Latest news with #Elvis
Mint
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
London's Immersive New Elvis Show Fails to Bring the King Back to Life
(Bloomberg) -- Elvis may have left the building in 1977, but in 2025 a new immersive show in London called Elvis Evolution aims to bring the rock icon back to life. Yet as I sat on the bleachers of an ersatz 1960s set and watched spruced-up 2D footage of the legend, the only thing that truly impressed me was how devoid this version of Elvis was of the energy and sex appeal that made the King an icon. Elvis Evolution takes place at the Immerse LDN, part of the massive Excel Waterfront complex. If you've ridden the Tube anytime in the past few weeks, you've no doubt seen ads for it. It's part of a new breed of immersive experiences that are part theater, part amusement-park attraction and part interactive spectacle. Although Evolution uses AI-enhanced video footage, this show—event? play? experience? One struggles to know what to call this thing—is not trying to be the wildly successful ABBA Voyage. There's no Elvis digital avatar or hologram. Instead it walks its audience through a mix of film-quality sets that culminate in a re-creation of Presley's 1968 comeback show. Our first stop on this tour-de-Elvis was a seafoam green, pink and red diner that managed to be both sterile and kitschy. Guests are told they are in Burbank, California, in the late '60s and can buy themselves peanut butter and banana milkshakes, hot dogs and Budweisers while they wait to enter the 'NBC Studios' for Elvis' televised comeback concert. Actors in period costume play NBC pages and staff, and it's there that the audience is introduced to Sam Bell, a childhood friend of Elvis' who is trying to talk his way into the performance and reconnect with his old friend 'EP.' This setting introduces the show's central dilemma—will Elvis perform tonight or won't he?—and we learn that Presley hasn't played live in the better part of a decade and (gasp) hasn't even left his dressing room yet because of nerves. Spoiler: Elvis does indeed perform. Sam Bell is just as much the main character of this show as Elvis, a strange choice given that I have about as much interest in Elvis' childhood friends as I do in, say, an algebra classmate of Bob Dylan's in Minnesota in the late 1950s. The audience is ushered from the faux greenroom and follows Sam along a corridor to a 'train ride' to Tupelo, Mississippi, where we get to revisit Elvis' roots. There's haze and smoke and uncomfortable wooden seats as the show chugs through Presley's basic biography: He grew up poor in one of the few White families in his neighborhood; he discovered a love for blues and gospel music from his Black neighbors; later he worked as a truck driver in Memphis, Tennessee, before being discovered by Sam Phillips at Sun Records and catapulting into global superstardom thanks to the sheer power of his voice and electric movement of his hips. (And being a White performer of the blues in a deeply racist era, though that point doesn't get much attention.) I'm not a superfan, but I knew all these pop culture beats from the general hold Elvis still has on the public. Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, starring Austin Butler, was a critical and commercial hit in 2022, and I loved the 2023 film Priscilla, Sofia Coppola's examination of the Elvis phenomenon through the eyes of his (too) young wife. Billboard estimated that Elvis' music alone still generates more than $12 million a year, proof that there's plenty of money to be made from dead celebrities, especially icons such as Elvis. I imagine if Colonel Tom Parker was still around, he'd be delighted. The highlight of the 'train ride' is prerecorded video footage of actors playing the young Elvis and Sam Bell. It is nicely shot and well-acted with a lovely dreamy quality to it. For a moment, I did forget I was in the London Docklands and not deep in the American South. Then there was a quick transition to British actors on stage doing Southern accents, and I remembered where I was again. Surprisingly, for a show about Elvis, the real thing is barely in the first act. Most of the shots of him here are the actor playing the younger version in video footage, or a backlit shot of an older actor with a pompadour hairstyle loitering outside Sun Records. After the first act explains how Elvis became the biggest star in the world, the audience is taken to a Hawaiian-themed bar for an intermission and to 'await' the Elvis performance. Leis are handed out, and guests can sip on blue Hawaiian drinks with rum and pineapple juice and take their photo with a half-dressed Elvis cutout on a surfboard. Finally, it's time for the King's big comeback concert. We walk through his dressing area, where his 'scent' is piped through the walls. The Old Spice notes were an excellent re-creation of my high school hallways after gym class. We are then shepherded into the concert hall, where actors playing NBC staffers point out the applause sign. This is where the much-discussed AI elements come in. The show used the burgeoning technology to create footage of Elvis in his dressing room as he deals with stage fright, which is then projected onto a screen (so no holographic element). AI Elvis stares blankly into the middle distance as he remembers his love of music and his Mississippi roots. He doesn't speak here—no words are put in Elvis' mouth—so it at least avoids the uncanny valley quality of the Peter Cushing likeness as Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One some 22 years after the actor's death. The King emerges to perform, and we are