The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight brings Metallica-by-strings to RiverCenter on Nov. 23

A 14-piece classical ensemble plays rock and metal anthems by candlelight on Broadway the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Picture the Bill Heard Theatre with the house lights down to almost nothing, a stage full of flickering candles, and a string section sawing into a riff you last heard rattling a car stereo on Victory Drive. That is the pitch for The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, which plays RiverCenter for the Performing Arts on Monday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m., less than four weeks from today.

RiverCenter's own event listing describes a 90-minute program of rock and metal hits played by a 14-member classical ensemble in a candlelit setting. Resale listings place the show in the Bill Heard Theatre, the center's main hall at 900 Broadway. Tickets run through RiverCenter's box office and Ticketmaster, and since this is a single Monday-night date, it is worth buying from the official channels rather than chasing resale markups.

The material is the draw. Tour listings for the production have named songs by Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Linkin Park, System of a Down and My Chemical Romance, rearranged for strings and classical instrumentation, with the exact setlist varying from market to market. Venues on the tour note that the group is not affiliated with the original artists, and some warn that strobe lighting may be used, so plan accordingly if that matters to anyone in your party.

Columbus is one stop on a busy late-autumn run through the Southeast. The same production plays Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Nov. 21, two nights before it reaches the Chattahoochee, and moves on to the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers on Nov. 28. If you are weighing a drive up I-185 versus staying home, the math is easy: the show is coming to you, on a Monday, with an easy downtown parking situation on a weeknight.

A string section sawing into a riff you last heard rattling a car stereo on Victory Drive.

The room suits it. The Bill Heard Theatre opened in April 2002 and seats roughly 2,000 across orchestra, mezzanine and balcony levels; it is the main stage of the complex and home to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. In other words, the acoustics were built for exactly this kind of instrumentation, which is not something every stop on a rock-orchestra tour can say. RiverCenter is also in the middle of what it has billed as its 25th anniversary season, a milestone year for a building that has become the anchor of downtown's arts calendar.

A few practical notes. Showtime is 7:30; doors typically open earlier, but confirm the time with the box office rather than guessing. And a candlelit room rewards being in your seat before the first note — this is not the night to stroll in during the opener, because there isn't one.

There is something fitting about a symphony hall spending a Monday night on Linkin Park. Bring the friend who still knows every word to "Numb" and the one who has season tickets to the symphony, and see who enjoys it more.

Sources: RiverCenter for the Performing Arts – The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight event listing (rivercenter.org); RiverCenter – Celebrating 25 Years of Arts, Culture, and Community in Columbus, GA (rivercenter.org); RiverCenter announces 25th anniversary season (rivercenter.org); Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre – The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight (cobbenergycentre.com); Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall – The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight (Fort Myers 2026) (bbmannpah.com); Mount Baker Theatre – Rock Orchestra (mountbakertheatre.com); RiverCenter for the Performing Arts – Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org); Tickets – Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.com)