March 2010
WHIRLED Culture > July 2009 Arts & Culture
Summer in the City
Bob Dylan is back, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust celebrates 25 years, and the Jonas Brothers come to town!
Edited by Katie Mavrich
Cover Update:
Bob Dylan
Rolling Stone magazine calls Bob Dylan “a force of nature, a veritable one-man Johnstown Flood” in its May 14, 2009 issue. If that’s the case, Washington, Pa., better put its rain gear on, because Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp are storming into town on July 13 for a show at CONSOL Energy Park, as part of a tour hitting 30 minor-league baseball stadiums. You’ll no doubt hear songs from Together Through Life, recorded last fall, just after Dylan’s headlining stint at American Eagle’s New American Music Union festival, held at the SouthSide Works. For tickets, call the Washington Wild Things box office at 866.456.WILD. — K.M.
Throw your hands in the air!
Kennywood’s Culture
Kennywood is a summertime hot spot for Pittsburgh natives, and for those who like a little taste of culture with their funnel cake and Potato Patch fries, there are a variety of Nationality Days in the month of July. Featured Nationality Days of the month are Carpatho-Russian Day on July 1, Irish Day on July 8, Slovak Day on July 16, Serbian Day on July 17, Italian Day on July 21, Byzantine Day on July 23, Slovene Day on July 27, and Greek Day on July 28. For more information, call Kennywood at 412.461.0500 or visit kennywood.com. —Elizabeth Rekowski
The Black Crowes fly into Pittsburgh.
Hard to Handle
A hot summer night gets even hotter with wild man Chris Robinson, his sexy hippie hair and snug-fitting jeans on stage. Coming off of the release of April’s live two-disc release, Warpaint Live, The Black Crowes are landing at the newly reopened Amphitheater at Station Square for a July 14 show with the Levon Helm Band. If we’re lucky, perhaps they will play songs from their upcoming release, tentatively titled Before the Frost, Until the Freeze. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 412.323.1919, or visit ticketmaster.com. — K.M.
Burnin’ up with the Brothers.
The Brothers Jonas
High heels? Check. Red dress? On it. Thanks to a little help from our favorite Jonas Brothers song, “Burnin’ Up,” we’ve already got our outfits planned for the boys’ July 25 concert at Mellon Arena. Kevin, Nick, and Joe’s new album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, is on the street, and the bros are ready to hit the road for their World Tour 2009. And with the trio avidly citing some of our all-time favorite artists as influences on the new record — Prince, Neil Diamond, and Johnny Cash — we are so ready for this summer sing-a-long. Jordin Sparks, the American Idol cutie, hits the stage first, before the Jonas crew performs their show in-the-round, with a brand-new stage design featuring a circular water screen. The brothers are mum on the exact details of the production, but Kevin Jonas promises, “it will feel like you’re in a whole other world once you enter the arena that night.” For more information, visit jonasbrothers.com. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 412.323.1919, or visit ticketmaster.com. — Nicole Barley
Creativity for a cause.
In Living Color
By day, Kenny Sims is a production specialist for KDKA-TV, but he has a side project for a cause, as the author of five coloring books: Captain Freedom, The Voice, Litterbug Cowboys, Malcolm the Butterfly, and Araminta: A Story about Harriet Tubman. “I got really sick of all of the death and destruction going on,” he says. “Let’s get these kids a book instead of drugs or guns. This is a hook: maybe if they start coloring these books, they will start reading them too, and then that could lead to reading other books.” Here’s to Sims’ great idea. Available at Macy’s Downtown, Borders in East End, and online at Amazon.com. For more information, visit kscolor.com. — K.M.
Luminescent Orchestrii performs at the Gallery Crawl.
Paint the Town
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust kicks off its 25th anniversary with the Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District on July 17. Visit more than 10 galleries and exhibitions throughout the District, including culinary sculptures from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, the Wood Street Galleries’ Physical Conditions exhibit, and many more. In keeping with the cultural experience, there will be live music at Little E’s, Katz Plaza, Backstage Bar, Catholic Charities Building, and Pittsburgh Public Theater at the O’Reilly. Post-crawl, fly up to the Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh Rooftop Party on the top of the Theater Square Garage. July 18 brings fun for the whole family, with the Kids Gallery Crawl. For more information, call the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at 412.456.6666 or visit pgharts.com. — Chelsea Crocker
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