November ’19 Concert Guide: Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Outlaws, Sara Bareilles, Luke Combs, and Logic

Two legendary performing artists visit Pittsburgh this November. One is the Nobel Prize-winning, traveling troubadour, Bob Dylan. The Minnesota native will be in concert at RMU’s UPMC Event Center. And Sir Elton John is making a second stop here in the ‘Burgh on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road goodbye tour. Southern rock legends The Outlaws play the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse, headlining a bill that includes The Artimus Pyle Band. Pyle was a member of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd. Another highly talented country/Southern rocker is Vince Gill, who is a very successful solo artist and also had stints in Pure Prairie League and most recently, The Eagles. Another big name this month is Logic who headlined the Thrival Music Festival in 2017. In the mood for a little more country? Then head on over to PPG Paints Arena for Luke Combs.

Mysterious rockers Tool are touring in support of their first album release in 13 years. And celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark album, Make Yourself, Incubus performs at Heinz Hall. Excelling at both creating musical theater and writing and producing pop rock songs, mega-talent Sara Bareilles performs at UPMC Event Center. Popular classic rockers Blue Öyster Cult will definitely be bringing “Godzilla” with them to Jergel’s. Butler native Bret Michaels is always a strong draw and plays The Palace. Wilco, and frontman Jeff Tweedy, are also Pittsburgh faves and will play the classy Heinz Hall. Rising rockers The Neighbourhood play a gig at Stage AE that’s sure to be lively. Singer/songwriter extraordinaire Rosanne Cash is in concert at the Byham. There’s also an interesting tribute concert in honor of the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles’ White Album, featuring Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, and other talented musicians.

Hometown heroes Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors bring their original jam rock music to Club Cafe, while the Hawkeyes are having an album release party at the Hard Rock Cafe. Also at the Hard Rock is Joyce and Bill Toms’ 14th Annual Thanksgiving Benefit Concert. Lots of great music this month; see one of our listed shows or follow your own muse.

The Entertainment Central Concert Guide is made up of three sections: EC Spotlighted Concerts, Other Suggested Concerts, and On the Radar. Each section lists concerts in chronological order. Christopher Maggio (CM) and Mike Vargo (MV) also made substantial contributions to the Guide.

EC Spotlighted Concerts

Friday, November 1

He’s the good-looking guy in the bandanna! You can bet the house will be packed when Butler native and diehard Steelers fan Bret Michaels revisits our area on his aptly named Hometown Heroes Tour. Michaels, born Bret Michael Sychak, has won fame in practically every way available. In addition to the solo career he launched in 1998, he’s been a founding member and longtime lead vocalist of the glam-metal rockers Poison. He wrote, directed, and starred in the movie A Letter from Death Row with his friend and colleague Charlie Sheen. In 2017 he made a memorable appearance as himself in Sharknado 5: Global Swarming. Michaels has had his own reality TV shows, and along with doing charity events and playing a half-dozen instruments, he can sing. You might hear him doing Poison hits like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” mixed with solo releases like “The App Song” and more in his gig at The Palace Theatre. Special guests are The Stickers. 8 p.m. 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. (MV)

Longtime country music mega-star Vince Gill will perform at Heinz Hall. Gill was born and raised in Oklahoma. His first touch of national musical success came when the legendary Southern rock group Pure Prairie League, who were already well known for their big hit “Amie,” hired him in the ’70s. He departed Pure Prairie League in 1981 and released his first solo LP, The Things That Matter, in 1985. From there, he went on to huge commercial success with 15 studio albums and more than 40 singles on Billboard’s Hot Country charts. Gill’s a Grammy Award winner 21 times over and an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Eagles tapped him and Deacon Frey to tour with them following the death of Glenn Frey in 2016. Gill is married to Christian/pop singer Amy Grant. His latest album is 2019’s Okie. 7:30 p.m. 600 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (RH, CM)

Long before suburban sprawl, Long Island was known for its oyster industry—and then, in a cosmic convergence, the Island gave birth to Blue Öyster Cult. Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Eric Bloom, and company have been among the heaviest of heavy-metal and genre-busting rockers for more than a generation. Now Roeser and Bloom with the current incarnation of Blue Öyster Cult play Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. Be prepared for songs including “Godzilla,” “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” and an oyster-fest of many more. Special guests are NickyMo’ and The MamaLukes, and the show is officially sold out. 8 p.m. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale. (MV)

