Is there anything more awesome than a man in futuristic chain mail, metal rods in each hand, playing a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” with man-made lightning drawn down from a pair of gigantic Tesla coils? The answer you’re looking for is, “No.” And that’s exactly what you can expect to see when America’s Got Talent alums ArcAttack roll into the Orpheum this week to rock out while teaching kids about electrical currents, magnetism, and robot drummers.
ArcAttack founder Joe DiPrima likes what he does. “Engineering-type people geek out on solving problems,” he says. “That’s how a lot of these people develop these hobbies. They like to sit down and build these things. For us it’s worked out real well because we build all of the equipment we use onstage except for our guitars.”
Chain mail and Tesla coils
Most musicians dream up new song lyrics and guitar riffs while driving the van from gig to gig. DiPrima does all that too. He also dreams up more effective power supplies. “We don’t necessarily have a background in theater, so we’re always figuring all that out,” DiPprima says. “What’s really taken off for us are our educational shows. And the kids love it. For starters, they get to leave class to see a cool show. And we’re making lightning onstage, which is something you don’t see very often, so I think we’re reaching a lot of these kids too and getting them interested in science.”