By Scott Tady

Toto holds the line, Vince Gill croons country, Teddy Swims sings soulfully and Pantera gets heads banging in what’s shaped up to be a memorable month of music in Western Pennsylvania.

From Kiss six-stringer Ace Frehley to Jakob Dylan’s The Wallflowers, July is loaded with famous acts headed our way.

To help you pick a show, here’s the July concert guide:

PAVILION AT STAR LAKE

July 9: The Lumineers

July 15: Pantera

July 19: Wiz Khalifa

July 24: Toto, Christopher Cross and Men at Work

July 26: Kesha

July 31: Kidz Bop

Aug. 2: Luke Bryan; Aug. 6: Doobie Brothers; Aug. 9: Jason Aldean; Aug. 10: Styx, Kevin Cronin and Donnie Iris; Aug. 29: Dierks Bentley; Sept. 5: Hardy; Sept. 18: Falling in Reverse; Sept. 20: $uicide Boy$; Sept. 28: Twenty One Pilots; Oct. 1: Alice Cooper-Judas Priest.

PPG PAINTS ARENA

July 17: Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake

July 18: Ghost

July 22: Shinedown

Aug. 19: Linkin Park; Sept. 12: Eric Church; Sept. 20: Adam Sandler; Oct. 4: Jo Koy; Oct. 15: Tate McRae; Oct. 18: Cody Johnson; Oct. 19: Mumford & Sons; Oct. 23-24: Sabrina Carpenter; Nov. 2: Bryan Adams; Nov. 5: A Day to Remember; Nov. 7-8: Billy Strings; Nov. 12: Jonas Brothers; Nov. 14: Maroon Five.

HEINZ HALL

July 2: Diana Krall

July 12: Vince Gill

July 20: Frankie Valli

July 26: Nas with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Aug. 6: Wilco; Aug. 23: Louis C.K.; Oct. 28: Jon Batiste; Dec. 18: Trish Yearwood with the PSO.

STAGE AE

July 1: 311

July 11: Sam Barber

July 12: Teddy Swims

July 16: Hatebreed

Aug. 1: Blackberry Smoke; Aug. 2: Rock, Reggae & Relief with Stephen & Damian Marley; Aug. 3: The Head & The Heart; Aug. 7: Lord Huron; Aug. 9: Flaming Lips/Modest Mouse; Aug. 19: Jessie Murph; Aug. 21: Chevelle and Asking Alexandria; Aug. 26: Gary Clark Jr.; Sept. 3: Men I Trust; Sept. 5: Women Who Rock with Jessica Simpson; Sept. 5: Women Who Rock with Jessica Simpson; Sept. 8: PUP; Sept. 9: Alabama Shakes; Sept. 10: Vance Joy;  Sept. 12: Pixies; Sept. 13: Bruce Dickinson; Sept. 22: Dylan Gossett; Sept. 23: Garbage; Sept. 26: Gavin Adcock; Sept. 27: Russell Dickerson; Sept. 29: Marina; Oct. 7: T-Pain.

JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE

July 3: Samantha Fish

July 17: Kenny Neal

July 18: Ace Frehley

Aug. 16: Montrose; Aug. 17: Stryper; Aug. 22: ZZ Ward; Aug. 27: Sister Hazel; Sept. 10: Michael Schenker; Sept. 14: David Cook;  Sept. 24: Lita Ford; Oct. 4: Here Comes the Mummies; Oct. 9: Hailey Whitters; Oct. 23: Squirrel Nut Zippers; Oct. 26: Tab Benoit; Nov. 6: North Mississippi All-Stars; Nov. 17: Richie Kotzen and John 5.

PALACE THEATRE

July 3: Robin Trower

July 10: The Wallflowers

July 11: Little River Band

Aug. 3: Graham Nash; Sept. 14: Vicki Lawrence & Mama; Oct. 1: Don Gatlin & the original Kenny Rogers Band; Oct. 3: Geoff Tate; Oct. 25: Bill Murray & The Blood Brothers; Nov. 22: The Outlaws; Nov. 25: Boz Scaggs.

IRON CITY STAGE

July 13: Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors

Aug. 8: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

TIMBER ROCK AMPHITHEATER

July 5: Jon Anderson & His Band Geeks

July 10: Lee Brice

July 18: Old Crow Medicine Show

July 19: KC & The Sunshine Band

Aug. 8: Billy Currington; Aug. 23: Kansas; Sept. 6: Gabby Barrett.

RIVERS CASINO

July 18: Comedy Jam with Steve Byrne

July 25: +Live+.

