Although there are those who think that the king of rock and roll may mark his 89th birthday next week by frequenting the Heartbreak Hotel, the rest of us will have to settle for an Elvis Presley hologram performance in 2024.
The debut of Elvis Evolution, an interactive performance incorporating artificial intelligence and holographic technology, will take place in London this November. Additional shows are scheduled for Las Vegas, Tokyo, and Berlin.
The technology aims to generate a digital version of Elvis, using a multitude of his personal photos and home videos. This hologram will then be featured in a tribute to the legendary singer’s life and musical impact, thanks to a partnership between Authentic Brands Group (the owners of the Elvis Presley estate) and Layered Reality (a British company specializing in immersive entertainment).
Andrew McGuinness, chief executive of Layered Reality, said: “Elvis Evolution is a next-generation tribute to the musical legend that is Elvis Presley.
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Elvis is an international superstar and individuals worldwide are no longer content with simply receiving entertainment in a passive manner – they desire to actively participate in it.
This will be a memorable experience that Elvis fans and admirers all over the globe will want to add to their bucket list. Participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Elvis’s world, walk in his footsteps, and honor his incredible musical legacy.
The event will include a post-party bar and restaurant that is Elvis-themed and located in central London. There will be live music, DJs, and performances at this location.
The idea comes after the impressive triumph of Abba Voyage, a performance where larger-than-life virtual representations of the four members of the Swedish music band perform as their real-life selves did in 1979, in a specially constructed venue in east London.
Abba Voyage sold over 1.3 million tickets and there are plans for a world tour in its first year. The development of the 90-minute show and arena took seven years and cost £140 million.
The American rock group Kiss has recently revealed superhero versions of themselves in the form of avatars.
Elvis has remained a prominent figure in society, but he has received renewed interest through two recent film adaptations. Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla premiered in the UK this week, portraying his ex-wife’s story with compassion. She spent her life in his shadow after meeting him at the age of 14 when he was 24.
In 2022, Baz Luhrmann directed a grand-scale biographical film about the king’s musical and personal life, which received excellent reviews for lead actor Austin Butler.
At the young age of 42, Presley’s sudden death in 1977 marked the end of a musical and cultural era. He transformed the world of popular music, shocking the older generation while being adored by the younger generation. His provocative hip movements during performances incited hysteria and almost caused riots. Additionally, he had a successful career in film as well.
Although he struggled with prescription drug addiction and had a notoriously unhealthy diet, his death from heart failure was unexpected. Some people have speculated that he faked his own death, and there have been numerous alleged sightings of the iconic celebrity in various locations around the globe.
According to a particular belief, Presley pretended to die in order to avoid the mafia. Author Gail Brewer-Giorgio, who wrote the popular book Is Elvis Alive? in 1988, claimed that the FBI recruited Presley as a secret agent in 1976 to assist in infiltrating a criminal group known as the Fraternity.
According to Brewer-Giorgio, Elvis’s death was actually a fake, as he believed that he was in danger and would have been killed without a doubt.
There were claims that Presley made a cameo appearance in the popular 1990 film Home Alone.
In 1997, a survey conducted by Gallup revealed that 4% of Americans believed that Presley was still alive, while 93% of the participants were confident that he had passed away.
Source: theguardian.com
