Latest news with #immersiveshow
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Moment pensioner is dragged out of immersive Elvis Presley show by burly security guards after he called it ‘b*****ks'
THIS is the moment a pensioner was dragged out of an immersive Elvis Presley show by security - after allegedly calling it 'b*****ks'. Shocking video shows the elderly man being carried out of the building by his arms and legs as onlookers pleaded with four burly guards to leave him alone. 4 4 The backpack-clad fan is thought to have travelled to the Elvis Evolution at Excel London with a coach trip on Sunday afternoon. Witnesses say he was asked to leave when he criticised the experience but refused - prompting security to throw him out. Laura Cadden, 42, who filmed the incident, told The Sun: 'People were talking and basically everybody was saying 'this is a load of rubbish'. 'The elderly gentleman then said 'this is b*****ks' - at which point they turned all the lights up and got the security from the Excel to come in. "They asked him to leave, he said 'I'm not going anywhere at the moment, I'll leave in my good time'. 'So they pushed him onto his knees and four of them each took an arm or leg and dragged him out… 'He was just expressing his opinion about the show, which was absolutely valid, because it was dreadful.' Laura, who had travelled down from Coventry with her husband Jason, said staff then told the other punters they could no longer continue because it was a 'security risk'. Guests were asked to leave and the subsequent shows were cancelled. They were told to contact organisers Layered Reality for a refund. It is the latest blow for the 'high-tech' performance, which promised a dazzling journey through the King of Rock and Roll's life when it opened earlier this month. Some attendees had been expecting cutting-edge holograms to rival the smash hit ABBA Voyage virtual gigs. But furious audiences, who paid up to £300 each for VIP tickets, say there was no 3D avatar - just an actor dancing in front of video clips of the icon. They compared it to last year's Willy Wonka experience flop in Glasgow. Elvis Evolution said its plans for a hologram concert announced in early 2024 were dropped during development - but insisted this was 'made clear when tickets went on sale'. Organisers said the elderly man was removed on Sunday for being 'verbally aggressive' towards staff. A spokesperson for Elvis Evolution said: 'A guest attending the event on Sunday night became verbally aggressive towards our staff. "Despite being politely asked to stop, the behaviour escalated, with the guest explicitly stating his intention to continue making threats towards our staff and performers. 'The on-site management team engaged promptly and professionally, requesting that the individual leave the venue. When he refused to comply, the security team were called to assist, and the individual was subsequently removed from the premises. 'While we regret any disruption caused to other guests, the safety and wellbeing of our staff, cast and visitors is our highest priority.' Excel London was approached for comment. 4
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Elvis fans furious after paying £300 to watch grainy videos of singer at 'atrocious' AI tribute show
A new Elvis immersive show has left fans furious as they brand it 'the worst experience of my life' and complain of 'nearly dozing off' at the grainy video clips. 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'.
Bloomberg
18-07-2025
- 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.
