John Oates, Shrine Circus Top Pittsburgh Weekend Events

PITTSBURGH, PA - John Oates hails from Philadelphia, but given how often he appears in Pittsburgh he certainly seems to have an affinity for this city. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is about to make his fourth public appearance here this year.

He sang the national anthem before the Steelers playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in January (things went downhill rapidly after that, if you’ll recall). Four days later, he appeared for a solo concert at Club Cafe on the South Side. In June, he played PPG Paints Arena with longtime musical partner Daryl Hall.

Oates will be in town again Friday at 7:30 p.m. for a performance at the Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland. If you’re going, be aware that he limits the Hall and Oates numbers when performing solo; on his last solo tour he stuck mostly to “Maneater” and “You Make My Dreams.”

John Oates tickets start at $20.

Other weekend highlights:

• Shrine Circus, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.; ept. 15, 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; June 16, 2 p.m., PPG Paints Arena.

Trust on this: Nowhere else in town this weekend will you be able to see such as assortment of clowns, elephants, tiger, trapeze artists, Spider Man and Oink, the singing pig. Wait...a singing pig? The Shrine Circus returns to town for its 69th year amid a local lawsuit and controversy over whether the circus is cruel to animals. That lawsuit may ensure the event doesn’t return to town next year, so if the circus if your thing you probably should go.

Shrine Circus tickets start at $14.25.

• ScareHouse, Sept. 14, 15, 7 to 11 p.m., 118 Locust St., Etna

ScareHouse has been ranked as one of America’s scariest Halloween attractions by Travel Channel and has been featured on Good Morning America, USA TODAY, CBS news, ABC News, Buzzfeed, Forbes, Geek & Sundry and many other national media outlets. If you can muster up the courage, come see what all the fuss is about.

ScareHouse tickets start at $17.99.

• Steelers Kickoff Concert, Sept. 14, 6 p.m., Stage AE, North Shore

Before the Steelers take on the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in their home opener at Heinz Field, you might want to take in the fifth kickoff celebration that has become an annual tradition. In addition to headliner Kip Moore with special guests The Wild Feathers and Jameson Rodgers in an outdoor show, there will be numerous Steelers events and activities.

Steelers Kickoff Concert tickets start at $37.50.

• Celtic Thunder X, Sept. 16, 8 p.m., Benedum Center, Downtown

Backed by the Celtic Thunder Band, singers Damian McGinty, Ryan Kelly, Michael O’Dwyer, Emmet Cahill and Neil Byrne deliver new ensemble numbers including “Sons of Light,” “Toora, Loora, Lay,” “The Wild Rover,” “Right all right” and “Castle on the Hill” followed in the second act by nostalgic fun songs like “Celebration,” “I’m a Believer,” “Seasons in the Sun” and “Rise Again." Can you think of a better way to celebrate a Steelers victory over the Chiefs?

Celtic Thunder X tickets start at $39.75.

John Oates photo via Shutterstock.

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