Sat. Jan. 21

 Rock opera had its big run in the '70s. Is there a market today? Yes, there is, states Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra. which plays songs from rock operas and, perhaps we should say, theatrically inclined rock songs - songs of drama, trauma and meaning. Songs of content. Songs unafraid of bombast.  Boston Rock Opera kicked up the idea back in the ‘80s with “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and ran a string of successful shows, climaxing with the Kinks’ “Preservation,” blessed by the creator himself, Ray Davies. But BRO folded – they’d run out of productions and gas, but they’d put rock opera in Boston back on the map. With BRO down for the count, Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra has taken over the slot. They've got a show at the Regent Theatre Saturday Jan. 21 at 8.

Some history: URO was built by Ware and Sal Clemente. Initially, they were putting together a mode modernized version of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Then, they ran into legal trouble from Andrew Lloyd Webber. Long story. The result was “A Night at the Rock Opera,” a live show that ncludes a partial staging of “Superstar” songs alongside their take on the Webber travails, “Will We Rock You?,” and rock-opera-ish tunes from Queen, David Bowie, the Who, the Beatles and others.

What to expect? You can be sure the URO will treat the material with both respect and a certain tongue-in-cheek flair. What URO does stands in sharp contrast to post-rock,  minimalism, hip-hop, death metal, emo, and the new wave of the new wave. Which is to say, this is music that existed – gloriously, if sometimes cheesily – back before all of that. It’s up to bang its gong again.

"We now have a repertoire of 51 some of the greatest songs ever written," says Clemente. " all of them by Queen, The Beatles, The Who, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin (with a few of our own URO tunes thrown in).  The URO doesn't perform the easy part of those artists' catalogs, either. You'll never hear these songs at the corner bar."

"Unlike the sterile state of rock and pop performance, no two URO gigs are ever the same. The URO may switch out up to half of any evening's material.  And not only do we mix up the set lists, but every note is sung and played live, nothing is ever sequenced or recorded, all you get is the naked (figuratively) URO, performing 100% unadulterated, celebratory, rock."And the URO is not a 'tribute' act - there are no costume changes, choreography, spandex, or Freddie Mercury mustaches. What you will hear and see are - loud guitars, thunderous drums, amazing musicians, guyliner, hot women (who can sing like nobody's business), and scads of black leather."

Tix: $20. 

7 Medford St., Arlington, 781-646-4849 www.regenttheatre.com