The self-styled Blue Violin, of Colorado Springs via Boston and Iowa, brought his first Australian tour to FRINGE WORLD 2025 with “Thunderstruck: A Night of Classic Rock”. The show consisted of violin arrangements and interpretations of classic rock hits, barnstorming Southern bluegrass, and some very eclectic surprises
An electric blue violin, in both colour and power source, was the instrument of choice for the evening, with dozens of candles across the stage giving an intimate feel to one of the festival’s biggest spaces. As the Blue Violin played live, visuals displayed on the large screen behind, whether music videos, text, or kaleidoscopic patterns.
In the fashion of live liner notes, the performer explained the process for putting together his musical arrangements, which included some pre-recorded backing tracks – especially in the bass range, where violins do not usually go – and the ability to loop pedal within the show itself. He also mentioned his training on the instrument, with two different violin teachers who had diametrically opposite visions of the teaching method itself, and also Blue Violin’s own musical future.
The music itself was fabulous. With a starting point of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Blue Oyster Cult, the audience was delivered to various times, places, and states of mind, whether by sound alone or with the visual accompaniments. In a couple of instances, once the next song name was spoken aloud, one could hardly imagine beforehand how a violin solo could work, but they all invariably did.
As the evening progressed, and the playlist evolved from monster rock anthems, through the ‘how did they insert a violin in that song’ phase, to Southern bluegrass, Blue Violin’s passion and easy comfort with the music choices became more apparent. “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “Free Bird” were each fantastic, and “Ashokan Farewell”, as basically an encore, transported the audience directly to the sun-dappled, golden-leaved mountains of Appalachia.
“Thunderstruck: A Night of Classic Rock” was a superb performance, an aural exploration exquisite and unique. The Blue Violin ably demonstrated both his soaring ambition and musical proficiency in this show, setting the imagination afire multiple times.