Scott Tady: Concert venue closing; meet Helen Hunt; Faye Webster shined at Stage AE

The glow of camaraderie tempered by a lingering finality felt palpable July 25 as Rich Harper played his final show at The Confluence.

Alone on the New Castle coffeeshop's stage, flanked by acoustic and resonator guitars, Harper delivered 90 minutes of nimble finger-picking and slide guitar sizzle, seamlessly blending a set of vintage Delta blues and modern originals. He found clever ways to blend the long-ago and right now, like an ad-libbed reference to Bitcoin slipped into a Dust Bowl-era acoustic foot-stomper.

A truly international blues artist, who's regularly toured Scandanavia, Thailand and Australia, the North Sewickley Township native's easygoing, self-deprecating stories elicited laughter and playful give-and-takes from an audience of 60 people sipping on smoothies and noshing on pastries from The Confluence's kitchen.

The vibe was intimate, cozy and welcoming; a cool place to see a show made even more enticing with the realization all the coffee shop's proceeds go to local children's programming administered by Cray Youth & Family Services.

Thus I was saddened to learn The Confluence will close Sept. 26, ending a three-year run as a daytime coffeeshop and Thursday night venue for bands (though will remain rentable for private parties and events.)

I'd long heard good things about The Confluence from regulars like Harper and guitarist Tony Lang of the Honky Tonk Heroes and wish I hadn't waited so long to visit.

Let's hope another coffeeshop-style venue can fill the void. I know Uncommon Grounds coffeeshop in Aliquippa periodically hosts live music, often in partnership with Beaver County's arts-minded organization the Genesis Collective.

Meanwhile, try to catch a show at The Confluence while you can; maybe acoustic folk-Americana singer Seth Verba on Aug. 8, Grandview Soul on Aug. 22 or Davis & McKay doing a Beatles night Aug. 29.

And don't miss a chance to see Harper perform. He's got no gigs on his calendar presently. I think he'd be a good fit as a warmup act for famous blues headliners playing concert sites like Jergel's Rhythm Grille or Pittsburgh's Club Cafe.

Say hi to 'Weird' Al

How'd you like to get your photo taken with "Weird" Al Yankovic?

Or maybe Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, Ralph Macchio or Marissa Tomei?

Those celebrities and more beckon at the next Steel City Con pop-culture convention Aug. 9-11 at the Monroeville Convention Center.

One-day passes cost $35 to $50 at steelcitycon.com, but that's just to get you in the door and to check out vendor booths and free discussions.

For those bragging-rights photo ops with a star, expect to pay an additional $85 to $125. Jennifer Grey ("Dirty Dancing") might be the best bargain at $75 (no additional charge for uttering a "nobody puts Baby in a corner" reference.) Basketball legend Dennis Rodman fetches $125, Priscilla Presley costs $105, and Jared Padalecki, cognizant of his Dean from "Gilmore Girls" fame, commands $165.

Some celebs only attend one day, so scout out the schedules in advance at steelcitycon.com

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Faye was fab

Four songs in, an avalanche of bubbles floated down on fans in front of the stage last Monday at Faye Webster's outdoor Stage AE show.

Well, that sort of explained the dozen laundromat-style washing machines flanking Webster and her band (a stage prop idea resurrected from a Rush tour.)

Coupled with a neatly hung, garage-sized white T-shirt doubling as a video projection screen, Webster had an amusing laundry-themed stage backdrop, though it was a pity she opted for such harsh purple-and-blue lighting that diminished the view for concertgoers.

That's my only nitpick with Webster, whose indie-rock and dream-pop stylings made for an entertaining performance for 4,000-plus Pittsburgh fans.

The 27-year-old Atlanta native started memorably with "But a Kiss," with its repeated moments of instrumental sparsity always leading back to the same simple but prominent piano riff. It's captivating.

Webster's airy voice allured, backed by four bandmates including a standout saxophone-keyboardist-violinist.

Supporting her widely acclaimed "Underdressed at the Symphony" album, Webster waited a full 20 minutes before addressing the largely 20s-ish crowd with a "What's up, Pittsburgh?" spawning a huge cheer.

It wasn't music you danced to, more like swayed dreamily to, and although her choruses can get redundant, there's a hypnotic pull to the way she sings them.

Twangy pedal steel powered "Ttttime" and the mallet-wielding drummer did a solo (are drum solos allowed at indie shows?)

The dreamy "Jonny" drifted along slowly and softly with light drums and keys leading unexpectedly to Webster discordantly, aggressively pounding an organ's keys for attention-grabbing effect.

As also seen with Phoebe Bridgers' 2021 Stage AE outdoors show, and Soccer Mommy last year at Hartwood Acres, the wispier side of indie-rock can lose some dynamics in a larger outdoor setting. Though Webster whisked me away from the word's turmoil for 80 minutes, while her attentive, knowledgeable fans were pleasant to hang with, taking multiple opportunities to sing along loudly with the lyrics.

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Most headliners find a way to thank their warmup acts, but Webster took that task to a superior level when she asked fans to shout, "Thank you, Julie."

Julie, the show's openers, won the crowd over with its raw, noisy, feedback-infused shoegaze sound.

Singer-bassist Alex Brady thrashed and threw her body around in time with the music, which bore a Sonic Youth-ish crunch and crackle.

Julie ended with a freakout guitar-bass-and drum jam, before Brady grabbed her large teddy bear and walked peacefully off the stage as Dillon Lee bashed his drums with splintering force. Brady returned briefly to grab a foot pedal and wave goodbye.

See S.P.U.D.S. in South Park

If you're headed to the free Micky Dolenz concert tonight at South Park, get there at 7:30 p.m. for S.P.U.D.S., the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley openers that packed clubs and got local radio spins in the 1990s.

"Yes, we are still breathing and playing," S.P.U.D.S. member Hank Lewandowski said. "It has been a rough 2024 for the band. Medical issues have kept us from playing and practicing but as Elvis sang 'Don’t bury me 'cause we’re not dead yet.'“

Warming a crowd for Monkees fans should be a fun challenge for the rock band that took its acronym from Special People Under Doctors Supervision.

"We plan on doing a 30-to-45-minute set of all original music," Lewandowski said, "depending on when Micky wants to take the stage."

Concertgoers can expect to hear S.P.U.D.S. songs like "Nietzsche Said” inspired by the film “Blazing Saddles,“ Also "the battle cry for all homeowners," according to Lewandowski, “'Hey You Get the Hell Outta My Yard.'“

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Concert venue closing; meet Helen Hunt; Webster shined at Stage AE