New Elvis Presley AI hologram show Elvis Evolution is more like “time travel” than ABBA Voyage, according to its creator.
As announced last week, Elvis Evolution will make its bow in the capital in November. The “immersive concert experience” will use AI and hologram technology to create a life size digital hologram of the legendary star from home video footage and personal photos.
It follows hot on the heels of the launch of ABBA avatar show ABBA Voyage in 2022, which is continuing to run until at least November 2024 at the 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Andrew McGuinness, the founder of Layered Reality, who are behind the new Elvis show told BBC News of what to expect from the spectacle.
“You’re going to be stepping in to intricate sets that make you feel like you’ve time travelled,” he said. “It’s more about how we want people to feel, we use temperature, taste and smell to make people feel like they are in Memphis in 1958.”
The Elvis Estate provided Layered Reality with thousands of hours of live footage, home video and still images of the King.
Of the difference between ABBA Voyage and Elvis Evolution, he added: “ABBA Voyage had the luxury of capturing live performers, but we’re not that fortunate.
“The AI generates an authentic version of Elvis, born of original material, but it [also] allows you to do new things with him.”
The show is a collaboration between Layered Reality, Elvis’ estate and Authentic Brands Group.
After its opening in London, future versions of the show are planned to open in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Berlin.
Shows at the TBA venue in central London will be followed by after parties in an Elvis-themed restaurant and bar featuring live music, DJs and performances.
It promises to be a “jaw-dropping concert experience” where the Elvis hologram “will perform iconic moments in musical history on a UK stage for the first time”.
ABBA Voyage was recently revealed to have boosted London’s economy with nearly £323million in spending turnover within a one year period. There are plans reported for the concert experience to be taken on a world tour.
In a five-star review of ABBA Voyage, NME described the concert as an “epic avatar mega-mix from a brave new world”. It added: “Ageing rockers and poppers are bound to imitate the idea, but it’ll be a struggle to come close to the experience of ABBA Voyage.”