April’s concert schedule for Pittsburgh is filling up, with a rising metal band, a multimedia country star and one of the top songwriters of all time, not to mention a host of sold-out shows. Here’s a look at the top shows coming to the region in April:
Top shows
April 12: Spiritbox, Loathe, Gel, Dying Wish at UPMC Events Center
Canadian heavy metal rising stars Spiritbox, fresh off a pair of Grammy nominations, bring their Tsunami Sea North American tour to Moon Township.
Their latest album, “Tsunami Sea,” dropped on March 7, already earning rave reviews from Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, NME and more.
“We know ourselves musically, as we’re getting older and discovering more about what we can actually achieve,” singer Courtney LaPlante told billboard.com. “For the first time now, when we write stuff, I feel confident. It (only) took 20 years.”
Read more: How Spiritbox became one of hard rock’s biggest breakouts of the decade
April 12: Kelsea Ballerini, Sasha Alex Sloan, MaRynn Taylor at PPG Paints Arena
In a show postponed from February due to illness, country star Kelsea Ballerini will finally get to headline her first arena show in Pittsburgh.
It’s been a whirlwind year for Ballerini, who released her newest album, “Patterns,” in October, became a judge for the latest season of NBC’s “The Voice” and was named a headliner at this year’s CMA Fest in Nashville.
“I’ve always struggled with being palatable and being for everyone. I’ve slowly and gently started to realize that no one is for everyone,” she told Music Row in an interview last year. “I do have opinions and I do talk like this — the last thing I ever want to be as a human or an artist is fake.”
Read more: It’s Kelsea Ballerini’s moment and she nailed it: The genius of her 1st arena tour in Arizona
April 21: Bob Dylan at Benedum Center
There’s been a renewed interest in noted American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan thanks to “A Complete Unknown,” the authorized biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. You can catch the real thing when Dylan brings his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour back to Pittsburgh. (He was out at Star Lake last year as a part of the Outlaw Music Fest with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.)
Recent shows on this tour, which has been going on since his “Rough and Rowdy Ways” album came out in 2020, have featured much of the album, along with classics like “All Along the Watchtower” and “It Ain’t Me, Babe.”
“The relationship you have to a song can change over time,” he said in a 2022 interview with The Wall Street Journal. “You can outgrow it, or it could come back to haunt you, come back stronger in a different way. A song could be like a nephew or a sister, or a mother-in-law. There actually is a song called ‘Mother-in-Law.’”
Read more: Bob Dylan stuns at 2025 ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ tour kickoff
Sold-out shows
April 5: Ty Myers at Roxian Theatre
Ty Myers, a 17-year-old country singer, released his debut album, “The Select,” in January, with hits like “Drinkin’ Alone” and “Ends of the Earth.”
April 5: Joshua Redman Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa at MCG Jazz Concert Hall
Saxophonist/bandleader Joshua Redman, an 11-time Grammy nominee, and his group will be joined by vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, who sang on Redman’s 2023 “Where Are We” album.
April 13: Ani DiFranco, Wryn at Roxian Theatre
Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco brings her “Unprecedented S***” tour to Pittsburgh, named for her 2024 album.
April 19: Jazz Funk Soul at MCG Jazz Hall
Contemporary jazz stars Everette Harp, Jeff Lorber and Paul Jackson Jr. comprise this group, offering a “freedom of expression that can go from high energy to jazzy, funky, bluesy, soulful and emotional creating an unforgettable experience.”
April 25: Wild Rivers, Anna Graves at Mr. Smalls Theatre
The Canadian folk-pop trio, which released two albums last year, “Never Better” and “Better Now,” brings their Everywhere We Go tour to Pittsburgh.
Other notable shows
April 3: JoJo, Emmy Meli at Stage AE (Not gonna lie: Pop singer JoJo on new music, memoir and more ahead of Pittsburgh show)
April 4: Killswitch Engage, Kublai Khan TX, Fit For a King, Frozen Soul at Stage AE (Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley on new album ‘This Consequence’ ahead of Pittsburgh show)
April 5: Disturbed, Daughtry, Nothing More at PPG Paints Arena (Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan on ‘The Sickness’ 25th anniversary tour, new song and more ahead of Pittsburgh concert)
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April 5: Forrest Frank, Elevation Rhythm at Petersen Events Center
April 8: Fust at Bottlerocket Social Hall (Fust frontman Aaron Dowdy on ‘Spangled’ single, ‘Big Ugly’ album and songwriting ahead of Pittsburgh concert)
April 5: Daisy the Great at Preserving Underground
April 11: Kool Keith, MC Homeless, Speed Plans, DJ Halo, J Styles, Marc Live at Spirit Hall
April 11: Samantha Crain at Andy Warhol Museum
April 12: Mssv, Ed Crawford Band, Crush Curl at Mr. Smalls Funhouse
April 12: Buckethead at Preserving
April 13: Masta Killa at Mr. Smalls Theatre
April 13: St. Vincent, Wallice at Stage AE
April 14: Nicotine Dolls, Wic Whitney at Mr. Smalls Theatre (Nicotine Dolls singer Sam Cieri discusses ‘America’s Got Talent,’ the band’s name and Indiana Jones)
April 19: The Linda Lindas, Pinkshift at Spirit Hall
April 22: L.A. Guns, The Cheats, Xander Demos Band, Red Reign at Jergel’s (Tracii Guns on L.A. Guns’ new ‘Leopard Skin’ album: ‘It’s definitely not a metal record’)
April 25 & 29: Chiodos, Hawthorne Heights, Emmure, The Callous Daoboys at Roxian Theatre
April 26: Yesness, The Sewerheads, Sad Bulldog at Spirit Lodge
April 26: Everclear, Silver Screen, The Sages at Jergel’s
April 29: Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Bleed From Within, August Burns Red at Stage AE
April 29: Michigan Rattlers at Crafthouse