The start of the new year brings what all high school students are really looking forward to… more music!!!

Walking through the halls (or even just sitting in a classroom) you can almost always find someone listening to music.

So, if you are looking for some live music in the Pittsburgh area, I have the list for you. 

Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, hosts some huge concerts every now and then. It can seat 68,000 people and is an outside venue. It is an outdoor venue about 40 minutes away from the school, just down the road from PNC Park. Like PNC Park and PPG Paints Arena, since this venue is made for large sporting events, parking isn’t much of an issue. There is currently only one concert planned for 2024, Kenny Chesney, but we’ll see what the new year brings. https://acrisurestadium.com/events/ 

Another sports venue that converts to a concert venue! PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is a very large venue that can seat about 38,000 people. It is an outdoor venue that hosts huge concerts during the warm months. It is about 40 minutes away in Pittsburgh, and since it is made for large sporting events, there is plenty of parking all around. There are only two concerts scheduled here, Def Leppard & Journey, and Green Day, but there is definitely still time for announcements to be made.  https://www.mlb.com/pirates/tickets/events

If you are looking for one of your favorite big artists, The Pavilion at Star Lake is where you might find their concert. This venue is an outside pavilion with both seating and lawn space, and it can hold up to 23,000 people. However, since it is outside, you are sadly at the mercy of the weather and the seasons. Shows are only held here during the warmer more bearable PA weather. This venue is the furthest away out of all on the list, located in Burgettstown, and is about 70 minutes away from the school.  One warning I have for anyone who ventures out to the pavilion: leaving the venue is a nightmare. Traffic gets extremely backed up when everyone is trying to exit and can take wayyy too long. However, some pesky traffic is easy to overlook if it means you get to see your favorite artist in concert. Some big names you might know that are playing here are Noah Kahan, Hozier, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Stapleton, and many more. https://www.livenation.com/venue/KovZpZAEk71A/the-pavilion-at-star-lake-events 

PPG Paints Arena, as most of us know, is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ hockey arena which is also used for concerts, comedy shows, Monster Jam, and more! It can seat around 14,000 to 19,000 people for concerts and is an indoor-only venue. It is located in downtown Pittsburgh which can make parking and traffic a bit of a hassle, but it is only around 50 minutes away. This is where you will find some of your big artists; For example, Madonna, Playboi Carti, and Drake. https://www.ppgpaintsarena.com/events

Heinz Hall isn’t a concert venue but it is a music-filled building nonetheless. Here you will find the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performing many nights out of the week either on their own or collaborating with other musicians to make your musical dreams come true. This venue presents cultural and classic music that many people have gotten away from.  It seats 2,600 people and is indoors. It is located in downtown Pittsburgh and is about 45 minutes away. Cheapest tickets run around $40 so if you have some extra cash to spend and are in need of a majestic Sonata or a Beethoven Symphony gracing your ears, this is the place for you. https://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/pso_home/web/heinz-hall 

Stage AE is both an indoor and outdoor venue on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, which means it is only a 50-minute drive from the school. It can hold around 5,500 people and has shows inside during the winter months and outside during the warmer months. Once again, this means you have to suffer the consequences of nature, but I personally believe it’s worth it for an outdoor concert. You’ll find more middle-of-the-road, in regard to popularity, artists at this venue like Bleachers, Train, Faye Webster, and more! https://promowestlive.com/pittsburgh/stage-ae 

Roxian Theater is a venue on the smaller side, only seating about 1,400 people. This means this is your spot if you are looking for some smaller artists.  It is an indoor-only venue in McKees Rocks, only about 10 minutes west of Pittsburgh. It is around 55 minutes away from the school. A problem I have heard about this venue is with the parking. There are few options since it is in a smaller town. If there is an option to pay for parking with your ticket, PLEASE DO SO. Get parking taken care of and guarantee yourself a safe area to park. The area surrounding this venue is not the safest so please be careful if you do plan any trips out here. https://www.roxiantheatre.com/ 

The Petersen Events Center is regularly used for Pitt basketball but is converted into an awesome concert venue. It has a 9,000 to 14,000-person capacity for concerts, depending on the stage and size of the pit. The venue is a solely indoor venue on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus and is around 55 minutes away. If you are looking for a big-ish artist, like Riley Green or Sleep Token who are scheduled for the near future, you might find them here. https://www.peterseneventscenter.com/events

Mr. Smalls Theater is, just as its name suggests, a small venue in Millvale, about 35 minutes away. It has a capacity of about 800 and is an indoor venue. Plus, most shows’ tickets are just around $20. It also has a café attached to it if you are looking for a bite.  Here you can get the chance to be up close with the small artists that play at this venue! https://mrsmalls.com/

Thunderbird Café and Music Hall is a very small venue, with a capacity of 380. It is located in Lawrenceville and is around 40 minutes away. It is a strictly indoor venue and will get you as up close to the artists as you can get. One downside for us high schoolers is that many of the shows have age restrictions, either 18+ or 21+, so make sure you check before you buy any tickets. Most of the tickets at this venue are around $20 so if you are looking for a cheap night of music Thunderbird is the place to go: https://thunderbirdmusichall.com/