Pittsburg, PA
They liked it, they loved it, Tim McGraw fans got some more of it in Pittsburgh
BC Taylor, son of Aliquippa rocker B.E. Taylor, drummed for his girlfriend, award-winning country singer Carly Pearce.
Tim McGraw’s funny response to hearing Taylor Swift’s ‘Tim McGraw’
Tim McGraw chats with USA TODAY’s Melissa Ruggieri about his upcoming tour for the album “Standing Room Only” and seeing Taylor Swift live.
Entertain This!, USA TODAY
PITTSBURGH ― To describe a Tim McGraw concert, you invariably must use the word “solid.”
That’s precisely how McGraw sounded, looked and entertained Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and that was utterly fine.
From the rugged show launcher “Truck Yeah” to the crowd-swaying-along encore finisher “Live Like You Were Dying,” McGraw dependably delivered a straightforward, engaging 90-minute set as tight as his blue jeans.
His band rocked out without getting showy, forging a six-man, front-stage line of guitarists and a bass guitarist for “Southern Voice,” as the three-side jumbo video screen showed Southern icons like Bear Bryant, Rosa Parks and Jerry Lee Lewis.
That video screen gave ample closeups of the oft-smiling McGraw, who regularly worked a catwalk that jutted 13 rows into the crowd. That’s where he did a few slow spins with arms outstretched like airplane wings, before slapping high-fives and shaking hands with fans during “All I Want is a Life.”
McGraw’s voice sounded strong, reaching the requisite high notes on his cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
Sweet, soulful fiddle emerged for “Just to See You Smile,” which McGraw prefaced with the reminder he doesn’t chatter much during shows, joking he’s accustomed to his family − wife/country superstar Faith Hill and their three daughters − not giving him much space to talk.
Video clip footage of McGraw and Hill appeared on the video screen for the love song “One Bad Habit.” That looked like Hill again, in a more abstract visual, for the next song, the somewhat Yacht Rock-ish “Watch The Wind Blow By.”
The mixed-age crowd − enthusiastic and from what I saw well-behaved − wiggled and grooved for “Something Like That” and sang alone for the final chorus of “Where The Green Grass Grows,” which McGraw finished with a baseball hitters’ stance then an imaginary swing for the fences.
McGraw gave a hometown shoutout to band member Billy Noble, a Carnegie Mellon University grad, for his fine keyboard work on 2023’s”Standing Room Only,” from which this tour draws its name.
Red lights illuminated and intensified the setting for the lyrically dark “Red Ragtop,” which built to a moment where fans waved their uplifted arms in unison. The start of that song, when the lighting was still dark, was a lone moment where McGraw removed his cowboy hat, for just a second, maybe to wipe some sweat.
Taylor Swift showed up for the pulsating “Highway Don’t Care,” beamed on the video screen in music video fashion and earning a post-song cheer when McGraw mentioned her.
It was party time, with soothing fiddle, screaming guitar and pounding, crashing drums as McGraw and his band tore into “I Like It, I Love It.” He subtly changed the Atlanta Braves reference to Pittsburgh Steelers, an acceptable audible in a country show refreshingly low on pandering.
“Felt Good on My Lips” flat-out rocked.
Then five guitar- and bass-wielding bandmates, including McGraw, again formed a loose line to grind out the sturdy “Real Good Man.”
A masterfully crafted setlist brought the crowd-pleasing encore of “The Cowboy in Me” and “Humble and Kind,” with McGraw standing in wisps of dry ice smoke and letting the crowd repeat the final philosophical outro a cappella.
The uplifting “Live Like You Were Dying,” in all its skydiving, Rocky Mountain climbing, Fu Manchu bull-riding glory, ended the show − you guessed it − solidly.
McGraw’s main support, award-winning country star Carly Pearce, did a good job warming the audience.
Commanding the stage in red stiletto boots, matching her above-the-knees red dress, Pearce demonstrated a skillful ability to emotionally “sell” a song.
From the done-me-wrong-but-I’ll-triumph “What He Didn’t Do,” to the devil-may-care attitude of Faith Hill’s “Let’s Go to Vegas,” Pearce was convincing. She apologized for a slightly raspy speaking voice earned two nights earlier when she stood next to the real-life Hill singing along with McGraw songs at a Nashville concert. That rasp added moxie to new song “Truck on Fire,” with its “liar, liar truck’s on fire” vow to ignite the vehicle of a cheating beau.
In real life, Pearce looks to be quite happy with her boyfriend and band drummer BC Taylor, son of beloved Aliquippa rocker B.E. Taylor.
Befitting the night, BC Taylor supplied solid beats that added to Pearce’s enjoyable dozen-song set.
Scott Tady is Times Entertainment Editor and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.
