Two rock and roll legends are being brought together with a full orchestra, and backup singers for their first ever joint tour, featuring a big stop in Santa Barbara. The concert that never was is finally going to be, but it’s going to be unlike any musical event you’ve ever seen. One of the headliners who will appear at the Granada Theater died in 1959, and the other one died in 1988.
Thanks to computer generated hologram technology, the Rock and Roll Dream Tour will feature Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly.
Bob Ring is co-founder of Base Hologram, the Culver City based company which created the Dream Tour. He says creating the 75 minute plus show posed a lot of challenges. Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in 1959, at the age of 22. And Roy Orbison was just 52 when he died from a heart attack in 1958.
Gary Shoefield is Executive Vice President of Content for Base Hologram. He says when you create holograms of iconic performers, part of the challenge is which version of them you create.
There are questions over thing like what age you use, and what point in their career best represents them.
Company officials say the technology is taking off, and they are on track to create two new shows a year for the next five to seven years.
Ring says they currently have two tours of the Roy Orbison/Buddy Holly Show, with one in North America, and one in Great Britain and Europe. One of the next big shows under development features Whitney Houston.
The Rock and Roll Dream Tour, featuring Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, will be at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theater September 26th.
Information on show: royandbuddy.com
Video of Roy Ornison performing: basehologram.com/videos
