The King of Rock’ n’ Roll will once again be seen by a new generation of fans, this time in hologram form.
Elvis Presley gets the futuristic treatment in “Elvis Evolution,” an “immersive concert experience” using artificial intelligence and holographic projection, which will debut in London in November, with additional shows scheduled for Las Vegas, Tokyo and Berlin.
The hologram was created in partnership between British immersive entertainment company Layered Reality and Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Elvis’ image. According to Layered Reality’s website, the technology will create a life-size digital Elvis to perform his famous songs and moves.
The show will also feature an on-site Elvis-themed bar and restaurant offering live music, DJs and performances.
Thousands of the rock legend’s personal photos and home videos, as well as “the power of AI and holographic projection, augmented reality, live theatre and multi-sensory effects,” were used to create the hologram, according to a news release.
Tickets for the London show go on sale in June.
Fans “no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment – they want to be a part of it,” Layered Reality founder and CEO Andrew McGuinness said in a statement. “It’ll be a memory-making experience that will be a bucket list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world.”
The Elvis hologram is the latest project bringing music icons to life in digital form.
Immediately after KISS’ final concert in December, virtual avatars of the band were shown playing their anthem “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.” The band has promoted the avatars with the tagline: “Immortalized and reborn as avatars to rock forever.”
There is also the early Michael Jackson “illusion” and the Whitney Houston hologram, the latter of which debuted in 2020 in the U.K. and in 2021 in Las Vegas.
Elvis has re-emerged in the cultural consciousness in recent years, thanks to back-to-back Elvis films: Baz Luhrmann’s stylish music biopic “Elvis” and Sofia Coppola’s drama “Priscilla,” about the life of ex-wife Priscilla Presley.
he rock star was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Jan. 8, 1935, and died in Memphis on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42. Tens of thousands of fans made their way to Graceland, his Tennessee mansion, to pay their respects.
Elvis would have turned 89 next week.
