TONIGHT: That Arena Rock Show revives headbanging days of yore

That Arena Rock Show is reviving the headbanging days of yore. The metal act, opening for AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway tonight, delivers a theatrical show with costume changes, lights and an onslaught of hard rock anthems and power ballads from acts like Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses and Bon Jovi.

“One of the coolest things is the feedback from people,” bassist Geddy Rose said. “They say, ‘You took me back to being 16 again.’ I don’t think we’re that good, but somebody actually told us we gave them the Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite for Destruction’ Tour they never had. It’s cool people are enjoying the show as much as we like putting it all together.”

That Arena Rock Show, which also features T. Bone (vocals), Steve Satriani (guitar), Nikki Starr (guitar) and Ryan Rocket (drums), formed in late 2017 and played its first show at Bogart’s in April 2018.

“I’d seen the tribute band market blowing up over the last year,” Starr said. “I thought I could put together a really cool ’70s and ’80s arena rock-style show so I started looking for people.”

He found the vocalist through a video on Facebook.

“T. Bone was singing karaoke and doing Led Zeppelin,” Starr recalled. “I’m like, ‘Man, I need to do something with this guy.’ We got together and jammed out and we knew it could be something special. We started collaborating on a bunch of ideas. We wanted to put together a show where people could escape from their everyday lives for 90 minutes and just have fun.”

For T. Bone, this is his first rock band.

“I have a theater background, but I’ve always had an inclination towards music,” he said. “I finally met the right group of guys with the same taste in music and the same interest in being in a project that was a production more than just a band standing around paying songs.”

There was a big visual element to acts like KISS and Poison, which gives the musicians opportunities for costume changes.

“What kind of wardrobes we wanted to get together was something we discussed for a long time,” T. Bone said. “I like to change things up and wear multiple outfits. Each of us has our own styles and that’s a lot of fun. We do some choreography and try to imitate the artists’ acts.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he added. “We’re not the just the entertainment you bring to the party, we are the party.”


HOW TO GO

Who: That Arena Rock Show with Thunderstruck

Where: Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway, 777 Hollywood Blvd., Dayton

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. Doors open at 6 p.m. This show is 21 and older

Cost: $10

More info: 844-225-7057 or www.hollywooddaytonraceway.com

Artist info: www.thatarenarockshow.com

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