Wednesday, November 6

After Jay Farrar left Uncle Tupelo, the remaining members formed Wilco in 1994. The indie-rock band began with an alt-country sound that gradually became more experimental, as on 2001’s seminal Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and its followup, 2004’s A Ghost Is Born. The latter won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2005. Jeff Tweedy is the group’s frontman. He published Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. on November 13, 2018. Warm, his first solo album of all original material, was released later that month. Wilco, meanwhile, released Ode to Joy, its 11th album, this year. If you missed Tweedy or Wilco when either played past Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festivals, catch Wilco at Heinz Hall. Deep Sea Diver opens. 7:30 p.m. 600 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (CM)

Thursday, November 7

Logic headlined the first day of the Thrival Music Festival back in 2017. It was a great year for the rapper, who had his first No. 1 album with Everybody, his third album. He also had a hit single in “1-800-273-8255,” which features Alessia Cara and Khalid. The title is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline reported an increase in calls following the song’s release. “1-800-273-8255” also received a Song of the Year nomination at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017. During the ceremony, Logic, Cara, and Khalid performed it as a tribute to Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, who both had committed suicide that year. Logic’s latest album is his fifth, 2019’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He also released Supermarket, a soundtrack to his novel of the same name, this year. Logic headlines the Petersen Events Center. J.I.D and YBN Cordae open. 7:30 p.m. 3719 Terrace St., Oakland. (CM)

Friday, November 8

Tool released its first album in 13 years: Fear Inoculum. Some tracks top 10 minutes, but the prog-rock arrangements are captivating, so they feel more like a medley of two or three different tunes. The mysterious alt-metal quartet has always shied from the spotlight. The band members rarely appear in their music videos. In fact, most of their videos opt strictly for stop-motion animation. They were also one of the last streaming holdouts, but you can now find all their music on services such as Spotify. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan, who also fronts A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, often performs wearing Kabuki masks, wigs, or other guises. Tool formed in Los Angeles in 1990. The group’s first album was 1993’s Undertow. 10,000 Days, their previous album, was released in 2006. Tool comes to PPG Paints Arena. Killing Joke opens. 7 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (CM)

Incubus have been a mainstay on alternative-rock radio for a long time, and the band must be feeling reflective. The quintet is on its 20 Years of Make Yourself and Beyond Tour. The tour celebrates the 20th anniversary of Make Yourself, Incubus’s third album and a commercial watershed for the group. The album went double-platinum and spawned three singles, each of which charted on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in the top three. “Drive” also made it to no. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Incubus formed in 1991 in Calabasas, California. Their sound runs the gamut of rock to hip hop, and member Chris Kilmore plays both turntables and keyboards. Make Yourself was also their first album to feature Kilmore. 2017’s 8 is their eighth and latest album. Incubus performs at Heinz Hall. The show is sold out. 8 p.m. 600 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (CM)

The Neighbourhood’s stop at Stage AE will be Pittsburgh’s chance to see the band not only live but also in color. The quintet is committed to pairing its moody music with a monochrome aesthetic, going so far as to refuse to play “The Late Show with David Letterman” until the producers agreed to shoot the performance in black and white. That performance, by the way, was of the group’s breakthrough single, “Sweater Weather.” Despite drawing heavily from rap, the single appeared on many an alternative radio station. It comes from the band’s 2013 debut album, I Love You, which was followed by 2015’s Wiped Out! Also, don’t let the “u” in the name fool you. They’re not British. Rather, the members hail from Newbury Park, California, near Los Angeles. The Neighbourhood’s new, self-titled album was released in 2018. To keep things simple, the band sometimes stylizes its name as THE NBHD. Slow Hollows and Claud open. Doors open 7 p.m. 400 North Shore Dr., North Shore. (CM)

Saturday, November 9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIaS_vYIQ_A&t=157s

