Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, died in 1977, but now, a new, digital, immersive experience called Elvis Evolution is bringing him back to the stage, in a manner of speaking, using artificial intelligence, or AI. Holographic concerts will take place first in London before traveling to Las Vegas, Berlin, and Tokyo.
Presley’s performance will be shown as a hologram, created through a partnership between Britain-based immersive entertainment company Layered Reality and Authentic Brands Group. With this digital recreation, Presley joins a list comprised of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and even KISS who have been made into digital avatars. But what will the Elvis Experience be like?
What is the Elvis Presley AI hologram, the Elvis Experience?
To create the Presley hologram, the Elvis Experience will draw from thousands of personal photos, home videos, and “the power of AI and holographic projection, augmented reality, live theatre and multi-sensory effects,” the project shared in a news release.
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The resulting hologram will be life-sized and able to sing, dance, and move around the stage. This will see the hologram “perform iconic moments in musical history on a UK stage for the first time.”
In addition to a digital Presley, the Elvis Experience concerts will use AI, multi-sensory effects, and augmented reality in a live theatre performance happening in real-time as audiences watch in person.
Where will this AI Elvis Presley be performing?
The Elvis Experience is opening in London in November, with tickets going on sale in June. Since sales have not opened up officially yet, there is also a waiting list on the Layered Realty website specifically for the Elvis Experience.
Shortly after the waitlist sale, hologram concert ticket sales will open to the general public. Additional dates will be confirmed in the future.
The concert includes an afterparty with a bar and live music, this time by other musicians and DJs, performing in tribute to Elvis Presley’s career. In the past, Presley’s estate said that the “Hound Dog” crooner was not a fan of technology and probably would not have wanted this. Joel Weinshanker, the managing partner of Graceland Holdings, theorized that such a concert would fail to capture the power of his performance; however, Priscilla Presley has not been opposed to it and feels it’s a matter of progress.
Layered Reality founder and CEO Andrew McGuinness said of the program, “Elvis Evolution is a next-generation tribute to the musical legend that is Elvis Presley. Elvis maintains superstar status globally and people around the world no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment – they want to be a part of it. It’ll be a memory-making experience that will be a bucket list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world; people can step into the world of Elvis, walk in his shoes and celebrate his extraordinary musical legacy.”
Would you go to see an AI-generated hologram of Elvis Presley?