Overview
At some point during the Rock-afire Explosion's tenure at ShowBiz, a very different stage appearance was attempted, complete with new character costumes. It is tentatively known as the "Magic" stage, because of the printing on the center stage valance - although it should be pointed out that the stage better resembles a Broadway / Bandstand scenario.
The Stages
The Rock-afire stages were drastically altered - Rolfe and Earl's stage had a solid gold rain curtain, a jukebox, and music notes dangling from the ceiling. Gone from center stage was the forest and trees (except for the stump beneath Beach Bear and the one around Choo-choo). Instead, the center stage had a backdrop "screen" that a light show and assorted projections could be displayed upon. Rounding out the stage were two large treble clefs on each end. Billy Bob's stage had a brick house façade that was plastered with posters of famous musicians including the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Looney Bird's barrel was also painted chrome.
Additional Information
It is unknown when this transformation was attempted, or even what ShowBiz Pizza was home to this unique stage. It's likely that this was just another test by ShowBiz's entertainment department that was never pursued system-wide. It also may have been the initial response by ShowBiz to change the appearance of "their" Rock-afire shows when Creative Engineering began selling the Rock-afire Explosion to other competitors. Thus far, the only information we've been able to find are from the photos below (that were found at CEC's corporate offices back in the late 1990s).
If you have any further information regarding this particular stage, please e-mail us!