Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly Hologram Tour

Brighton Centre, Brighton

Tuesday, October 22

ROY Orbison and Buddy Holly are two of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Neither of them are around today to see the legacy they left behind, but now one show producer is keeping their memories alive by bringing them back to the stage in hologram form. Jamie Walker spoke to Marty Tudor from Base Hologram to hear about how these virtual creations were brought to life.

Technological advancements have come a long way since early gigs and stage shows.

It’s likely that 100 years ago live music fans would never have imagined the lighting and sound wonders we enjoy at concerts today.

And it wasn’t long ago that the idea of a touring hologram of a dead musician would have seemed impossible.

But that is exactly what Base Hologram is bringing to Brighton this month.

The show will involve the holograms of music stars Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison - and both will be accompanied by real life backing bands.

Marty Tudor, from Base Hologram, the company bringing the musical legends to life, said the process is time consuming but hopes it will have the desired effect.

He said: “There is a desire for audiences to experience new things in the world of entertainment.

“To us, holograms are the natural next step in live entertainment and these are so much more than just hologram tours as that live band/back-up singer component is incredibly important.

“The possibilities are endless and it doesn’t just apply to musicians as we can do similar types of amazing experiences with scientists, dinosaurs and all points in between.

“Audiences are looking for new ultra-realistic experiences where fantasy becomes reality and these serve that desire.

“This is a brand new way to see a music event - it mixes Broadway with theatrical effects and amazing holographic technology. It should be a special experience for audiences.”

The 90 minute concert will see Buddy and Roy, or at least their holograms, perform their greatest hits.

And Marty went into detail about how much work goes into putting the show together.

He said: “These tours are created utilising cutting-edge techniques to be able to bring these projects to the stage.

“We start with a body double who works closely with our director to choreograph the performances and then we take the results of that and go to work on it digitally along with in many cases cleaned up and re-mastered cuts of the songs.

“The technology has evolved so the team can for the first time strip out the vocals and separate the tracks from both orchestra and other singers.

“From there it’s marrying that audio with digital and laser imaging, CGI techniques and spectacular showmanship choreographed and fully produced by the best in the industry to create a Broadway type theatrical experience as the final product.

“We have that high level of authenticity that makes the experience more immersive.

“Roy Orbison is a great example.

“Roy didn’t move a lot on stage when he performed and it was important to the family he didn’t move a lot on stage in hologram form.

“However Roy interacted with his band and the audience, little things like a nod, a wave, a thank you, things like that which are represented.”

Roy Orbison was born in Texas in 1936 and started performing at the age of 17.

He has 26 studio albums to his name, four of which were released posthumously following his death in 1988.

Buddy Holly was born in the same year as Roy, and in the same state.

Over the course of their careers they would grow to be close and share a common love of music.

It says a lot about Buddy’s talents that he is still considered such a legend of the time, despite only releasing two albums.

He was killed in a plane crash in 1959, at the age of 22.

And crucially, Marty says, these tours are not meant to be seen as trying to bring the stars back to life.

He said: “Our productions are meant to be a tribute to these musical legends.

“We are honoured that the families of these beloved performers have entrusted us with their legacies and it is a fantastic experience working with them.

“We wouldn’t want to do this without having the families/estates on board as collaborative partners.

“Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly are very unique and special performers who each had a major impact on the world of music - moreover both were incredibly forward-thinking when it came to technology.

“This way their loyal fans could see them once again while also introducing them and songbooks to a new generation that may have heard their music but not been aware of their legacies.”