The King of Rock and Roll Gets the Hologram Treatment in ‘Elvis Evolution’ Virtual Concert

Photo Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Library of Congress

Elvis Presley gets the hologram treatment in a new AI virtual concert experience, ‘Elvis Evolution,’ debuting in London later this year.A new generation of Elvis fans will get to experience a version of the King in concert this year, using holographic projection and artificial intelligence. “Elvis Evolution” debuts in London in November, with more shows scheduled in Berlin, Las Vegas, and Tokyo.

Created in a partnership between British immersive entertainment company, Layered Reality, and Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Elvis’ likeness, the technology will create a “life-size digital Elvis to perform his famous songs and moves.”

To create the hologram, thousands of Elvis’ personal photos and home videos were used alongside “the power of AI and holographic projection, augmented reality, live theatre, and multi-sensory effects.”

The show will also feature an on-site Elvis-themed bar and restaurant, with live music, DJs, and other performances. Tickets for the London show will go on sale beginning in June.“Fans no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment — they want to be a part of it,” says Layered Reality founder and CEO Andrew McGuinness. “It’ll be a memory-making experience that will be a bucket list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world.”

“It’s going to be a joyous celebration of Elvis’ life; the man, the music, and his cultural legacy,” McGuinness continues, explaining that fans will be taken on a journey from Presley’s humble beginnings in Tupelo, Mississippi, to his career heights in Memphis and Las Vegas. “The crescendo of the experience is an AI performance by Elvis.”

Cultural interest in Elvis has reignited in recent years, thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” the latter about the life of Presley’s ex-wife. “Elvis Evolution” arrives on the heels of other hologram-based concert experiences, like the highly successful ABBA hologram show last year, and the Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson holograms that debuted in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

After their final concert in December, KISS announced plans for “immortalized and reborn” avatar versions of the band to take up the performance mantle in 2027.