Unique. Absurd. Topical.
Hologram live shows and tours. Where do you stand? Prog writer Jo Kendall is one of the people getting very excited.
Ifirst fell for the idea of a hologram when i was teeny-tiny. Watching star Wars at the cinema with my folks, when r2-d2 beamed an also teeny-tiny Princess Leia into ben kenobi’s house to plead for help, the image stuck with me. in the 70s and 80s, holograms were arty and experimental, or appeared as cutesy rainbow patterns on stickers, and badges. but where were the holographic stereograms and multiplex cine forms i’d seen as a tot?
now we have them – in live music. When digital domain debuted their tupac shakur light-beam projection at Coachella 2012, ents companies sat up and took notice. the deceased rapper was back as a moving giant figure and, with no warning of what they were about to see, the audience went nuts. Check it out on Youtube now; it looks bloody brilliant.
this doesn’t mean that every dead artist would, or should, be clunkily reanimated. base Hologram are the company behind the pioneering roy orbison and Maria Callas hologram shows; they grew out of a business with 40 years of events experience in Las Vegas and beyond. “We do things with a commercial bent,” says Ceo Marty tudor. “When we saw the impact of tupac, the clips had millions of views. but it was just two songs, so where could you go from there?” With an estate’s blessing, a pick of Hollywood fX talent and a full, scripted production in a lush theatrical style, longform touring shows have translated to success for them.
but what of our world, rock and prog? step forward jeff
Pezzuti of eyellusion. Pezzuti’s the man who brought a virtual dio to the stage in 2016 – and he’s driving the Zappa hologram bus, too. “i’m a super-huge rock and prog fan,” he tells us.
“We’re bringing back legacy acts who can no longer perform, with their live bands. We call it the ultimate visual experience,” he continues. “it’s not just about the hologram, it’s all the visuals around it as well.”
Working closely with the Zappa estate, and actually making ahmet Zappa part of eyellusion too, has, over 12 months, created a show that Pezzuti says is, “unique, absurd, topical… a two-hour mind-fuck!”