After Bringing Dio Back to Life, Hologram Company Now Plans to Tour Frank Zappa
A year after rolling out a hologram of Ronnie James Dio, hologram production company Eyellusion is launching a new hologram for famed psychedelic rocker Frank Zappa.
A year after touring a hologram of rocker Ronnie James Dio, production company Eyellusion is launching a new hologram for famed psychedelic rocker Frank Zappa.
The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa tour will include a hologram of the “Bobby Brown Goes Down” singer who passed away in 1993, along with appearances by living musicians who performed with Zappa including Ray White, Mike Keneally, Scott Thunes, Robert Martin and Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers and will be joined on the tour at various stops by Steve Vai, Warren Cuccurullo, Ian Underwood, Vinnie Colaiuta, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Arthur Barrow and Ed Mann.
Eyellusion constructed the Zappa hologram using hours of never-before-seen performance footage taped in his Los Angeles studio in 1974 and witnessed only by camera operators until it was unveiled earlier this year in cooperation with the Zappa Family Trust.
“As a futurist, and hologram enthusiast, Frank fearlessly broke through boundary after boundary as an artist and in honoring his indomitable spirit we’re about to do it again, 25 years after his passing,” said Ahmet Zappa, exec. vp of business development for Eyellusion and co-trustee of the Zappa Family Trust, in a statement. Ahmet is Frank Zappa”s son, one of four children.
“This mind-melting show we’re putting together celebrates the music, often surreal imagery and humor synonymous with Frank. We will be pushing the limits of what anyone has seen holographically on stage before in a live venue,” continued Ahmet Zappa, adding that the show will include hand-drawn illustrations and classic imagery from Zappa’s album artwork and characters from his songs.
“My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in,” he said. “He actually devoted half a chapter of his ‘The Real Frank Zappa Book’ to this subject. This is a love letter and a journey celebrating the genius artistry of Frank Zappa. On a personal note, I feel like I am finishing something my father started years ago.”
Eyellusion debuted the hologram technology for the “Dio Returns” tour 2016, explains CEO Jeff Pezzuti.
“We’ve been working tirelessly since then to create live music experiences that people could previously only dream of, drawing full capacity crowds along the way,” explains Pezzuti in a statement to Billboard. “Until now, it would have been unheard of for fans to imagine being treated to a lost Frank Zappa performance backed by more than a dozen of the iconic musicians that played with him throughout his career.”
When he hits the road, Zappa won’t be the only touring hologram show. BASE Entertainment and longtime music executive Brian Becker are currently touring a hologram of Roy Orbison. Working in conjunction with the Orbison estate, the In Dreams tour kicks off in the United Kingdom in April and will reach North America in the fall.
Dates for the “The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa” will be announced soon. To learn more, visit eyellusionlive.com.
More From Pro
