Base Hologram Productions is bringing music legend Roy Orbison back to life – as a hologram.
The Big O is coming to the Fox Theatre in Midtown Nov. 15, nearly 30 years after his death, with In Dreams: Roy Orbison in Concert – The Hologram Tour. And he’s backed by a 31-member live orchestra.
“When we put these shows together, and we view them as shows, it’s not just Roy Orbison up there singing songs. There’s a full evening,” said Martin Tudor, the show’s executive producer and Base’s CEO. “We strive to be really authentic as to who the artist was, to the point we work with the artist’s estate in creating the show. In this event we work with Roy’s three sons, very closely. They’ve involved with the whole process and are still involved. We’re trying to give the audience the most authentic experience as we possibly can.”
Orbison died in December 1988 at age 52. Known for hits like “Crying,” “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Only the Lonely” and “You Got It,” he won five Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Hologram shows are nothing new, including previous concerts with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre joining a hologram of Tupac Shakur on stage five years later and a hologram of Michael Jackson performing in 2014. Also, Celine Dion performed a duet with an Elvis Presley non-hologram image in 2007. But each of those performances was one song.
Base Hologram is producing both the Orbison concerts and the Maria Callas ones. Callas, a famed opera singer, died in 1977, and her hologram shows include a live 55-piece orchestra.
“The difference between us and other companies doing this is they are primarily technology companies,” Tudor said. “We are a live show producer and have been for 40 years. We are giving a full show experience.”
When asked what he would tell fans who may believe Base is unethical and/or taking advantage of Orbison’s image and/or memory to produce these shows, Tudor said, “There we have a difference of opinion. I don’t believe it’s unethical. It would be unethical if we didn’t do it the way we did it, which is working with the Orbison estate and his sons.”
In a news release, one of Oribson’s sons, Alex, who is president of Roy Orbison Music, said, “My father had a special transcendent vocal ability that made him something of an anomaly in the world of pop and rock, but that’s what endeared him to his fans. For our family it was an amazing emotional experience to see this for the first time and we know audiences worldwide will have the same reaction.”
The Orbison national tour, which starts Oct. 1 and runs through Nov. 19, comes on the heels of a European tour that included 15 shows. Tudor said he attended seven of those concerts.
“With regard to Europe, the audiences loved it,” he said. “They were dancing in the aisle and singing along. It was sort of thrilling, frankly, to see it. It’s as close as you’ll ever get today to seeing that artist live.”
Of the U.S. tour, Tudor said the response from fans thus far has been positive.
“People are really intrigued and really interested in seeing what this is,” he said. “There hasn’t been a new form of entertainment in hundreds of years. This is sort of a new form here.”
Tudor, who has visited Atlanta often, said he’s thrilled to bring the tour to the Fox, “one of the most iconic venues in the nation.”
Lucy Lawler-Freas, the theatre’s director of programming, agreed.
“Roy Orbison’s classic hits are unforgettable and cross so many different generations,” she said in a statement. “With the assistance of cutting-edge technology, fans of all ages will have an opportunity to experience his music live with (an) orchestra accompanying Roy’s hologram on the legendary Fox Theatre stage. It will certainly be a night to remember.”
Tickets are $40 to $100, plus applicable fees. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.foxtheatre.org. Tickets can also be bought at the Fox box office or by calling 855-285-8499.
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