Southern rock finds its way north with the The Outlaws. For over 40 years, the band has been thriving in the Southern rock genre along with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, and The Allman Brothers. Founded in Tampa, Florida, in ’72, The Outlaws put forth a Southern rock opus with “Green Grass and High Tides” and scored a major hit with “There Goes Another Love Song.” Outlaw trademarks include beautiful vocal harmonies and intricate lead guitar play. Surviving the test of time, the inevitable evolution of popular music, and bandmates’ deaths, The Outlaws are definitely alive, kicking, and, it would seem, stronger than ever. And now that Lynyrd Skynyrd has embarked on a farewell tour, The Outlaws will be one of the groups to proudly carry forward the Southern rock banner. They come our way with special guests The Artimus Pyle Band and Billy Crain Band. 7:30 p.m. Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse 565 Rt. 18, Burgettstown (RH)

Sunday, November 10

It’s been a long, long time since Pete Seeger introduced an up-and-comer named Bob Dylan to the crowd at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. At the next year’s Newport, Dylan was booed when he showed up with an electric guitar. Decades later, Dylan was chastised globally for not showing up at all to accept the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. But in between and ever since, he’s done quite a bit of showing up. The Dylan curriculum vitae to date includes: 38 studio albums plus bunches of live albums, bootleg albums, and other recordings and collaborations, in genres and styles from folk to talking blues, rock, country, Christian, covers of Frank Sinatra ballads … and a genre that one might simply call “Dylan.” So many of his songs are iconic that space does not permit a list. And though his lyrics have been analyzed extensively for deep meanings, the fact remains that Dylan is a musician, who loves to play and sing live. He visits UPMC Events Center with his band on their latest tour. Recent setlists have focused on Dylan classics like “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” 8 p.m. on the Robert Morris campus, 6001 University Blvd., Moon. (MV) 

Wednesday, November 13

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is an outstanding song by the English piano rocker Elton John. It’s also the last song of his encore set on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which visits PPG Paints Arena for a sold-out concert. John is one of the world’s best-selling musical acts. He’s sold over 300 million records. (Would that many reach the Moon from Earth?) John has charted more than 50 Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 U.S. albums, 58 Billboard Top 40 singles, 27 Top 10, four No. 2 and nine at No. 1. And from 1970 to 2000 he had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100. One reason for that success is his long-running songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin. Taupin would write the lyrics and give them to John who would then compose the music.

In 1970, “Your Song,” from his second, eponymous album, was the first tune that really got John noticed. He was a sight to see in his early years with his stylish eyeglasses and flamboyant outfits. John, a very talented piano player and singer, created songs that ruled the rock radio airwaves, especially in the 1970s. They included “Daniel,” “Honky Cat,” “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” John’s touch has woven its way through the cultural fabric in other ways, too. He rewrote the lyrics to his “Candle in the Wind,” originally about Marilyn Monroe, to reflect the life of Princess Diana after her tragic death in 1997. John has also excelled on Broadway and received Tony Award nominations for Best Original Musical Score for The Lion King, Aida, and Billy Elliott, winning for Aida. Being a gay man, he fought for more funds to combat AIDS and raised large sums himself with his Elton John AIDS Foundation. He is retiring to spend more time with his husband David Furnish and their two children. John has been a part-time resident of Atlanta, Georgia, since 1991. 8 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

Singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash is touring in support of her latest release album release, She Remembers Everything. And as the daughter of country legend Johnny Cash, she surely has many incredible memories. The new LP features songs based on the female experience. And like her famous father she is an accomplished recording artist too, with four Grammy Awards and 11 nominations. She’s also had 21 top 40 hits, including 11 No. 1 singles. Cash is also an author of four books. She was interviewed by documentary film maker Ken Burns in his most recent project  for PBS about country music. 7:30 p.m. Byham Theater, 101 6th St., Cultural District.

Friday, November 15

How multitalented is Sara Bareilles? She composed the music and lyrics for the musical Waitress, receiving a 2016 Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score. And then, during a couple of months later in the show’s run, she played the lead role on Broadway—a feat that requires one to sing, dance, and act at world-class levels. In 2018 she was Mary Magdalene in the live-TV production of Jesus Christ Superstar … then teamed with title-role singer/actor John Legend for a track on her sixth studio album, this year’s Amidst the Chaos. Her artistry in songwriting, singing, and piano-playing (as in “Armor”) has won comparisons to Billy Joel. But Joel may soon have to settle for being known as the male Sara Bareilles. What’s more, Bareilles connects with fans in a deeply emotional way. Her single “Brave,” which she says was inspired by a friend’s coming out as gay, has become an anthem for people facing all sorts of challenges. Bareilles visits Pittsburgh on her Amidst the Chaos Tour and tickets are going fast. She’s at the UPMC Events Center on the Robert Morris campus, with guest Emily King. 8 p.m. 6001 University Blvd., Moon. (MV)

