Re-creating rock: ‘Note for note, sound for sound,’ Black Jacket Symphony brings AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ back to life

Evoking the sheer prowess of an iconic rock band like AC/DC and their landmark record “Back in Black” is a tall task, but the Black Jacket Symphony is up to the task.

Back in 2009, the group’s founder and lifetime musician, J. Willoughby, was simply driving around when a pair of crucial advertisements came over his radio. The first was for a local symphony that was performing a Bach piece while the next was in relation to the Beatles and the 40-year anniversary of “Abbey Road.” It then struck him: Why aren’t people recreating these iconic records like symphonies perfectly recreate centuries old pieces, note for note?

Willoughby put together a band and they performed all 17 tracks off “Abbey Road” with the heavy intention of sounding exactly like the Beatles, no personal twists or additions, just the music as it is. The performance was an immediate success, and Willoughby was soon put in contact with artist manager and live production expert Jason Rogoff. Together, the two combined their unique backgrounds to foster an outright rock show for the masses, one that aims to give tribute with sheer perfection.

Thus, the Black Jacket Symphony was born. For more than a decade, the group has performed 45 iconic records from bands like Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and more.

“The re-creation of these classic rock albums, we do it note for note, sound for sound, take a short break, and then come back and do a full set of greatest hits depending on the album,” Rogoff, who now acts as the band’s director and producer, said. “All of the pivotal albums.”

Now, the Black Jacket Symphony is bringing the energy of AC/DC’s 10-track powerhouse, “Back in Black,” across the country. When discussing what classic record to tackle next, the group factors in impact, history, commercial success, and, of course, how fun the songs would be to perform. “Back in Black” easily checks every box.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Rogoff said. “It made monumental waves and launched a massive musical movement … you’d be hard pressed not to find a reason to want to recreate AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black.’”

The man tasked with recreating a voice as well-known and distinguishable as AC/DC’s frontman, Brian Johnson, is David Jaynes. In fact, Jaynes’ vocal talent and high-octane stage presence is so similar to Johnson’s that he was even considered to fill in for him after a health-related hiatus in 2016. Despite such success and renowned abilities, Jaynes still feels the sense of pressure night after night.

“You better bring it because people have those songs ingrained in their minds,” Jaynes said with a laugh. “Over the last 45 years they’ve heard them on the radio, movie soundtracks, video games, even Walmart commercials, so they know what that record sounds like and they know what that voice sounds like and that’s what they want to hear.”

Jaynes does not take the honor of giving tribute to such a legendary band, record, and vocalist lightly. Evoking the distinct grandiosity and ethos of AC/DC in their prime is an absolute feat, but one that Jaynes and the rest of the Black Jacket Symphony confidently feel up to accomplish.

“It’s a heavy weight,” Jaynes said. “There’s a certain amount of responsibility to deliver that album as it was recorded … even the best bands have a hard time delivering that album note for note, sound for sound, and that’s what we strive to do.”

The Black Jacket Symphony will roll into Spokane and the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on Saturday. They have previously performed records like “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac and “Hotel California” by the Eagles here while finding a love for the Lilac City and its downtown waterfalls.

The band is perfectly fine with potential concertgoers having doubts; they understand completely. At the end of the day, they would rather put their money where their mouth is and prove it to the fans as soon as the bell begins to toll in the record’s opening track, “Hells Bells.”

“You see all these doubtful faces thinking, ‘Is this going to sound the way it’s supposed to sound?’ ” Jaynes said. “It is such a joy when I deliver that first line to see their faces and hear the response.”