Bit Brigade has been running essentially the same performance since 2004: rock band plays the complete NES game soundtrack live while speedrunner Noah McCarthy attempts to finish the game on stage. The premise carries genuine risk built into the structure. Once McCarthy picks up the controller and gameplay begins, there is no turning back, and the band cannot stop until he clears the game.
About the Show
The Athens, Georgia five-piece performs two full-game speedruns on December 4: The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania, each with complete live soundtrack accompaniment running in real time alongside the gameplay. The lineup is Bryant Williamson and Jace Bartet on guitar, Luke Fields on bass, Mike Albanese on drums, and McCarthy on what the band credits simply as “NES.” The evening also includes an interactive Tetris segment in which an audience member goes head-to-head against McCarthy. Nintendo Power summarized the act plainly: “The word ‘play’ is probably an understatement — these guys shred through the games as expertly as the band wails on their instruments.” Coverage of prior shows has described the experience as oscillating between anxiety and excitement, with “the real magic in their teamwork” — musical pauses landing precisely on gameplay moments, band and speedrunner locked together in a format where the outcome isn’t scripted.
The concept was born during a late-night Contra marathon in Athens in 2004, which is the right kind of origin story for a band whose whole appeal is that the stakes are real. Their catalog has since grown to include full-soundtrack albums covering Castlevania, Metroid, Double Dragon, Batman, DuckTales, and Contra, among others, and as recently as January 2026 they played a homecoming set at Georgia Theatre in Athens featuring Mega Man X music. Bit Brigade has built a following on the gaming convention circuit (PAX East and MAGfest among the stops), and the Rochester date is part of a 14-date U.S. run from late November through mid-December 2026, passing through Charleston and Tampa before heading north through Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.
Venue & Logistics
The show is at Montage Music Hall, 50 Chestnut Street in Rochester. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m. The event is presented by After Dark Presents. Admission is restricted to ages 16 and older with valid ID; attendees under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Tickets are available through Etix. Buy tickets