Saturday, November 23

Luke Combs opened for Jason Aldean at KeyBank Pavilion in 2018. Now he will headline PPG Paints Arena. Combs was born in Charlotte, North Carolina; grew up in Asheville, and like many aspiring country musicians before him, sought his fame and fortune in Nashville. Short answer: he found both. His debut album, 2017’s This One’s for You, spawned five No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The album also set a record for most weeks for a male artist at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with 47 weeks total. “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” the first single from his new album, this year’s What You See Is What You Get, also went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. On the new album, Combs collaborates with the legendary country duo Brooks & Dunn on “1, 2 Many.” Morgan Wallen and Jameson Rodgers open. 7 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (CM)

Saturday, November 30

The It Was 50 Years Ago Today Tour—A Tribute to the Beatles’ White Album will stop at The Palace Theatre. The White Album (or The Beatles, as it is actually titled) was released in November of 1968. (Okay, so a little over 50 years ago.) The nickname came from the cover’s plain sleeve. It was a double album, and the band members were starting to go in different directions creatively. The album included John’s heady “Dear Prudence” and Paul’s proto-metal “Helter Skelter,” although both songs are still credited Lennon/McCartney. George Harrison contributed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Eric Clapton playing a lead guitar part. And Ringo got his first full songwriting credit on “Don’t Pass Me By.” The tour features rocker-producer Todd Rundgren, singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, the Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, Chicago’s Jason Scheff, and Badfinger’s Joey Molland. Badfinger were signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records. The artists will play songs from The White Album alongside their own material, so you might also hear Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” and Cross’s multiple Grammy-winner “Sailing.” 7:30 p.m. 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. (CM)

Other Suggested Concerts

Friday, November 1

Savoy Brown will perform at Moondog’s. Guitarist Kim Simmonds co-founded this English blues-rock band with harmonica player John O’Leary in 1965. O’Leary split in 1967, and plenty of other members have come and gone since, but Simmonds has remained. Savoy Brown’s cover of Smokie’s “Run to Me” was their biggest hit stateside. 2019’s City Night is their latest album. 8:30 p.m. 378 Freeport Rd., Blawnox. (CM)

Saturday, November 2

Wreck Loose, who have played myriad local music festivals, such as RANT in Lawrenceville, will perform at the newly remodeled Thunderbird Café. The performance is to celebrate the release of the indie-rock band’s sophomore album, Wreck Loose Kills Again. “Hard Drugs” is a rollicking, clever tune. Nathan Zoob, who also performs solo around the city, is a member. The Buckledowns open. 8 p.m. 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. (CM)

Tuesday, November 5

New Orleans rockin’ blues singer and piano player Marcia Ball is appearing at Club Cafe. Her latest studio album is 2018’s Shine Bright, which was released by Alligator Records. Ball is also an “Austin City Limits” Hall of Fame inductee. She was part of the popular TV concert series’ inaugural season in 1976. Here she is singing and playing “Mobile.” 8 p.m. 56-58 S. 12th St., South Side. (EC, CM)

Thursday, November 7

Buddy Guy is ranked 23rd in Rolling Stone‘s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Guy has influenced other great guitarists on that list, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He is one of the most successful artists in the Chicago Blues style. He played with the legendary Muddy Waters and frequently teamed up with the noted late harmonica player Junior Wells. Two of Guy’s top songs are “Stone Crazy” and “Cut You Loose.” Guy has won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 by B.B. King and Eric Clapton. His most recent release is 2018’s The Blues Is Alive and Well. Guy visits locally for a concert at The Palace Theatre. 8 p.m. 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. (RH)

Friday, November 8

Donna the Buffalo, a band that plays across the musical genres of folk, rock, country, bluegrass, and zydeco, hails from the Finger Lakes region of New York. The songwriting heart of the band is composed of Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins, both of whom perform vocals and are multi-instrumentalists. They even have a “Funky Side.” Donna the Buffalo is one of the founding/host bands for the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance and additionally the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival. Followers of the band are known collectively as “The Herd.” The band got its name when the musicians mis-heard a friend suggesting the name Dawn of the Buffalo. In 2018 The Buffalo released a new studio album, Dance in the Street, with noted producer/ engineer Rob Fraboni. Jenn Wertz Band and Tiger Maple String Band open for Donna the Buffalo at the Roxian Theatre, 7:30 p.m. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. (RH)

