Feist, Flatts, Pumpkins and more to play this fall

This past summer featured an unusually high number of high-profile concerts and shows in and… This past summer featured an unusually high number of high-profile concerts and shows in and around Pittsburgh, so the fall has a tough act to follow. The main attractions are a bevy of intimate singer-songwriter gigs, but there are some giant arena acts mixed in as well.

Aug. 30 and 31 – Rascal Flatts (Post-Gazette Pavilion) – A double dose of this immensely popular country band closes out the summer. Inexplicably, it seems to have attracted an intense Pittsburgh following, and the $70 price tag for pavilion seats aims to exploit that as much as possible. The band’s new album is called Still Feels Good and drops on Sept. 25.

Sept. 9 – Genesis (Mellon Arena) – One of the top-selling bands of all time, thisartifact of the ’70s prog-rock movement brings its “reunion” tour to The Igloo. Vital cog Peter Gabriel is not involved. As with all the great and most desperate reunion tours, no new album is in the works either.

Sept. 13 – Feist (Carnegie Music Hall) – As the Canadian dollar continues to creep up on the American, their music scene does as well. Singer-songwriter Feist is the latest to rise to prominence with The Reminder, one of the most acclaimed albums of the year so far. Full of soft, impeccably written numbers with grand, inspired flourishes, it’s a finalist for the Polaris Music Prize as best Canadian album. And the show is right on Pitt’s doorstep. Hard to beat.

Sept. 14 – Ben Harper ‘ the Innocent Criminals (Benedum Center) – Winner of multiple Grammy awards, Ben Harper’s unique blend of soul, folk and blues is well suited for a venue as grand as the Benedum. This is the theater Downtown, by the way, not the engineering hall. Harper’s new album Lifeline will be released on Aug. 28.

Sept. 18 – Three Days Grace/Breaking Benjamin (Post-Gazette Pavilion) – The guys responsible for the extraordinarily mean “I Hate (Everything About You)” song team up with Pennsylvania’s own Breaking Benjamin. One-X, the last effort from Three Days Grace, failed to yield anything as omnipresent as the aforementioned single, but it still neared platinum status. Breaking Benjamin also had an under-the-radar chart success last year with Phobia.

Oct. 2 – Andrew Bird (Carnegie Music Hall) – Andrew Bird’s distinctive take on singing and songwriting is in large part because of his instrumental skills, which include the violin and glockenspiel alongside the standard guitar. This unique skill set has landed him guest spots on recordings by Neko Case, Ani DiFranco and My Morning Jacket. Bird’s new album, the excellently alliterative Armchair Apocrypha, was released this past March to critical acclaim.

Oct. 9 – Smashing Pumpkins (Palumbo Center) – These titans of ’90s alternative arrive on Duquesne’s campus for their first Pittsburgh show in eight years. After their 2000 breakup, new album Zeitgeist marks their not-so-triumphant return, sans original members D’arcy and James Iha. While this effort didn’t blow anyone away, they still have a killer back catalogue, and Billy Corgan’s wild guitar soloing and Jimmy Chamberlin’s bone-crushing drums have always made for a memorable live show. Recent gigs have featured an acoustic set as well, highlighting the diversity that set them apart from many of their long-gone peers.

Oct. 29 – Ryan Adams ‘ the Cardinals (Carnegie Music Hall) – One of the most prolific artists currently working, Ryan (don’t call him Bryan) Adams followed up his three 2005 albums with Easy Tiger, released in June. It’s his highest-charting album to date, and while his live shows are semi-notorious for being hit-or-miss affairs, his material is good enough to make it worth the risk.

Oct. 30 – Tori Amos (Benedum Center) – The famously eccentric singer-songwriter Tori Amos stretched the audio capacity of the CD with this year’s American Doll Posse. The 78-minute album includes songs sung from the points of view of various new Tori alter-egos, making up the titular posse. The live show even includes accompanying costumes. It sounds strange, but it’s fitting for one of the most enigmatic artists of recent years.