treated to a three-piece band playing along to AI-enhanced footage of that 1968 concert. The main effect of this AI is to make Elvis look too polished and a little too pretty, as if he's a 2025 TikTokker speaking with a filter over his face. His skin has no texture, and his eyes are too bright. The concert ends with footage of the real-life Sam Bell talking about his childhood friend, and a montage demonstrates the deep hold Elvis still has on us all today, with artists like Elton John explaining why Presley was such a big deal. Our last stop, an after-show dance party with musicians strumming along to Elvis songs, is good fun. It's the last bit of proof that Evolution thoroughly understands the eternal appeal of Elvis and the audience's seemingly bottomless appetite for 1960s Americana. But the show ultimately sheds no light on either the man or the myth, and no technological boundaries are pushed. If you missed your chance to see Elvis before his untimely passing, you're out of luck. The King is still dead. More stories like this are available on
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
London's Immersive New Elvis Show Fails to Bring the King Back to Life
Elvis may have left the building in 1977, but in 2025 a new immersive show in London called Elvis Evolution aims to bring the rock icon back to life. Yet as I sat on the bleachers of an ersatz 1960s set and watched spruced-up 2D footage of the legend, the only thing that truly impressed me was how devoid this version of Elvis was of the energy and sex appeal that made the King an icon. Elvis Evolution takes place at the Immerse LDN, part of the massive Excel Waterfront complex. If you've ridden the Tube anytime in the past few weeks, you've no doubt seen ads for it. It's part of a new breed of immersive experiences that are part theater, part amusement-park attraction and part interactive spectacle. Although Evolution uses AI-enhanced video footage, this show—event? play? experience? One struggles to know what to call this thing—is not trying to be the wildly successful ABBA Voyage. There's no Elvis digital avatar or hologram. Instead it walks its audience through a mix of film-quality sets that culminate in a re-creation of Presley's 1968 comeback show.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
£300 to see Elvis perform live? This immersive show is not worth a tenth of the price
The King of Rock 'n' Roll is hardly an underexploited figure when it comes to depictions of his life and music, most recently in Baz Luhrmann's blockbuster biopic. Still, when the production company Layered Reality announced that they would be putting on a 'brand new interactive experience' at the Excel Centre in London with Elvis at its heart, it was suggested that cutting-edge AI and holographic imagery would allow excited audiences to get up close and personal with the Memphis hip-thruster himself as never before. However, if audiences have been expecting Abba Voyage-esque technical wizardry, they are likely to be disappointed. I was unable to discern any sign of hologram effects in this show. Instead, all you get is a limp assembly of video, actors, a live band and indifferently recreated sets, at high prices. The central conceit, if that's not too grandiose a term, is that the audience has been corralled at short notice for a recreation of Elvis's 1968 comeback special, when he performed live on NBC. This was once rumoured to be the centrepiece of the performance – Elvis resurrected via the latest in AI and three-dimensional video – but this has not quite taken place. Instead, spectators are firstly shown an indifferent recreation of an NBC studio backstage, which might as well be labelled 'selfie opportunity'; there is no information about anything, just influencer-bait. The room comes festooned with large, cheap-looking boxes with memorabilia of mugs and key rings. It is not clear if this is a satire on the mass merchandising of Elvis, or simply gift shop memorabilia that has been left out too long. Then the show begins proper, as an actor playing Elvis's childhood friend Sam Bell leads the audience through a sanitised, tedious account of Presley's coming-of-age in rural Mississippi, described in the clichéd script as 'the only place in the country that you can hear the music come from soul and yearning.' After an interval, complete with opportunities to buy blue-tinted cocktails in a themed bar, it's straight into an underwhelming partial recreation of the 1968 special, complete with three musicians and Elvis videos that you can probably find mostly on YouTube. All of this starts at £75 a ticket; if you want the 'If I Can Dream' Super VIP package, it will set you back £300. It is not worth a tenth of the price. Although there are hundreds of people credited for Elvis Evolution, from a revolving cast of actors to two separate live bands to the technological types responsible for what little pizzazz there is, the overall impression is of something rushed and cheap, flung together once the approval of the Presley estate had been obtained, and designed to appeal to only the most committed super-fans. As I fled through the gift shop, looking suspiciously at the £35 T-shirts around me, the words 'we're caught in a trap' most certainly came to mind. At the end, we are solemnly informed, 'None of us knew this at the time, but [Elvis's] death wasn't the end of his music.' If this underwhelming show is to be the King's epitaph, he may have wished the whole industry died with him in 1977.
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
What does an Elvis superfan make of the King's new London immersive experience?