Representing a few areas of culture we don’t often see converge, The Devil Wears Prada is a Christian melodic metalcore band named after a chick-lit novel. They’ve worked hard to earn the respect of the metalcore world. (With their name and religiosity, they had to.) “Sailor’s Prayer” is a good example of their music. The Dayton, Ohio-based musicians visit here on a global tour in support of their new album The Act.  Opening are Norma Jean, and Gideon. 8 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (EC, RH)

David Allan Coe has been called one of the few true outlaws in the outlaw country genre. The Ohio-born singer-songwriter honed his chops while spending many of his early years in juvenile and adult correctional facilities. His debut album was 1970’s Penitentiary Blues. Since then, Coe has blazed through the country/rock world in a long career marked by outrageous (but not really destructive) onstage stunts, 42 studio albums, a bunch more other-type albums (plus a few books), raunchy humor, and songs with the quality called “attitude”—most notably “Take This Job and Shove It.”  Coe, now 80 and too ornery to retire, visits Jergel’s Rhythm Grille with special guests the Andy Davis Band. 8 p.m. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale. (MV)

Tuesday, November 12

The folk-rock group Fruit Bats began as a solo project by Eric D. Johnson in 1997. The project had morphed into a full band by 2001. “Humbug Mountain Song” is a popular single by the Fruit Bats, Johnson later performed with the indie-rock group The Shins, then dissolved the Fruit Bats band, went solo as EDJ, and then rebooted the Fruit Bats. Their latest is 2019’s Gold Past Life and their show at Club Cafe is sold out. Skyway Man opens. 8 p.m. 56 S. 12th St., South Side. (CM)

Friday, November 15

The North Mississippi Allstars hail from Hernando, Mississippi, and feature brothers Luther (guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, and electric washboard—who knew!). They rose to success on blues-rock songs, including their cover of Bukka White’s “Shake ’Em on Down.” The band has played with John Hiatt, John Medeski, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Their new album is 2019’s Up and Rolling. 8 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (RH, CM)

Saturday, November 16

There might be other rock and roll groups named after nonsense lyrics but there’s only one Sha Na Na. The original members promoted themselves as tough street guys from New York, but they were intellectuals who met and formed as students at Columbia University in 1969. (Former vocalist Robert Leonard became a renowned forensic linguist, a career perhaps inspired by analyzing the etymology of “sha na na.”) The guys got their act together quickly enough to perform at Woodstock in August of 1969, then went on to fame and fortune with their high-spirited brand of throwback R&R and doo-wop. Sha Na Na’s 50th Anniversary Tour visits The Palace Theatre with a lineup including original and/or longtime members Donny York, Jocko Marcellino, and Screamin’ Scott Simon. Opening is Pendulum, a Credence Clearwater revival tribute band. 7:30 p.m. 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. (MV)

Sisters Chloe and Leah Smith (also known as Leah Song) are the leaders of the band Rising Appalachia. The sisters and other bandmates have created their own vision of Appalachian music which draws on the influences of folk, world, soul, hip-hop, classical, Southern gospel, and other genres. The sisters—who rose out of the quaint Southern town of Atlanta, Georgia—believe in a holistic approach to their craft. Leah Song has said “Music is the tool with which we wield political prowess. Melody for the roots of each of us…spreading song and sound around the globe. Music has become our script for vision—not just for aural pleasure, not just for hobby, but now as a means to connect and create in ways that we aren’t taught by mainstream culture.” The group’s 2008 Evolutions in Sound: LIVE was hailed as “green album of the year” by a writer on The Huffington Post. Opening locally for Rising Appalachia is Raye Zaragoza. 8 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (RH)

Friday, November 22

Get your Led Zeppelin fix this month at the Roxian Theatre with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening. Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, has masterfully recreated his father’s band’s music with his own band. He (and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart) gave an amazing performance of “Stairway to Heaven” when the Kennedy Center honored Led Zeppelin in 2012. 8 p.m. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. (RH) 

