Just when you thought that the live music experience couldn’t get any stranger, I give you the scoop for the upcoming “The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa Hologram Tour. Let’s take a look at the full press release down below.
The Press Release:
“We’re excited to world premiere a handful of Frank Zappa compositions; these mind-melting concerts we’re putting together celebrate the music, often surreal imagery and humour synonymous with Frank.” –Ahmet Zappa
Live music’s premier hologram production company Eyellusion has announced that a who’s who of ZAPPA fan favorite musicians will support “The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa” hologram tour which will make its debut this April in the U.S. The nine U.S. shows kick off Friday, April 19, with seven European shows in May to follow. Additional dates will be announced in the coming months. Tickets for the U.S. shows go on sale Friday, February 15at 10:00 AM (ET) at all major ticketing outlets, with a special VIP pre-sale (details here) launching on Wednesday, February 13.
In 1974, FRANK ZAPPA transformed his Los Angeles rehearsal space into a sound stage and cranked out some unbelievable performances seen and heard only by the camera operators in the room. The audio from these performances–locked away in the ZAPPA vaults for 44 years–will serve as the basis for what will be the world’s most ambitious hologram tour to date. The “can’t miss” concert spectacle is being produced in close cooperation with the ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST.
The “Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” hologram tour band is comprised of former ZAPPA bandmates for this monumental series of shows. The touring unit boasts guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin, percussionist Ed Mann, and drummer and ZAPPA archivist Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers.
“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,” said Ahmet Zappa, EVP of business development for Eyellusion and co-trustee of the ZAPPA FAMILY TRUST.
“We’re excited to world premiere a handful of Frank Zappa compositions; these mind-melting concerts we’re putting together celebrate 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. Circumstances, objects, places and subject matter from Frank’s songs and imagination will be brought to life for the first time on stage. We are anthropomorphizing Frank’s music utilizing various visual techniques, art styles, classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs, culminating in one extremely bizarre, live music experience.
“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. 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.”
The Tour Dates:
4/19: Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theater
4/20: Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center Theater
4/22: Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie
4/24: Long Island, NY @ Paramount Theatre
4/26: Boston, MA @ Shubert
4/28: Albany, NY @ The Palace Theatre
05/1: Wilkes Barre, PA @ Kirby Center
05/2: Collingswood, NJ @ Scottish Rite Auditorium
05/3: Baltimore, MD @ The Modell Lyric
The European Shows:
5/9: Edinburgh, UK @ Playhouse
5/11: Gateshead, UK @ Sage
5/12: Manchester, UK @ Bridgewater Hall
5/13: Birmingham, UK @ Symphony Hall
5/14: London, UK @ The Palladium
5/16: Ostend, BEL @ Kurssal
5/17: Amsterdam, NLD @ Rai Theater
*** end of transmission ***
PiercingMetal Thoughts: When the music world lost the great Frank Zappa back in 1993 I was among the many who mourned the passing of this profound musical genius but I took comfort in the fact that his music would live on forever in our hearts thanks to the LP’s, the CD’s and the cassette and 8-track tapes. There were also the concert memories to enjoy and I was fortunate enough to see him three or four times but that low number was based on my being a latecomer to his glory. As far as watching a programmed hologram do his music in concert with a live band, I will not lie and say that I am yet 100% behind it because it still feels really weird to me. Of course that being said, I still find myself riveted when I watch the Tupac and Dio holograms so perhaps this will be something extraordinary at the end of the day. I would definitely check out a concert if one was happening in my region and while these initial dates are doable, I’d personally prefer a little closer. What about you readers and fans of the man. What do you think about a Frank Zappa hologram tour? I am sure they will be on point with the presentation based on the available technology today but will you be more interested in this than let’s say the remaining musicians from Zappa’s bands going at it with a host of special guests? Chime in down below.
Official Websites:
Zappa: https://www.zappa.com/
Eyellusion: http://eyellusionlive.com/
Frank Zappa Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa