Donnie Iris announces retirement from live performances

SCOTT TADY

That concert Donnie Iris did last week, opening Pittsburgh’s newest concert venue, will be his last.

Iris announced Friday he is retiring from live concerts performances.

The Beaver Valley’s resident rock star cited health issues and the stamina necessary to deliver a high-energy show. When he headlined Sept. 28’s opening night of Citizens Live at The Wylie, Iris told concertgoers he had undergone radiation treatment earlier that day.

Iris still delivered a crowd-pleasing, hour-long performance at the Wylie, singing while seated on a chair. Digging deep, he hit those signature high, soaring notes and screams on hits like “Love Is Like a Rock,” though sounded a bit more restrained as the show neared its end with western Pennsylvania’s favorite local rock song, “Ah! Leah!”

Iris’ retirement announcement, posted on his Facebook page, addressed his fans, bandmates, crew members and collaborators, saying, “It has been my great honor to make music for you.”

In March 2023, Iris announced he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, shortly after his 80th birthday concert. Through treatments, he recovered well enough to continue headlining yearly birthday shows, at UPMC Events Center in Moon, and the Palace in Greensburg, along with doing other stage appearances at Pavilion at Star Lake and in Ohio.

A former Ellwood City and Patterson Heights resident, Iris first experienced chart-topping success as a member of The Jaggerz, with their 1970 smash “The Rapper.”

After a stint in Wild Cherry, Iris went solo with a backing band, The Cruisers, which recorded songs at Jeree Recording in New Brighton.

That’s where they made “Ah! Leah!” a masterstroke of powerful vocals, searing guitar and elaborate multi-tracking showcasing Iris’ singing prowess. “Ah! Leah!”

peaked at #29 in Billboard’s Singles Chart, achieved much critical acclaim, and was one of the most played songs in radio’s Album Oriented Radio format in 1980.

Decades later, it remains a radio staple regionally and beyond, along with Iris songs like “That’s The Way Love Oughta Be” and “Love Is Like a Rock.”

Iris remains one of western Pennsylvania’s most beloved celebrities, owing much to his friendliness, humbleness and down-home charm. Just about everyone in the Beaver Valley and Pittsburgh area can tell a tale about how they ran into Iris at a local store, restaurant or event, and how he always cheerfully spoke with strangers, laughed with them, and heeded their requests to pose with them in a photo.