Elvis Presley hologram concert to launch in London
Elvis Presley is to be brought back to life in hologram form for a new major live production.
A collaboration between Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group and immersive specialist Layered Reality (LR), Elvis Evolution will launch in central London in November 2024, with further stops planned in Las Vegas, Berlin and Tokyo.
The virtual concert will feature “a life sized digital Elvis” who will “share his most iconic songs and moves for the very first time on a UK stage”, made possible thanks to LR’s “unique blend of technology, augmented reality, theatre, projection and multi-sensory effects”.
“The crescendo of the experience is an AI performance by Elvis,” Layered Reality CEO Andrew McGuinness tells Reuters.
The UK-based company has also worked on presentations such as Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience and The Gunpowder Plot.
“Elvis Evolution is a next-generation tribute to the musical legend that is Elvis Presley,” adds McGuinness. “Elvis maintains superstar status globally and people around the world no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment – they want to be a part of it.
“It’ll be a memory-making experience that will be a bucket-list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world”
“It’ll be a memory-making experience that will be a bucket-list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world; people can step into the world of Elvis, walk in his shoes and celebrate his extraordinary musical legacy.”
Presley, who died in 1977 aged 42, was introduced to a new generation in 2022 via the smash-hit big screen biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann.
Kilimanjaro Live is currently promoting the Direct from Graceland: Elvis retrospective exhibition, which opened at Arches London Bridge in October 2023 and boasts “the most significant collection of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll to ever leave Memphis”, including more than 400 artefacts owned by Presley.
A previous show, Elvis In Concert: Live On Screen, toured UK arenas in 2016. The concert experience, which was promoted by Kennedy Street and AAA in conjunction with Elvis’ estate, featured archive performance footage of Presley on video screens, accompanied live on stage by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The production returned to The O2 in London last year.
Elvis Evolution follows in the footsteps of the ABBA Voyage virtual concert residency, which has created a new model for legendary artists since debuting to widespread acclaim in 2022. US rock legends Kiss have also stated their intention to continue as a virtual band from 2027 following their recent retirement from touring.
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Live Nation and Snap announce AR partnership
Live Nation and Snap have announced a multi-year augmented reality (AR) partnership that promises to “elevate performances beyond stages and screens” at festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), Lollapalooza and Wireless.
With the help of Snap Inc.’s creative studio Arcadia, fans can open the Snapchat Camera at select concerts for AR experiences built into the experience of attending a show, extending the artist’s creative canvas into the crowd.
Festival attendees will also be able to use AR to try on merchandise, find friends and discover exclusive landmarks around the festival grounds. The company first partnered with Snapchat in 2014 for EDC Vegas.
“Snap’s augmented reality offers artists an incredible new creative tool that will change the way fans experience their performances”
“For years, video screens have been a canvas for visual expression at concerts and festivals around the world,” says the company. “They help artists tell their stories and bring music to life. We believe Snap’s augmented reality offers artists an incredible new creative tool that will change the way fans experience their performances.”
The technology will be showcased from 20-22 May at EDC Las Vegas, which helped Snapchat create its first “Our Story” eight years ago. Other participating events to be confirmed include Rolling Loud in Miami and The Governors Ball in New York.
LN also teamed with Snapchat in 2016 to package footage from four of its European festivals as ‘Live Stories’ on the popular instant messaging app. It also began selling tickets via Snapchat later that year.
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Kid Cudi’s AR live performance app raises $9m
Encore, the live performance app co-founded by American rapper Kid Cudi, has raised US$9 million (€7.9m) in seed funding.
The raise was led by Battery Ventures, and other investments came from 468 Capital, Parade Ventures, Nomad Ventures, Moving Capital, Kayak Ventures, and Gaingels.
The Encore Studio: Live Music AR app enables artists to create and perform live in custom Augmented Reality environments from their mobile device.
Fans participate via gamified microtransactions in the form of a ten-cent clap, which can be used to watch live shows, chat with an artist, and interact.
While in private beta, hundreds of artists including SSGKobe, The Cool Kids, Too $hort, and DC the Don have created and performed shows on Encore, attended by tens of thousands of fans who have collectively clapped almost a million times.
“We created Encore as a space for artists to share their art, build community, while also being able to pay their rent”
“My number one priority has always been inspiring others and providing them with the space to tell their own stories in an authentic and meaningful way,” says Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi.
“We created Encore as a space for artists to share their art, build community, while also being able to pay their rent.”
Jonathan Gray, co-founder and CEO of Encore, added: “Music artists are the original creators and they have been forgotten by the creator economy and overrun by memes and algorithms on social media.
“Our live AR technology empowers any artist to create personalised content and host experiences for their fans without a production budget or crew and make real cash with 100’s of engaged fans.”
Headquartered in Los Angeles, Encore is co-founded by Cudi, Gray and Hollywood producer, screenwriter and director Ian Edelman (president).
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Report: 5G to bring £2.3bn to live industry by 2030
Research from mobile operator O2 has shown that 5G, or super high-speed mobile internet, could be set to boost the live entertainment industry by as much as £2.3 billion in the next ten years.
In the wake of the launch of O2’s 5G mobile internet in October 2019, and the concomitant partnership with music-focused virtual reality platform MelodyVR, the company commissioned consultancy Ovum to conduct the 5th Generation Entertainment report.
Up to 100 times faster than 4G internet and with the capacity for 1 million users per square kilometre (as opposed to 4,000 with 4G), the rollout of 5G presents many opportunities for the live industry, as will be discussed in detail at the 5G workshop at the International Live Music Conference in March.
The report findings show how 5G will improve fan experience and engagement through the enhancement of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), live streaming and smart ticketing.
