Ungrateful for bands being back from dead

We all reach an age where most of the groups we go to see in concert are ones that have reformed. So, it’s a sure sign you’re getting on a bit when your favourite acts are performing as holograms, on account of the fact they died 30 years ago.

This is exactly what’s happening with Roy Orbison, who is touring the country with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra next year, despite his death in 1988.

The virtual Roy will apparently rattle through his greatest hits such as Oh, Pretty Woman and Only The Lonely, before taking a well earned rest backstage with his backing band. Or, more likely, a member of his extensive road crew will just press Ctrl-Alt-Delete when the performance finishes, unless he’s programmed to play an encore if the audience shouts enough.

Orbison is described in one report as “master of the romantic yet slightly eerie country ballad”. Those country ballads can only become spookier when they’re performed by a holographic ghost at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena.

This “back from the dead” technology could have far-reaching consequences for the future of, er, live music.

If Roy’s tour goes well, without too many mid-show reboots, there will surely be a clamour for a 3D Beatles to take to the stage, although there would be a glaring age gap between the two surviving members and their virtual bandmates, who would still be in their 20s.

And you don’t have to be dead to perform as a hologram (but it helps). Abba are reportedly “reforming” for a 3D concert in Australia, based on how they looked in 1979. Fans will no doubt pay a high price for something that sounds suspiciously like “going to the cinema”.