Elvis Returning to Las Vegas as a Hologram

Posted on: January 4, 2024, 12:09h. 

Last updated on: January 5, 2024, 09:29h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Myths.

Elvis Presley last played Las Vegas on Dec. 12, 1976, eight months before his death. At least he did in person. A new production promises to bring the king back to his throne as a hologram, either late in 2024 or early 2025.

Elvis Presley performs at the International Hotel in Las Vegas on Aug. 1, 1969. (Image: Elvis Presley Music)

“Elvis Evolution” was created through a partnership between British immersive entertainment company Layered Reality and Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Elvis’ image.

The production promises to present a life-size Elvis hologram created by the assimilation of thousands of Elvis photos and home videos by artificial intelligence. The hologram will “recreate the seismic impact of seeing Elvis live for a whole new generation of fans, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy,” according to a statement from Layered Reality.

In 1997, another production attempted to revive Elvis by featuring his image on a giant digital screen behind members of his ’70s band as they performed along to his prerecorded voice. “Elvis: The Concert” played the Las Vegas Hilton (formerly the International Hotel and currently the Westgate) in August 1998, and the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood) in August 2002.

It was the best technology could do at the time, but suspension of disbelief was only really possible when audience members closed their eyes.

There was a previous Elvis “hologram” — but it was just a two-dimensional image projected alongside Celine Dion as they dueted on “If I Can Dream” for a 2008 “American Idol” episode.

Fans “no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment — they want to be a part of it,” said Layered Reality founder and CEO Andrew McGuinness, promising “a memory-making experience that will be a bucket list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world.”

Revive-a Las Vegas

Since “Elvis: The Concert,” advances in holographic technology have allowed murdered rap icon Tupac Shakur to perform front and center at the Coachella Festival in 2012, Ol’ Dirty Bastard to rejoin the Wu-Tang Clan for a tour in 2012 and 2013, and Michael Jackson to sing and dance at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards.

A production called “An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert” played at Harrah’s Las Vegas from 2020 to 2022, and ABBA holograms currently serenade Londoners in a custom-built London arena.

According to Layered Reality, “Elvis Evolution” will debut in London in November before heading to Las Vegas. No dates or venues have been announced for any of the shows.

How do you feel about a holographic Elvis? Let us know in the comments!