THE INTERRUPTERS AT THE 2023 FOUR CHORD MUSIC FESTIVAL | PHOTO BY NICK PREZIOSO

BEST BET

Four Chord Music Festival

Sept. 13-14 | EQT Park

Over 11 years, the Four Chord Music Festival has grown into one of the nation’s largest gatherings devoted to pop-punk music — and now, the organizers are finally bringing their “white whale” to the stage.

The first night of this year’s event will be headlined by Blink-182, the titans of the genre known for infectious, radio-favorite hits including “What’s My Age Again?” and “Dammit.” It’s a coup for an independent event, says Adam Valen, the festival’s marketing director. “There’s no corporate backing on this. We’ve always been told that we’ll never get a [band like] Blink-182.”

This year’s lineup also includes Jimmy Eat World, AFI, Alkaline Trio, Say Anything, Bowling for Soup and punk forebears Jawbreaker; the latter band, who has never played in Western Pennsylvania, set the blueprint for many other bands on the festival.

“It can’t be understated how influential they are in this scene,” Valen says. “They hold a really near-and-dear place in our hearts.”

Locally based bands including Punchline and Eternal Boy — the latter of which features festival founder Rishi Bahl, who has shepherded the event since its early years as a nightclub show — also are set for the event, which returns this year to EQT Park in North Franklin Township, home of the independent-league Washington Wild Things.

— Sean Collier

COMMUNITY

The Freedom Harvest Celebration

Sept. 6 | Frick Environmental Center

The Freedom Harvest Celebration is a joyful gathering of local artists sharing their talents, celebrating creativity and embracing the spirit of liberation. The community celebration is inspired by the Frick Environmental Center’s “From Slavery to Freedom Garden,” which showcases crops like peanuts, green onions and other foods that have been vital to people seeking freedom.

This event is an afternoon full of culinary delights, garden tours, family activities and soulful music meant to uplift and unite the community.

MUSIC

Joe Hisaishi

 Sept. 13-14 | Heinz Hall

JOE HISAISHI | PHOTO BY NICK RUTTER

Joe Hisaishi — award-winning composer, musical director, conductor and pianist — is taking the stage to conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He’s best known for creating evocative and emotionally rich soundscapes; just watch the Oscar-winning “The Boy and the Heron.”

Along with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Hisaishi and the PSO will present new music from “The End of the World,” his album inspired by “the people in the USA.”

DANCE

Texture Contemporary Ballet

Sept. 19-21 | New Hazlett Theater

Being in the here and now is a great mantra to have, if you’re hoping to reset your mindset. Texture Contemporary Ballet invites you to step into the present with “In This Moment.” This performance encourages audiences to feel and embrace every breath. Experience the “power of presence and the beauty that emerges when we slow down and fully inhabit the now.”

MUSIC

Garbage

Sept. 23 | Stage AE

Known for their experimental approach and fierce individuality, Garbage continues to create music that defies easy categorization. Formed in 1993, this iconic band is woven together by vocalist Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker and renowned producer Butch Vig.

Stage AE is just big enough to hold the industrial grit of Manson’s powerful vocals on hits including “Only Happy When it Rains” and “Push It.”

MOVIE

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”

Sept. 26 | Oaks Theater

“THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW” | PHOTO BY JOEL BREWTON

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is an experience on its own, but watching it with a shadow cast elevates it to an unforgettable spectacle. For more than 40 years, members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players have been acting out the movie in sync with the screen, adding a layer of interactive chaos and comedic brilliance. Even though a prop kit is included in the ticket price, you might want to bring your own feather boa and fishnet stockings.