‘The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa’ hologram tour is set to makes its debut in the UK.
The Zappa Family Trust , which was setup after the death of the ‘Cheap Thrills’ singer – who died from prostate cancer at the age of 52 in 1993 – and his son Ahmet Zappa, 44, first announced that they were working on putting together a series of shows featuring the American composer and filmmaker two years ago.
The estate has teamed up with the hologram production company Eyellusion to create a virtual likeness of the star, who was renowned for his free-form improvisation, sound experiments and political satire, to tour, wit shows in Edinburgh, Gateshead, Manchester, Birmingham and London between May 9 and May 14.
The performance will feature "hours of never-before-seen Zappa performance footage from the early 70s", and will see a touring line-up comprised of Zappa’s long-term bandmates: Ray White, Mike Keneally, Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, Ed Mann and Joe ‘Vaultmeister’ Travers.
Ahmet said: "As a futurist and hologram enthusiast, Frank fearlessly broke through boundary after boundary as an artist and in honouring his indomitable spirit, we’re about to do it again, 25 years after his passing.
"This mind-melting show we’re putting together celebrates the music, often surreal imagery and humour synonymous with Frank.
"We will be pushing the limits of what anyone has seen holographically on stage before in a live venue.
"This is a love letter and a journey celebrating the genius artistry of Frank Zappa
He also teased that: "Circumstances, objects, places and subject matter from Frank’s songs and imagination will be brought to life for the first time on stage."
The show will feature many of the creative’s hand drawn art and the characters from his songs.
He continued: "We are anthropomorphising Frank’s music, so his own hand drawn illustrations, classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs can all interact and perform on stage."
Many late music stars have been immortalised with their own hologram tours over the years, including Tupac Shakur, Roy Orbison, Michael Jackson and most recently an Amy Winehouse show was announced for 2019.
Not everyone is a fan of the concept, but Ahmet has stated that his father "actively discussed" the art of holography with him, and he even wrote about it in his tome ‘The Real Frank Zappa Book’, so it’s something he would more than approve of.
He explained: "My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in. 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."
He added: "On a personal note, I feel like I am finishing something my father started years ago – and let’s not forget, Frank himself will be rocking his fans, alongside his bandmates like nobody’s business."
Tickets are on sale now.
‘The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa’ tour dates are as follows:
May 9, Edinburgh Playhouse,
May 11, Gateshead Sage
May 12, Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
May 13, Birmingham, Symphony Hall
May 14, London, The Palladium