Pittsburg, PA
Rise in bean prices could negatively affect Pittsburgh-area coffeehouses, consumers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Concern remains that increased tariffs on Colombia could mean an increase in the cost of coffee in the U.S.
In the Strip District, you’ll find several places to grab a cup of coffee, and inside Caffe Mona, you’ll see many people enjoying warm drinks.
“Different types of coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos,” said Caffe Mona server, Betsa Ocando.
Now, the beans behind those caffeinated beverages hit a record high cost. According to Trading Economics Arabica, coffee futures set a record high for the closing price on Monday at around $3.45 per pound. This is all fueled by supply concerns and growing tensions overseas.
Monday’s closing price spike shows trade uncertainties after President Trump posted on social media.
On Sunday, he claimed he would raise a 25% tariff against Colombia to 50% on all goods coming to America after one week. He made those tariff threats against Colombia for initially blocking the arrival of deported migrants from the U.S. on military planes.
While it didn’t change the prices yet, KDKA-TV spoke to many about how much a price increase would impact Pittsburghers.
“It will definitely affect a lot of people,” said Ocando.
Hundreds of people frequent Caffe Mona and Allegheny Coffee and Tea Exchange every day.
“Hopefully, it won’t be too bad, but we just kind of have to see,” Allegheny Coffee and Tea Exchange barista Mitchell Delong said.
The price of coffee beans increased significantly from March to now.
“We try to keep our prices regulated for that. We go down, we go up, depending on what it is,” Delong said. “It’s kind of scary because maybe this could be a precursor, you know? We get coffee from everywhere, all over the world. You know, this is Colombia, what’s going to happen in a couple of months, a year from now?”
A tight coffee bean supply escalates the costs even more.
Brazil is the top coffee bean producer and has seen a lack of rainfall in key coffee bean areas. It’s a potential pinch on the pocketbook, but customers may be willing to consume to get their morning brews.
Pittsburg, PA
Penguins drop third straight game, lose 2-1 to San Jose
Macklin Celebrini scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Yaroslav Askarov stopped a penalty shot and the San Jose Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Monday night to snap a six-game losing streak.
Celebrini received a pass from Tyler Toffoli in the slot and converted for his 16th goal of the season to give the Sharks the lead in the third. Askarov then stopped Drew O’Connor on a penalty shot for the most important of his 32 saves, delivering San Jose a much-needed win.
Mikael Granlund scored in the first period for the Sharks.
Sidney Crosby, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft 19 years before Celebrini went first to San Jose, had scored for Pittsburgh just 24 seconds into the third period to tie the game.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves.
Pittsburgh: The Penguins have lost three straight games and seven of nine. They remain mired near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only Buffalo.
San Jose: The Sharks had allowed at least six goals in four straight games and lost nine of 10 overall before breaking through against the Penguins.
The Penguins appeared to score the tying goal with 5:14 left when Michael Bunting’s pass deflected into the net. But the Sharks challenged the play and the officials ruled that Anthony Beauvillier interfered with Askarov and the goal was taken off the board.
Will Smith assisted on Granlund’s goal to give him a five-game point streak. Fellow rookie Celebrini has already had a five-game point streak this season, marking the first time two Sharks rookies did that in the same season since Melker Karlsson and Chris Tierney in 2014-15.
The Penguins head to Utah on Wednesday, while the Sharks play at Seattle on Thursday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Steelers' owner reveals team’s plan at quarterback
The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to sign one of Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, but not both players, team president Art Rooney II said. Rooney says that he anticipates the team evaluating both quarterbacks and retaining one player, and the hope would be to bring one of those players back on a multi-year deal.
“I think they’re both capable quarterbacks, and my preference would be to sign one of them. So that will be the priority, and I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward. Obviously, we’ll be looking in the draft as well. We’ve got a whole quarterback room to fill, and so there’s jobs open in there, and so I wouldn’t be surprised if we look in the draft as well either this year or next. And so that’s got to be the priority,” Rooney said.
Rooney added that Fields and Wilson view themselves as starting quarterbacks, which is likely why both players will not be back.
“You know, I wouldn’t close the door, but I’d say it’s probably unlikely. I think both of them see themselves as starters, and I don’t know that they want to share the same job again next year. So I would say most likely we probably don’t wind up bringing them both back,” Rooney said.
Rooney hopes to have an option in place for at least two years to stabilize the quarterback position. The Steelers have turned over their quarterback spot over the last few seasons while trying to find the answer but have remained unsuccessful.
“I think my preference would probably be to have something more than a one-year in place next time around, but we’ll see what it takes,” Rooney said.
Fields and Wilson are both free agents this offseason. Wilson could have a chance to rejoin his old head coach with the Seattle Seahawks, Pete Carroll, in Las Vegas, while Fields will have options as the young, upside-option on the market.
It seems likely the Steelers will try to figure out that situation before they hit the open market, and they should sign one of them.
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