ROXIAN THEATRE

July 16: Yelawolf

July 23: Jojo Siwa

Aug. 18: Silversun Pickups; Aug. 19: The Struts; Sept. 6: Jerry Cantrell;  Sept. 11: Rilo Kelly; Sept. 18: GWAR; Sept. 20: Marilyn Manson; Sept. 30: Franz Ferdinand; Oct. 28: Andy Bell of Erasure; Nov. 1: From Ashes to New; Nov. 11: Minus The Bear; Nov. 26: The Beths.

CITY WINERY PITTSBURGH

July 6: Kasey Chambers

July 10: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

July 14: Mekons

July 26: Joe Grushecky

Aug. 5: Tracy Bonham and Jeffrey Gaines; Sept. 13: Charles Esten; Sept. 18: Anthony Rapp; Oct. 27: Joshua Radin.

SOUTH PARK AMPHITHEATER

July 5	Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
July 11	American Authors
July 18	Chuck Prophet
July 25	Ashley Cooke
August 1	Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
August 8	Over the Rhine
August 15	Robert Jon & The Wreck
August 22	Pittsburgh Honky-Tonk hosted by Jon Bindley
August 29	Tamburitzans

MR. SMALLS THEATRE

July 13: Murder by Death (sold out)

July 15: Ezra Furman

Aug. 14: Los Lobos; Aug. 21: Asleep at The Wheel; Sept. 20: The Baseball Project; Sept. 23: Soccer Mommy; Oct. 3: Feeble Little Horse; Oct. 11: Craig Finn; Dec. 2: The Lemonheads.

PETERSEN EVENTS CENTER

Sept. 15: Hans Zimmer; Sept. 16: Conan Gray; Oct. 3: Lorde; Oct. 9: Crowder; Oct. 23: John Mulaney; Nov. 1: Katt Williams; Nov. 6: Turnpike Troubadours.

CARNEGIE OF HOMESTEAD MUSIC HALL

Sept. 12: Tower of Power; Sept. 13: Molly Tuttle; Oct. 1: Toad The Wet Sprocket; Oct.6: Pat Metheny; Oct. 8: Gary Newman; Oct. 24: Neko Case; Nov. 22: Jimmy Failla; Dec. 6: Shaun Cassidy.

UPMC EVENTS CENTER

Oct. 3: Dylan Scott; Nov. 5: Chicago; Nov. 8: Seether & Daughtry; Nov. 19: All Time Low.

THUNDERBIRD MUSIC HALL

Aug. 19; John Moreland; Sept. 16: Superchunk; Sept. 17: James McMurtry; Oct. 25: The War & Treaty; Nov. 8: Keller Williams.

YOUNGSTOWN FOUNDATION AMPHITHEATER

Aug. 12: Train and Edwin McCain; Aug. 17: Alice Cooper; Sept. 18: Lee Brice; Sept. 20: Cody Jinks.

BENEDUM CENTER

Sept. 16: David Byrne; Sept. 18: Dream Theater; Sept. 24: Lucy Dacus; Nov. 14: Taylor Tomlinson; Nov. 21-22: Steve Martin and Martin Short; Dec. 9: Straight No Chaser.

HARTWOOD ACRES

July 6	Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
July 13	Mo Lowda & the Humble
July 20	The Family Stone
July 27	Mat Kearney
August 3	Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets
August 10	KT Tunstall
August 17	Smash Mouth
August 24	Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
August 31	Monty Alexander

BYHAM THEATRE

Sept. 18: Nate Jackson; Oct. 14: Il Divo.

OTHERS

July 10: Umphrey’s McGee, Mountain View Amphitheater; Hampton Township; Aug. 9: Wheatus, Cascade Park Dance Pavilion, New Castle; Aug. 22: Aaron Lewis, Hollywood Casino at The Meadows; Sept. 10: Oaks Theater, Oakmont; Sept. 13-14: Four Chord Music Festival, EQT Park, Washington, Pa.; Sept. 28: Shonen Knife, Preserving Underground, New Kensington;  Oct. 23: Patty Griffin and Rickie Lee Jones, Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland.

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) Beaver County Radio 99.3 and 95.7 FM along with 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA and beavercountyradio.com is your exclusive outlet to hear the live simulcast of the 2025 Beaver County Boom simulcast that pays tribute to Zambelli’s 2024 Award Winning Show “Cosmic Connection”. The sound track is choreographed to fireworks by Zambelli International  and Beaver County Radio. You can also down load our free apps at the Google play store and on Apple I-tunes by typing in beaver county radio. The 2025 Beaver County Boom is being presented by PUSH Beaver County.

 

 

 

 

By Scott Tady

BURGETTSTOWN — Avril Lavigne plus the words “greatest hits tour” equaled a jam-packed Pavilion at Star Lake on Thursday.

Canada’s pop-punk princess showcased hits, including set-starter “Girlfriend” with its leadoff line “Hey, hey, you, you, I don’t like your girlfriend,” setting a tone for breezy, sing-along fun.

