[Hump Day Diversion] Rock-afire Explosion

Not to bum you out on what should be a happy hump day… but have you heard the horribly disheartening news that the famed Hillwood Strike-And-Spare Family Fun Center is closing? Where will one go when jonesing for that cosmic-bowling-meets-bad-karaoke-with-a-dash-of-air-hockey fix? I shudder to think…

And, more alarmingly… what is to become of what yet remains of the beloved Rocka-fire Explosion? Yes, there’s talk that Strike-And-Spare will re-open by mid 2015 in a new, yet to be disclosed location, but we have yet to see any guarantee that the Rock-afire team will return as part of the fun center’s transplant. In fact, it’s highly unlikely considering the band was sold by Strike-And-Spare and is now owned by an independent Rock-afire enthusiast who plans to restore them to their original glory. We’re glad they’re safe, but when and where and how may we pilgrimage to see them once more?

For those readers perhaps too young to remember Rock-afire’s explosion (see what we did there?) on the scene in the 1980’s as an animatronic sensation in ShowBiz Pizza Places across the country, we have amassed a little history lesson complete with some of the band’s greatest hits. So take a diversion with us and recall their considerable culture impact and rally with us to SAVE ROCK-AFIRE!

Who was Rock-afire Explosion? Glad you asked…

The Aquabats uncover the whereabouts of Rock-afire for a face-off!

The bizarre humans behind the robots… perhaps pastafarians?

And here they are serving as CeeLo Green’s backing band!

For more background on Rock-afire Explosion and how Nashville got its hands on one of the last remaining sets of characters, you can revisit this awesome Scene cover story from January of last year right here and their follow-up after Strike-And-Spare’s closing announcements here.