Elvis fans furious after paying £300 to watch grainy videos of singer at 'atrocious' AI tribute show
Elvis Evolution, created by Layered Reality, is currently selling tickets for its exhibition in central London for as much as £300 - offering 'heart pounding music' and a 'journey through Elvis' story'.
First announced in January 2024, its creators advertised the show as a concert experience that would 'use AI and feature holographic projections of the star'.
But after tickets went on sale in October 2024, some attendees were left feeling like they had been badly let down as there was 'no hologram' and the overall experience was 'rubbish'.
A standard ticket for the show, which opened on Friday for a six-month run, costs £75 but the Super VIP option - which includes a mid-show champagne experience, commemorative glass, dedicated seating, a drink at each of the three bars and cloakroom access - comes in at £300.
The experience begins by taking fans through Elvis' youth before fans are treated to an interval in the form of a Hawaii-themed bar with a cardboard cut-out of the rock star.
Audience members then get to watch a version of the 1968 comeback special performance that was performed live on NBC.
A number of disappointed attendees have taken to social media since Friday to say they were left 'shocked' by how bad the show was adding it is 'extortionately overpriced'.
One person said: 'This was honestly the biggest let down and a bit of a scam to be honest. Not at all like it has been advertised. I wish we hadn't wasted our money.'
Another added: 'It's completely different to how it was originally advertised. The beginning starts well, but then it basically turns into a glorified cinema.
'My family and I didn't really find it immersive, we just walked out feeling bewildered and disappointed.'
A third claimed: 'When we booked it was advertised as a hologram so you can imagine how disappointed we were last night - I was glad when it was finished at one point I nearly dozed off.'
Despite a string of one star ratings, Elvis Evolution has sent out an Instagram post saying 'thank you very much for all the fantastic reviews'.
A couple of hundred comments have been left underneath - the overwhelming majority being negative.
Someone said: 'The worst experience of my life. Atrocious.'
Another added: 'Stay home, watch the film & YouTube. It was terrible...'
A third commented: 'I am so sad you don't put any hologram as you said'
A second person added: 'We felt robbed of our money. Not the experience we thought we were paying for.'
There were some fans who were more positive however with one commenting 'I personally thought it was a great evening - five stars' and another saying 'Loved it'.
Mark And Tracey Baldwin - who had VIP tickets - told the BBC they were left feeling 'more like mugs than VIPS'.
Ms Baldwin said: 'It was a shambles from start to finish, there was no Elvis, it was just a video of him that you could watch on YouTube.'
The disappointed fan claimed unhappy people were leaving the show early during the second act feeling organisers had exploited older people and 'taken us for a fool by scamming us with technology that we won't understand'.
And Paige Rannigan, who attended the show on Saturday evening, saving 'really hard' to afford tickets as a birthday present for her mother, said she felt 'it was nothing like what was advertised or promised'.
Ms Rannigan added she was surprised at the lack of strobe light and flash light warnings as she suffers from epilepsy.
Layered Reality has insisted accessibility was at the forefront of their production process and they 'have created a detailed FAQs section on our website about any potential issues that may arise during the experience and how to contact us so we can accommodate any changes'.
A spokesman commented on criticism of the experience: 'A small number of people have pointed out that they were expecting a hologram concert, due to the initial announcement made in January 2024.
'As with many complex productions that are two years in the making, the concept developed from those early stages, and this was made clear when tickets went on sale in October 2024.
'We ultimately took the creative decision not to mimic Elvis's performances. Those moments proved to be too iconic and irreplaceable. Instead, we use AI to upscale archive footage and in moments we know happened but where no footage existed, offering a new lens into his world.'
They said the show has been praised by fans and newcomers alike and they were 'overwhelmed by the feedback, with many describing it as fun, immersive and unlike anything they've seen before'.
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