The sound could have been better — it was over-amplified and muffled for much of Lavigne’s banter — but the hooks rang true, as on fan favorites “Complicated” and “My Happy Ending” featured in the first-third of the performance.

Lavigne charmed fans with her enthusiasm, sincerity and spunkiness. She pantomimed a punch with a P-popping vocal sound to punctuate one of the more rousing “Complicated” moments.

“Here’s to Never Growing Up” tracked philosophically with the decisively girls-just-want-to-have-fun crowd.

For “Keep Holding On,” Lavigne grabbed an electric guitar, joining forces with her band’s two six-stringers.

Having earlier sung a faithful cover of The Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces,” a seated Lavigne started out acoustically on “Breakaway,” a song she wrote as a 16-year-old that became a smash hit for Kelly Clarkson.

Thanking fans for their decades of support, Lavigne noted this was a greatest hits tour, but she couldn’t resist gathering with opening act Simple Plan before hitting the road months ago to record a new, nostalgia-driven song, “Young & Dumb.” Simple Plan singer Pierre Bouvier came out on stage so they could perform it live. A half-dozen, randomly chosen, ardent young fans were brought onto the stage for visual accompaniment. Lavigne handed each of those fans an autographed skateboard while Pierre tossed bundled up concert T-shirts into the crowd.

From those joyful and sweet moments, Lavigne somehow segued into “Bite Me.”

Back to her skateboard roots she went for “Sk8er Boi,” another jubilant singalong that got spectators dancing.

By that point, a heavy rain was falling, but the mood was never dampened for fans who got to witness the 40-year Lavigne in maybe her biggest ever western Pennsylvania headlining visit.

Simple Plan set the stage well for her, with a blissful, boisterous pop-punk set. Bouvier introduced “I’m Just a Kid” as a song written 23 years ago, acknowledging that would make some fans shout “(heck) yeah!” and make others put their head in their hands and groan “oh (heck) no.” Wearing a T-shirt that said “I’m Just a Kid” with the “kid” crossed out and replaced by the word “adult,” Bouvier engagingly commanded the stage, taking a turn behind the drum kit as drummer Chuck Comeau ran through the crowd slapping high-fives.

The Montreal mirth-makers maintained an entertaining, upbeat vibe.

Source for Photo: -Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service, Credit for Photo: (Alexander Raths/Adobe Stock) Caption for Photo: Nurse cares for a elderly woman lying in bed

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) The One Big Beautiful Bill has hit a roadblock. The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that a key Medicaid provider tax change violates chamber rules. The House version would slash federal Medicaid spending by at least $700 billion to help fund tax cuts and other Trump-era priorities. Pennsylvania nurse Molly McCullough warns the cuts could put seniors at risk and threaten rural hospitals. She says many older adults in Southwestern Pennsylvania depend on Medicaid, and hopes the Senate’s action helps protect their care. Medicaid supports about 3 million Pennsylvanians across all 67 counties. McCullough says that no matter what changes the Senate makes, the bill would still need to return to the House for approval, and Republicans may have to rewrite or scrap major parts to keep it alive.

(File Photo of the Kennywood logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(West Mifflin, PA) A Kennywood operations team employee named Noah helped successfully rescue some ducklings after they were trapped on the tracks of the Pittsburg Plunge on Tuesday. According to Kennywood, a family of ducks went for a swim in the Lost Kennywood fountain and Noah put the baby ducklings of the family in some nearby bushes after rescuing them. The video of this action went viral on TikTok and has over 100,000 views.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protections, the CBP seized 13 counterfeit Rolex watches and 12 pairs of designer brand sunglasses in Pittsburgh on June 6th. This information was released on Thursday and according to that release, the shipment was destined to a Pittsburgh address and manifested as “Empty Poly Bag Ladies Hand Bag” and the shipment contained six Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust models, five Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona models, and two Rolex Diamond Iced-Out models, and sunglasses bearing Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Miu Miu, and Valentino brand names. If these products would have been authentic, $573,200 would be the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The United Arab Emirates is where the items arrived from before being suspected counterfeit. The items were detained for further review by CBP officers, who suspected them counterfeit. These items were inspected by CBP officers initially on April 27th.

(File Photo of Fire Background)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Duquesne, PA) One person has died and three other people got taken to the hospital after a fire left four houses in flames in the City of Duquesne early Thursday morning. At 1:30 a.m. yesterday, the fire began at one house and then went to three other homes. Water damage was sustained by one of the houses, which is owned by Juanita Jennings. According to Duquesne Fire Chief Frank Cobb, Jennings’ home should be able to be renovated. The fire departments from Allegheny County, Duquesne and West Mifflin also helped to assist on scene.