Discuss “Big Al’s Metal Shop”

Despite the blinding cold of last weekend, rock fans in this town could take solace in the warmth of another place: this past Saturday saw on the order of one million tanned, drunk, writhing bodies on the sands of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Nothing out of the ordinary for a Brazilian summer, except that they were all guests of the Rolling Stones, as they hosted a pre-Carnaval party to end all pre-Carnaval parties.

Why should that make ’Burghers smile, you ask? Well, it reminds us that a country as glorious as Brazil exists. But even more so, it reminds us that live music is the lifeblood of any city’s culture, whether there’s sand or snow between your toes. While Rio will always be Rio, Pittsburgh was recently named the best...