Steve Miller Band Keeps on Rockn’ the Burgh; Leonard Nimoy’s Play “Vincent” at Carnegie Museum of Art (Sun., 6/14/15)

1) In the 1970s the Steve Miller Band was one of the hottest acts around. Miller was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Dallas, where in high school he met friend and bandmate, rocker Boz Scaggs. He also lived in Chicago and New York before settling in San Francisco and finding his groove. His first taste of major chart success came in 1973 with The Joker, with the title single hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. When the follow up album Fly Like an Eagle dropped in 1976 the title single flew up the charts—nesting at number 2. The song speaks to finding a solution for humanity’s ills.

Chronicling two young lovers—who were also bandits and wanted by the police—was another of Eagle’s hits, “Take the Money and Run.” Every time Texas is referenced in the song it’s followed by five hand claps. 1977 saw the release of Book of Dreams which generated the hits “Jungle Love” and “Jet Airliner.” With all that success, Miller’s career zenith was definitely in the 1970s, but he has released other quality material over the years. A popular draw on the concert circuit, Miller and band continue to shine. Special guest is Don Felder, former lead guitarist for The Eagles. 7 p.m. Highmark Stadium, Station Square, South Side.

James Briggs, as Theo Van Gogh, stands up for his brother in “Vincent.”

2) After portraying Spock in the “Star Trek” TV series, Leonard Nimoy wrote and performed a one-man play about the painter of “The Starry Night,” Vincent Van Gogh. Nimoy’s Vincent is little known. He adapted it from a prior (and even lesser-known) play, then performed it in 1981 in Los Angeles, where it was well received but then forgotten. Now Carnegie Museum of Art presents a special revival of Vincent. The actor is James Briggs, founder of the aptly named Starry Night Theater Company in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Briggs has been touring Vincent to good reviews in New York and elsewhere. The play has two characters, Van Gogh’s brother Theo and the painter himself, with Briggs acting both as Nimoy once did. For Van Gogh fans it is a must-see and for others, a dramatic introduction to the strange life of one of modern art’s morning stars. 2 p.m. Ends today. Carnegie Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

3) Jurassic World — Am I wrong or wasn’t the underlying message of the Jurassic Park series a caution against being blinded by greed? Well, director Colin Trevorrow, along with a pack of writers, throw said caution to the wind and bring us Jurassic World, the fourth installment of this saga about dinosaurs scientifically brought to life in the modern world. Here’s the plot: The “Jurassic World” dino-theme park on Isla Nublar has been highly successful for the last decade. Here’s the problem: People are bored and attendance is slipping.

Yes, you read that right. Nobody’s going anymore because they’re all, like, “dinosaurs … whatever.” So the company creates a new giant genetic mutant to entertain the crowds. What could possibly go wrong? Hasn’t anyone seen the previous films? The second movie, The Lost World: Jurassic Park ended with a T-Rex running loose through the streets of San Diego so what kind of whackadoodle would even consider going to Isla Nublar? The same sort of person, I guess, who has grown bored looking at a “regular” dinosaurs. (Try not to cheer when the mutant eats them.) Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio, B.D. Wong, and Judy Greer star. Will it be a hit? Or will it bring to mind the tag line from the Stephen King film Pet Sematary: “Sometimes, dead is better”? Check Fandango for screens and times.

4) Our beloved Buccos take the diamond again today against the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s also Kids Day, with a Family Fun Zone outside the ball yard beforehand, and all fans 14 have a chance to run the bases after the game. All kids 14 and under receive a Kids Andrew McCutchen Compression Sleeve. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. PNC Park, 115 Federal St., North Shore.

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