Okay, so it's only 70 degrees out there today, but in theory, we're into the heat of the summer -- and that means outdoor concerts. In addition to the Allegheny County Parks concerts (Steve Earle at South Park on July 17 is one of the highlights of the remaining schedule) and the newly revamped Amphitheatre at Station Square, there are a few alternative outdoor venues.

WYEP just hosted its annual summer music festival last Friday at Schenley Plaza in Oakland and, like last year, I sat there on the lawn dreaming of a summer when decent rock shows happened in that park every week. I'm not quite getting my wish, but the radio station DID unveil yesterday its plans for a Final Fridays concert series at the plaza, featuring shows on the last Friday of the next three months. All of the shows take place at 7pm and are free; the schedule is:

July 31 -- Scott Miller & the Commonwealth
August 28 - Great Lake Swimmers
September 25 - Jessica Lea Mayfield

The shows are all free; more info here.

On the North Side, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is again hosting its free Solar Concert Series, Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m., featuring local musicians performing acoustic sets on a solar-powered sound system. Rounding out July in that series are:

July 15 -- AppalAsia
July 22 - Jerome Hawk Freeman
July 29 -- Julia & Alex Voris

And in the Kinda Weird Place to See That Show category is the Riverplex Amphitheatre at Station Square, being booked by Joker Productions for a few shows this summer. July 31 is the notable kickoff featuring Neko Case and Grandaddy's Jason Lytle. John Legend and India.Arie appear there August 3.