Rabat – “Elvis Evolution,” put on by the production company Layered Reality, was announced back in January 2024 and was advertised as an Elvis Presley music concert at The Excel Centre in London that would “use AI and feature holographic projections of the star” and include a “life-sized digital Elvis who will perform iconic moments in musical history on a UK stage for the first time”.
However, attendees were not amused when there was no hologram of Elvis after paying for tickets ranging from £75 to £300 (around MAD 911-3,600). One fan shared with BBC that it was “one of the most misleading shows I’ve ever seen“.
The Elvis Evolution experience begins by showcasing Elvis’s upbringing with the introduction of his childhood friend Sam Bell, followed by cardboard cut-out of the star standing at a Hawaiian themed bar.
The audience then travels back in time to 1968 at the Elvis special concert performed live at NBC studio.
“As with many complex productions that are two years in the making, the concept developed from those early stages, and this was made clear when tickets went on sale in October 2024. We ultimately took the creative decision not to mimic Elvis’s performances.
Instead, we use AI to upscale archive footage.” responded a spokesperson for Layered Reality to the backlash.
Mark and Tracey Baldwin purchased VIP tickets for the experience and were devastated with the trajectory of the night. Mark shared his emotions with BBC as “frustrated, disappointed, and angry at the organisers”.
Tracey seconded her husband’s opinion calling the show “absolutely atrocious” and claiming that “you could have seen this at the local theatre for £30”. She felt the production company had taken advantage of an older audience by “scamming us with technology that we won’t understand”.
Although many ticketholders felt their money had gone to waste, there were mixed reviews including CityAM awarding the production four stars and describing it as “incredibly touching” .
Paige Rannigan also attended the show after saving tremendously to purchase two tickets for herself and her mother as her birthday gift, and BBC reported Rannigan to leave the theater in tears after feeling like “it was nothing like what was advertised or promised”.
The Elvis Evolution website now describes the performance as “combining cutting-edge digital technology, live actors and musicians, mind-blowing multimedia and heart-pounding music.” It no longer mentions any use of holograms.