Can the violin be a featured instrument in today’s rock/pop/hip-hop music? Crossover violinist Damien Escobar says so, and he’s making it happen. The onetime child prodigy from Queens, New York first rose to fame as part of the duo Nuttin’ But Stringz with his brother Tourie. Then they split. Now Damien has forged a solo career, teaming with various other musicians on classically-infused tunes like “Fuse” from his 2017 album Boundless. You can catch Escobar on his U.S.-U.K. tour at the Rex Theater. 8 p.m. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side. (MV)

Local rockers The Hawkeyes are having an album release event for their latest effort, Ever For After, at the Hard Rock Cafe. The band is composed of Jay Wiley, Michael Grego,Colin Bronnenkant, and Tylar Parker. “Stone’s Throw Away” is a good example of their recent music. Snarfunkle opens. 8:30 p.m. 230 W. Station Square Dr., Station Square. (RH) 

Saturday, November 23

The Silencers were mainstays at local venues such as the Decade Lounge in the early ’80s. (The Decade, which closed in 1995, sat at the corner of Atwood and Sennott, where Garage Door Saloon is now.) Their music video for the medley “Peter Gunn Theme/Remote Control/Illegal” premiered on MTV’s first day. The Silencers’ albums, 1980’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Enforcers and 1981’s Romanic, sound as great today as they did back then. See them, with original singer Frank Czuri, at the Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band’s first performance. Spinning Jenny, from Mingo Junction, Ohio, opens. 8 p.m. 230 W. Station Square Dr., Station Square. (CM)

Wednesday, November 27

How about a rock event for a great cause? The Joyce and Bill Toms 14th Annual Thanksgiving Benefit Concert will not only raise the decibel level but will also raise funds and awareness for Band Together Pittsburgh. Performing are Bill Toms & Hard Rain (featuring The Soulville Horns), with special guests Musicians in Unity, Jimmy Adler, Jack Sanso, Jill Simmons, Pete Hewlet, Helene Milan, Pierce Dipner, Aris Paul, Marc Reisman and more. 8 p.m. Hard Rock Cafe, 230 W. Station Square Dr., Station Square.,

Friday, November 29

Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors bring their lively brand of jam rock to Club Cafe. Donovan and the band’s latest album is 2018’s We See Through It. They describe their new work by saying “It illustrates the transformational power of music. Featuring ten songs that span genres and eras ̧ the sound of the new album blends the vintage rock sound of Zeppelin with the alternative folk of Mumford & Sons propelled by barreling drums.” Songs from the album have been garnering a lot of airplay in Pittsburgh and beyond. The band’s prior release was 2016’s Sun King Warriors. 7 p.m. 56 S. 12th St., South Side. (RH)

On the Radar

Monday, December 2
LeAnn Rimes (Rivers Casino)

Wednesday, December 4
Phish (Petersen Events Center)
Silversun Pickups (Roxian Theatre)

Thursday, December 5
Aaron Carter (Hard Rock Cafe)

Friday, December 6
Night Ranger (Roxian Theatre)
The Fatback Band/The Ohio Players Band (August Wilson African American Cultural Center)

Saturday, December 7
Average White Band (August Wilson African American Cultural Center)
Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers (Club Cafe)
The Marcus King Band (Mr. Smalls Theatre)
Cautious Clay (Thunderbird Café)

Tuesday, December 10
The Reverend Horton Heat (Jergel’s Rhythm Grille)
Andrew McMahon’s Winter in the Wilderness (Roxian Theatre)

Wednesday, December 11
CeeLo Green (Jergel’s Rhythm Grille)

Thursday, December 12
The X’s Kick Ass Christmas Show feat. Highly Suspect and the Unlikely Candidates (Stage AE)
Strange Machines and Sweet Earth (Thunderbird Café)

Saturday, December 14
Hanson (Roxian Theatre)

Tuesday, December 17
Ratt (Jergel’s Rhythm Grille)
New Politics, Plain White T’s, and the Mowgli’s (Mr. Smalls Theatre)
Tim Reynolds & TR3 (Thunderbird Café)

Wednesday, December 18
Celtic Woman (Heinz Hall)

Friday, December 20
The Affordable Floors (Thuderbird Café & Music Hall)

Sunday, December 22
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (PPG Paints Arena)

Friday, December 27
Lotus (Stage AE)

Saturday, December 28
Buku (Roxian Theatre)

Rick Handler is Entertainment Central’s executive producer.

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