A milestone moment in Rock-afire Explosion history will take place Saturday, June 6, at Volo Museum as the legendary animatronic band debuts its first all-new full-stage production in more than 30 years.
Show creator Aaron Fechter, original character performers, Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Shooter Jennings, Cole Bennett and his team from Lyrical Lemonade along with hundreds of fans will gather for this event. It starts with a sold-out meet-and-greet before the debut of the new production. Following the reveal, Fechter, Jennings and original cast members will participate in a live performance backed by Florida-based band The Tropical Cleaners and Chicagoland party band Modern Day Romeos.
Volo Museum’s Rock-afire Explosion attraction is one of only two fully functional and licensed Rock-afire Explosion shows open to the public in the United States. The museum constructed a climate-controlled, 40-foot-wide theater specifically for the attraction, complete with garage-style doors that open and close during performances, recreating the curtain effect used during the show’s original 1980s presentations.
After seeing the time, investment and dedication put into preserving the Rock-afire legacy, Fechter assembled members of the original creative team and recruited Jennings, the son of country music legends Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, to produce a custom Volo Museum-car-inspired medley and become the new voice of Fatz Geronimo, the keyboard-playing gorilla and centerpiece of the show.
Adding another layer of music history, the project was recorded in the same studio and on the same piano associated with Prince’s landmark album Purple Rain.
“Putting this show together was both exhilarating and nerve-racking,” Fechter said. “I knew expectations would be high, so it took almost two years to record, produce, mix and program the new show to the standards that both the fans and Volo Museum deserve.”
Fechter arrived at Volo Museum on Wednesday to install an updated operating system, load the new performance and conduct final testing. It was the first time he had seen the completed production performed by the animatronics.
“I cried watching it,” Fechter said. “I was overwhelmed with pride seeing the final product, but also with the nostalgic excitement of imagining fans reacting to the new show. I am really excited for this event.”
The Rock-afire Explosion became famous in the 1980s as the star attraction at ShowBiz Pizza Place, where its cast of animatronic characters performed music, comedy and variety-show-style entertainment for a generation of families. When ShowBiz Pizza locations were converted to Chuck E. Cheese restaurants, most Rock-afire Explosion shows were removed, destroyed or dispersed into private collections.
Museum Director and Co-owner Brian Grams purchased the complete show after discovering it online and recognizing it as a natural fit for the museum’s growing collection of nostalgic pop-culture attractions.
“I knew there would be a special following of people my age who grew up having birthday parties at ShowBiz Pizza,” Grams said. “What surprised me was the size of the fan base among a younger generation that discovered Rock-afire through YouTube videos and entertainment such as Five Nights at Freddy’s. In the two years since the show opened, we receive inquiries about it almost every day.”
“What started as a fun project has grown into something magical people want to experience and be part of,” said Jim Wojdyla, marketing director for Volo Museum. “It’s a historic day for fans of 1980s pop culture, animatronics and the Rock-afire Explosion.”
Wojdyla is also the lead singer of Modern Day Romeos, one of the bands performing during the event. In a full-circle moment, the band’s drummer, Mike Zaitz, credits Rock-afire Explosion drummer Dook LaRue as the inspiration for becoming a drummer. When the original drummer scheduled for the performance became unavailable one week before the event, Zaitz was invited to step in and perform the songs that inspired him as a child.
Cole Bennett and his team from the Chicago-based production company Lyrical Lemonade will also be on-site documenting the event as part of a feature-length documentary exploring the Rock-afire Explosion and the culture surrounding it.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at Volo Museum, 27582 Volo Village Road, Volo, Illinois. Admission is included with regular museum admission. The sold-out meet-and-greet will run from 10 a.m. to noon, with the new show debut and live performances beginning at noon.
The event is weather dependent. In the event of severe weather, activities will be postponed to Sunday, June 7.