Norman Nardini and Curtis & the Shakerz to play at first responders concert at Shrine Center

A Tribute to First Responders concert will feature Curtis and the Shakerz and Norman Nardini on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center pavilion in Harmar.

The show will pay tribute to local first responders and offer the public live entertainment, food and a cash bar. Admission is $5.

The event is twofold. It will honor the sacrifice of 9/11 first responders and those who perished, said Bob Addleman, business manager for Pittsburgh’s Syria Shriners headquartered at the Shrine Center in Harmar.

Pastor Greg Spencer from Trinity United Methodist Church in Brackenridge will speak about the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

“But the event is not so much a memorial but a celebration of the first responders who are working for us every day,” Addleman said. “We will celebrate the police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel whose courage and service continue to keep us safe here.”

The Shrine Center already has reached out to about 15 first responder departments from Aspinwall to New Kensington for representation at the event, said George White of the Shrine Center.

“They have been doing a great job forever,” White said. “However, they haven’t received the acknowledgment they should.”

He hopes to have some emergency vehicles on the grounds for public viewing during the show.

The headliner, Curtis and the Shakerz, a blues band, will honor all first responders with its song “Standing on the Blue Line.”

The uncrowned king of Pittsburgh rock ’n’ roll, Norman Nardini, and his band will serve up their audacious and soulful music.

The Starlite Lounge of Blawnox, known for its fresh and home-cooked specialties such as pierogi, will provide the food concession.