It's a 25C evening in July, and I'm standing outside an exhibition centre in a black leather suit. These are the sort of things I do for the love of Elvis Presley. And I'm not alone. Almost 50 years after his death, the King of Rock 'n' Roll continues to inspire an intense devotion that borders on the religious. This is the bet that the creators of Elvis Evolution, the newest immersive live experience to arrive at the ExCeL Waterfront, are banking on. No, this isn't a bloated sequel to Baz Luhrmann's 2022 biopic, or yet another expensive showcase for his bejewelled Las Vegas suits. According to the show's website it's a 'first of its kind' 110-minute experience that combines cutting-edge VR and AI technology with live music and theatre, allowing superfans like myself to 'relive The King's most iconic moments'. If that description has you scratching your head, you're not alone – I have next to no idea what I'm about to see during this exclusive sneak peek at the experience. The King Lives On So what exactly is Elvis Evolution? Am I about to see my greatest idol come back from the dead thanks to the power of VR and AI? And are high-tech homages like this one the future of live entertainment or the devil in disguise? The show begins in a neon-drenched 1950s diner that evokes a nostalgic sense of Americana. This is the first in a trio of themed bars that each group of up to 160 Elvis fans passes through on their walkthrough. It's the kind of mom and pop joint where you might imagine the black-quiffed idol chowing down on peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches between recording sessions on GI Blues. The retro decor is good campy fun, and the attention to detail is likely to please even the most discerning Presley fan (the diner was based on Bob's Big Boys, a celebrated soda shop opposite the NBC studios where his '68 Comeback Special was recorded). The menu also leans into the world building: there are Memphis Muffins, Nashville Nachos, Moonlight Mules, and Pepsi Floats. When my Hounddog arrives, it's satisfyingly plump, juicy, and indulgent (gas station glizzies, these are not). After inhaling the posh weenie, an announcement comes over the tannoy – signalling in shrill southern Californian tones that my group is moving onto the next location. This is where the immersive theatre aspect of the show really begins. As fast as a stolen Cadillac, an all singing, all dancing actor, dressed as a 60s television executive, whisks us through some double doors and into the offices of NBC Studios (another impressive set that evokes New Hollywood through space age televisions, avocado green carpets, and far out furnishings). Here, we're given a briefing that doubles as a prologue, setting the scene for where we are in the Elvis story. Spoiler alert: it's 1968, and the hip-thrusting heartthrob, now a husky 33-year-old man, is preparing to take to the stage for the first time in seven years, following a long stretch of lousy Hollywood flicks and declining album sales. This one-off televised show (immortalised in rock 'n' roll lore as the '68 Comeback Special) is his last shot to reclaim his star and recapture the excitement of his '50s heyday. Fail and he'll enter the dustbins of pop culture history alongside all the tableware sets, bobbleheads, and novelty mugs bearing his likeness. If you saw the 2023 Netflix documentary, Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley, you'll be very familiar with this episode. This is not the tragic story of the womanising white-suited crooner who died on the can. Instead, it recasts good old EP as the hero of his own story – during the moment he triumphantly rediscovered his voice. More spoilers: Elvis Evolution puts a new spin on the saga, by telling it from the perspective of Sam Bell, a childhood friend of the star, who grew up with him in Tupelo, Mississippi. With this unlikely figure as our narrator and guide, we're lead onto a time travelling mystery train that transports us back to their bible belt upbringing. AI Elvis Has Left The Building Much has been made of Elvis Evolution 's use of 'groundbreaking multimedia technology', allowing audiences to 'experience Elvis like never before'. According to the show's press run, this includes (but is not limited to) holographic projections, soundscapes, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and sensory immersion. This is the kind of language that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman might use on his latest fundraising drive. While these impressive buzzwords might be a good way of justifying the price of the £75 standard ticket – the high-tech touches I do notice, like AI-rendered backdrops and environmental scents, do little to enhance the viewing experience (giving these lofty claims a touch of the Colonel Tom Parkers). Luckily, Elvis Evolution has enough going for it without the need to bask in the reflected glory of high-tech spectaculars like ABBA: Voyage. In fact, the most important thing for audiences to know about Elvis Evolution is that it is not ABBA Voyage, and audiences expecting a fully rendered virtual concert, featuring a wiggling hologram of The King in his white-suited pomp, will be left all shook up. Instead, the format of this experience has more in common with something like Secret Cinema, and the imaginative physical environments, solid acting, and costumes are more impressive than the much-hyped use of VR and AI. When the show's main event – the recreation of the '68 Comeback Special – does eventually take place (by way of a visit to the Blue Hawaii tiki bar and a tour through The King's dressing room), it's a medley of Elvis hits, brought to life by live musicians, and remastered footage from the original performance, projected onto giant screens. Still, the absence of the great man himself doesn't deter fans from dancing in the aisles and joining the cast for a singalong of Blue Suede Shoes and other favourites (even this dispassionate reporter couldn't resist wiggling his be-leathered leg to Jailhouse Rock). Elvis Evolution is a welcome entry into the Presley Universe that breathes new life into his rags-to-riches story in a way that will entertain younger audiences and delight older fans. But for all its fancy tech trimmings, the most compelling part of the show is the original footage of songs like If I Can Dream. There's a valuable lesson here. While advanced technologies may power virtual concerts and immersive musical experiences like this one, they are not the reason that audiences attend. As Elvis learned during his '68 comeback special – sometimes, it's best to let the music do the talking.
American Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Press
14-year-old ready to take audience on musical journey of Elvis' hits
Elvis tribute artist Zaden J., 14, will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Strand Theatre, 432 N. Main St. in Jennings. (Special to the American Press) Fourteen-year-old Zaden J. Gallion has been an avid fan of Elvis Presley since he watched one of his concerts with his dad. Zaden, who hails from Jonesboro, Ark., has been performing as an Elvis tribute artist for more than three years, appearing in theaters and restaurants across Arkansas and Missouri. He performs under the stage name 'Zaden J.' He will be performing at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at the Strand Theatre, 432 N. Main St. in Jennings. Doors open at 5 p.m., and Zaden will be taking the audience on a musical journey of Elvis' hits. 'It started by my dad,' Zaden explains. 'He got me started when I was little. He had an Elvis concert on TV and I started to watch it, and later on, he took me to Dean Z, an Ultimate Elvis tribute artist in Branson, Mo., and I just started learning one song after another, and then had my first show, and I just kept on going,' he said. 'I love doing it, and I want to keep doing it,' he continued. 'I want to eventually be an Ultimate Elvis one day. That's where you go to Memphis and compete, and you compete for $20,000, and then you also get the championship belt, and get to be called the Ultimate Elvis.' Zaden placed first place in the Tupelo Elvis Youth Competition last year during the Elvis Festival after securing second place in 2023. 'I did a song called 'Hurt,' which is probably one of the shortest Elvis songs out there, but I think I did it pretty good because it got me first place,' he said. 'I was surprised, too, because there were others who did really good, too, but it was fun. I was glad that I got first place because I worked hard for it. I studied that song every night, just watching videos and learning about it.' Zaden said his parents have always been supportive of his act and are among his biggest fans. 'They were the ones that kind of got me into it,' he said. 'They already liked Elvis … well, my dad really liked Elvis. My mom was a real big Bon Jovi fan, but then one day, we went to Graceland with some friends from Kentucky, and that's when my mom started liking Elvis a little more.' Zaden said he has always been fascinated by Elvis' music, moves and the way he captivated audiences since watching the concert with his dad. He's seen most of Elvis' movies and watches videos of his performa nce to perfect his own act. 'There's just something about the overall atmosphere,' he said. 'How he made the crowd have fun, and the show was good to watch. People enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. It just looked like he was having a good time, and it just looked like something fun to do.' Zaden's performance promises a night of nostalgia and high energy, taking audiences on a musical journey through the 'King of Rock and Roll's iconic career. Audiences attending Zaden's performance can expect a night filled with nostalgia, energy and a musical journey through the 'King of Rock and Roll's' career, from the iconic 1950s to the his legendary movie career to the electrifying 1968 comeback and the vibrant 1970s — complete with Elvis' timeless hits, signature moves and flashy jumpsuits. He covers songs from the 50s, movie soundtracks, the 1968 comeback special, and the Las Vegas years of the 70s. 'There's a lot of hip shaking and a lot of leg shaking and an overall great time,' he continued, adding he also enjoys interacting with the audience and making jokes during his shows. Zaden said he learned most of Elvis' moves and his persona by meticulously studying videos and watching other impersonators on stage. 'I just take my time learning to do the moves one step at a time, one finger movement, and just learning it all to 100 percent,' he said. Zaden said he really enjoys doing the 1970s Elvis, which he says is 'so much fun to do.' When asked about his favorite Elvis song to perform, Zaden chose 'If I Can Dream,' noting its powerful message of hope during a time when the world needed it. 'When Elvis sang it, it was during a time period when the world needed hope, and that's why he made that song,' he said. 'He stayed up all night learning it, and he just has a really powerful message to that song.' Zaden enjoys performing on stage, meeting new people, and hearing their stories and memories about Elvis. He finds joy in seeing the audience sing along, dance and have a great time. After his shows, he often does meet-and-greets, taking pictures and signing autographs. 'I enjoy meeting the people because I get to hear the stories about where they are from and stories about Elvis,' he said. 'I get to know where they're from, or they'll tell me a little bit about themselves. I enjoy getting to know people.'