Fans unable to attend a show will be able to purchase a high-quality livestream and watch in VR or AR. Viewers will also be able to personalise the experience, opting to focus on specific elements of a live event, enabling brands to target advertising. O2 is also looking into the possibility of broadcasting live through high-definition cameras on British television network ITV.
Pre-show opportunities include AR-assisted shopping that allows fans to virtually try on merchandise and order for collection at the show. Similar advance ordering systems can also apply to food and drink purchases, with real-time analytics allowing fans to find the quietest bar, easily navigate around venues and meet up with friends.
“5G will revolutionise live entertainment”
Event organisers may also capitalise on the superfast network to send personalised highlight reels directly to fans’ devices after the show.
“Through our sponsorships with England Rugby, The O2 Arena and 20 iconic O2 Academy venues, we aim to engage fans with relevant, useful and exciting experiences before, during and after a live event,” comments O2’s head of sponsorship Gareth Griffiths, who will present ILMC’s 5G workshop along with AEG Europe’s David Jones, O2/Telefónica UK’s Brendan O’Reilly and production manager Chris Vaughan on 5 March.
“The low-latency and superfast connectivity of 5G, underpinned by fan insights, bold branding and customer benefits, enables us to tailor these experiences to the diverse audiences we see at our venues in real-time.
“Whether for an England Rugby fan at Twickenham, a Kano fan at O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester or an Elton John fan at The O2, 5G will revolutionise live entertainment.”
David Jones, senior vice president of IT at AEG, owner of the O2 Arena, adds that 5G is set to particularly enhance the use of augmented reality and virtual reality technology.
“The O2 is at the forefront of O2’s 5G rollout in the UK, and I’m eager to see how the creative people who produce the hundreds of events each year at The O2 will embrace 5G and the technologies it enables, and use it to deliver fun and engaging experiences for fans,” says Jones.
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5G enables Bastille AR livestream
High-speed mobile internet allowed fans across the UK to livestream a surprise Bastille concert in augmented reality, in EE’s latest demonstration of its 5G technology.
The band, who are currently on tour in the UK and Ireland, performed at Birmingham New Street train station on Thursday (28 November).
Fans in Liverpool Lime Street station and Edinburgh’s Shore Street station also viewed the show, using Samsung 5G devices and Nreal’s mixed reality glasses for a full AR experience.
The show forms part of a new EE advert, due to be aired from January 2020. EE was the first provider to make its 5G network available to UK customers in May last year, followed by Vodafone in June, Three in August and, most recently, O2 in October.
“With 5G, our customers can enjoy immersive experiences no matter where they are, even during their commute and in the busiest places,” comments Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director at BT and EE.
“This AR performance from Bastille in three cities simultaneously, is a great demonstration of what’s now possible for our customers with 5G”
“We’re saying goodbye to the days of refreshing our screens while waiting to get out of the station into a less congested area. This extraordinary AR performance from Bastille in three cities simultaneously, is a great demonstration of what’s now possible for our customers with 5G.”
In its annual entertainment and media outlook report, consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) pegged the widespread availability of 5G as a “trend to keep an eye on”. Access to 5G, said a technology expert at the firm, is likely to increase the use of concert live streams and virtual reality (VR) concert, as well as prompting “better use of AI (artificial intelligence)”.
Speaking in IQ’s European Arena Yearbook 2019, Gil Murphy, head of event technology at Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe stated that 5G connectivity is “the next technological leap” for arenas, noting that “great connectivity […] is one of the basic components of the live experience.”
The AEG-backed MTS Live Arena in Moscow, due to open next year, will be among those to provide 5G to its customers.
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Coachella 2019: weekend one round-up
The first weekend of Goldenvoice’s California-based festival took place from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 April, with headline performances from Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande.
Tickets for weekend one of the 125,00-capacity festival sold out in just forty minutes this year. Here’s what ticket holders experienced over Coachella’s opening weekend…
Performances
Ariana Grande broke records as Coachella’s youngest-ever headliner, whereas Blackpink became the first all-female K-pop group to play at the festival.
Grande appeared on stage with a host of guests including *Nsync (without Justin Timberlake), Diddy, Mase and Nicky Minaj. Technical difficulties related to microphones affected Grande’s set, along with that of other performances over the weekend.
Donald Glover, who performs as Childish Gambino, was one among several acts to pay tribute to the late rappers Nipsey Hussle and Mac Miller.
Gambino also used the festival to premier the film Guava Island, in which he stars alongside Rhianna. The film is available to stream for free via the Coachella YouTube channel and Amazon Prime for the duration of the festival.
New additions
Coachella debuted its new augmented reality (AR) experience over the weekend at its AR-enabled Sahara Tent stage, where acts including Jaden Smith, Kid Cudi, Whiz Khalifa and Diplo performed.
“We want to provide fun and cutting edge experiences for the people who attend the show”
Fans were able to access AR filters through their phones using the Coachella Camera page of the festival app, superimposing outer space-themed objects onto the festival stage and throughout the tent. Festivalgoers could also save photos and videos of the AR experience.
“We want to provide fun and cutting edge experiences for the people who attend the show,” says a Goldenvoice spokesperson. “During sets, attendees can use a number of different AR filters that react to the audio coming out of the speakers.”
Another new addition at this year’s Coachella came in the form of on-site Amazon Lockers, enabling attendees to order festival-approved items including food products, phone chargers and suncream straight to the lockers on the Empire Polo Club grounds.
Health and safety
A fire broke out in a shower block located in the festival’s campsite, causing panic and distress among festivalgoers, many of whom posted videos of the incident on social media.
Firefighters attended the scene to quench the flames, containing the blaze within half an hour. One trailer was damaged and another destroyed. No injuries were reported.
The incident follows the death of the festival’s lead rigger during set-up on Saturday 6 April.
Coachella is back for weekend two from 19 to 21 April.
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