It’s been more than 40 years since the likes of AC/DC or Motörhead played the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh. But their songs — albeit in vastly reimagined versions — found new life Monday night at the Benedum Center (formerly known as the Stanley Theatre).
In around 90 minutes, a show presented as the Rock Orchestra by Candlelight took a tour through alternative and classic rock, as well as metal (with both heavy and nu varieties represented). The group made its first jaunt to the United States for a brief tour of the Northeast, which concluded Monday with a sold-out show in Pittsburgh.
Comprised of seven women and five men, the band covered most musical instrument categories, with string, brass, woodwind and percussion represented. Dressed all in black with various bone-related shirts or leggings, glittery face masks allowed the focus to remain on the marriage of classical and rock music.
The Rock Orchestra hit the stage — with twisting towers of skulls on both sides, a giant moving skull in the middle and four more candle-covered skulls — with AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” with Pittsburgh native Kyle Morgan ripping off a saxophone solo. (The band’s second set also included “Back in Black” by AC/DC, which played the Stanley in 1977, 1979 and 1980.)
Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” earned some newfound respect after its symphonic overhaul, while Linkin Park’s “Numb” featured the first appearance from singer Erin Fox.
Singer Sky Murphy joined Fox to duet on Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” before an absolutely ripping version of Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” Lead violinist Ivana Cetkovic displayed some fireworks on her instrument as she moved to the forefront before literal fireworks erupted from the floor.
The orchestra then successfully handled another iconic guitar solo with Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” one of the night’s highlights.
Fox returned for “Zombie” by the Cranberries before closing their first set with a crushing rendition of System of a Down’s “Toxicity,” fulling capturing the song’s violence and vibrance.
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My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” started the second set, followed by “Back in Black” and No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak,” featuring Fox. Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” already felt operatic before the Rock Orchestra treatment and soared even higher in this version.
“Next up we have the song that killed hair metal,” quipped Murphy before the band launched into Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
The Motörhead classic, “Ace of Spades,” was next. The English rockers played the Stanley in 1983 and most assuredly didn’t sound anything like Monday night’s interpretation.
A second System of a Down song, “Chop Suey,” sounded great — who knew the Armenian-American heavy metal band’s music would translate so well to this format?
Again the band showed no fear, tackling Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” and Tom Morello’s other-worldly guitar work, matching its jarring intensity and, of course, running through the classic outro of “F—- you, I won’t do what you tell me!”
Fittingly, the Rock Orchestra closed with a vibrant “Enter Sandman.” The most famous metal/orchestra collaboration would likely be Metallica’s “S&M” album, recorded in 1999 with the San Francisco Symphony, selling more than 2 million copies in the United States.
