The AC/DC tribute circuit is well-trodden, and most acts on it eventually choose between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, then negotiate the gaps in silence. Thunderstruck, the Louisville-based quintet playing Photo City Music Hall in Rochester on Thursday, January 14, made a different call: lead singer Bobby Lee Stamper covers both eras, giving the band access to AC/DC’s complete musical catalog. Their framing throughout is about capturing not just the sound but the “high voltage energy and experience” of the original band, what the five-piece calls “The Spirit of AC/DC.”
About the Show
Thunderstruck officially took its current name in 2015, following a rebranding by founding members Kevin Feller (rhythm guitar) and Chris Jones (bass), who had spent the previous years performing as Bonfire and then Riff/Raff before concluding they had something worth committing to a single identity. The band’s approach to the source material is specific: “every member of Thunderstruck obsesses over the tones and structures of each song, the energy of each live AC/DC performance, as well as every piece of gear, to bring the power and entertainment of a genuine AC/DC show.” Feller attended live Bon Scott-era AC/DC concerts, which gives the band’s treatment of that earlier period a grounding that recorded material alone cannot replicate. Guitarist Kyle LaPato replicates Angus Young’s 1980s–90s stage style and works as an audio engineer outside the band — the gear obsession is not merely aspirational. Stamper brings more than 20 years of performing experience to the vocals, working across both the Bon Scott years and the Brian Johnson catalog. Drummer Corey Baetz started his first AC/DC tribute at age 15 and continues to produce YouTube content alongside touring. The band has performed at House of Blues and Live Nation venues nationwide and played Pensacola Tribute Fest and Parr Fest. Per their own promotional materials, the live show aims to deliver “the groove and the swing to keep you shakin’ all night long” with “complete, and consistent quality” every time out. Thunderstruck also holds, per their EPK, the distinction of being the only AC/DC tribute act in the United States with a major national brand sponsorship — Number Juan Tequila, co-founded by comedians Alex Reymundo and Ron White.
Venue & Logistics
Photo City Music Hall, at 543 Atlantic Avenue in Rochester, is a 400-capacity club serving the broader Finger Lakes region. Doors are at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday; the show begins at 7:30 p.m. The event carries a 16-and-older age restriction.
Tickets
Admission is $30. The Eventbrite listing notes a no-refunds policy. Buy tickets