to help explain scenes depicting the life of Mahatma Gandhi and India’s annual Holi festival. It has acrobats performing mallakhamba, a jaw-dropping style of Indian gymnastics, and special effects reflecting the Bollywood belief that there’s no such thing as a cheap trick as long as it is done extravagantly. The Mystic India touring company visits Pittsburgh as part of the Cultural Trust’s India in Focus series. 7 p.m. Byham Theater, 101 6th Ave., Cultural District. (MV)

2) Pittsburgh Guitars is holding its 13th Annual Big Beatles Show, a fundraiser to benefit the Strum Together Scholarship Fund. This fun event is a night full of Beatles rockers and ballads performed by a wide array of talented local musicians and bands. Proceeds go towards the Strum Together charity who provide musical performance scholarships to needy young adults. One group that’s always on the bill and brings a steady backbeat is The Elliotts. 6 p.m. Rex Theater. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side.

3) Progressive bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band is in concert tonight at Mr. Smalls Funhouse. Colorado, now a major producer of “green” grass, also grew this blue grass band, who have five studio albums to their credit. “Half Moon Rising” is one of their most popular songs and resonates with joyful sounds. The band’s 2015 release Black Sheep is available on CD and vinyl. Henhouse Prowlers opens. 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale.

4) The Steelers, who are coming off a painful loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday in which star running back Le’Veon Bell was lost for the season, line up this week against the Oakland Raiders. Luckily this year the Steelers have a proven backup in DeAngelo Williams. 1 p.m. 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Shore.

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