As someone who does a lot of his work from home, I understand the desire to be a shut-in, especially at this time of year.

But there were plenty of reasons to get out last weekend and no threatening weather to make it difficult.

Over a three-day period, I reviewed two plays, “Steal Away” at Hopewell Theatre and “Gem of the Ocean” at Youngstown Playhouse, and went to two concerts — Brad’s Savage Birthday Bash on Saturday and Ike Reilly Assassination on Sunday, both at Westside Bowl.

I’ve already written about the plays. The “Steal Away” review ran Monday, and “Gem” is in today’s Ticket. And it was a fun weekend of music.

Actually, the whirlwind started two days before, when my daughter and I went to see Father John Misty at Stage AE in Pittsburgh on Feb. 19.

Josh Tillman has been making music as Father John Misty for more than a decade and I certainly was aware of his more popular songs, but for whatever reason, I only started seeking out his music in the last year.

The lanky, impeccably dressed singer with his wry lyrics and arch delivery was thoroughly entertaining as he played his latest album “Mahashmashana” in its entirety and a dozen other songs. He introduced one of his songs by saying, “This is a beautiful ballad about being gaslit by capitalism.” I wasn’t on the clock, so I wasn’t taking notes and don’t remember which one, but as Tillman said, about a half dozen songs he played that night could fit the description.

For an artist whose music is so lyrically driven, the best thing about the show was how great the sound was. It was easy to decipher 95% of the lyrics, even on the songs I didn’t know as well. I hope Stage AE sounds as great in April when I’m back there for St. Vincent.

Summit FM program director Brad Savage was the birthday boy Saturday, but it’s safe to say the big draw on Saturday was MUNNYCAT’s first hometown gig since 2018. Khaled Tabbara and Katianne Timko-Tabbara both were well-known in local music circles before moving to southern California, and Tabbara worked extensively in local theater (he’ll always be my favorite Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar”).

The duo pulled out all the stops for its homecoming with a full band filling out the sound of its indie / pop / hip hop originals and a couple of cheerleaders (Bernadette Lim and Heather Powell) hyping up the audience. The band featured some of Tabbara’s mates from The Zou, and the setlist included that band’s “Sleazy” along with MUNNYCAT tracks.

Also on the bill were Demos Papadimas and Ohayo, two talented acts that sounded especially good Saturday. It was nice to see such a large, enthusiastic crowd supporting local music.

The crowd wasn’t as big on Sunday for Ike Reilly. Trust me, I get it. For almost anyone else except for Reilly, I would have talked myself out going Sunday. Three nights of concerts in five days that require standing on concrete floors for extended periods of time isn’t my knees’ favorite thing at this age.

But Reilly, as always, was worth it. Because he’s such a talented songwriter, Reilly’s solo shows always are entertaining, but nothing can match the energy of a full-band gig.

Sunday’s set included favorites like “Put a Little Love in It (According to John),” “Trick of the Light,” “Born on Fire” and “Duty Free” along with a raucous cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tombstone Blues.”

Even my knees didn’t regret me making an effort to be there. Don’t miss him next time he’s in town.

Both “Steal Away” and “Gem of the Ocean” will be around for another weekend and are worth seeing. Or go do something else. Lent may be around the corner, but don’t give up going out and supporting the arts and entertainers.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com