Billy Bob's Pizza Circus - Conyers, GA

Billy Bob’s Pizza Circus was an entertainment center in Conyers, Georgia. Aside from having a Rock-afire Explosion, it was primarily known for having a large indoor skating rink. After a decade of operation, the animatronic show was removed after falling into disrepair. The business attempted to stay alive by re-branding as "Billy Bob's Pizza and Skating" for a short period before ultimately closing.

History / Background

Billy Bob’s Pizza Circus opened in December of 1990 and was owned by Steve Astrin. Beyond simply installing a Rock-afire Explosion show, he named the business after the character Billy Bob, prominently making him the restaurant's mascot. Billy Bob appeared on tickets, tokens, merchandise, painted murals on the walls of the store, and even disposable items.

The show at Billy Bob's Pizza Circus was the classic 3-Stage Rock-afire Explosion and operated on reel to reel tapes. Although many 1990s FECs ran off of reel to reel tapes, most used a Show Selector kiosk system whereas Billy Bob's Pizza Circus did not. The only footage we have of the show running in 2000 was playing ShowBiz Pizza's "Trivia Night" from 1984. One interesting thing to note about the show is that Billy Bob had the unique “crowsfoot” mask, instead of the traditional one.

1997 Rave Incident

In the Spring of 1997, a rave was hosted at the venue that caused a bit of a local controversy. Word of the party spread over the internet, with this being an early example of people sharing information about an event and it gaining huge popularity. Over a thousand people showed up to the event that was blasting electronic music, and by the time the police showed up at 4 am the event was out of control. So many people were in the building that the exits were completely blocked, and the fire alarms and sprinklers had been shut off. Three people were arrested, two for drug possession and one for assulting a police officer, and even more guests were escorted to the hospital for drug overdoses.

Perhaps needing the extra money from the event, the restaurant's owner was very positive towards the event despite the disaster it turned out to be, saying it was a no-alcohol event and he would gladly host it again. Local law enforcement was not thrilled and promised to “cruise the internet” to watch out for future events. They even forced the venue to be closed for a week due to the fire code violations before allowing them to re-open.

Show Removal

In July of 2000, a fan named Nick visited the restaurant, capturing the only known footage of the show. The characters are in very rough condition, with Fatz’s arm being completely broken and swung off to the side, hitting Beach Bear mid-performance, and Dook’s hat being attached to the back of his head, just flopping around. When ShowBizPizza.com visited just one year after (in August 2001) the restaurant was renamed to Billy Bob’s Pizza and Skating. The show was removed, and only some murals and store decorations of Billy Bob remained. The business closed not long after.

Video of the band in storage was filmed in 2009, where someone eerily walks through the storage building with everything from the show piled up. This was filmed by someone who was considering buying the warehouse and its contents, but ultimately nothing came of it. The owners tried to sell the band but were unsuccessful, leading to almost everything being scrapped. A few props and signs remained that ended up being purchased by Rock-afire fan Connor Leschinsky.

Information & Details

Billy Bob's Pizza Circus
1439 Old Salem Rd
Conyers, GA 30013

Fate of the show: Destroyed