Inside brand new Elvis Presley show as AI brings King to life

Tinkling away at the piano in front of the sheet music for If I Can Dream in a room with every shade of 1960s brown, I am transported back in time to the night of the Return of The King.

I sit at his dressing room table in Los Angeles NBC studios, and try to imagine what Elvis felt like as he waited to go on stage before giving what is considered one of the greatest rock performances of all time.

There is even a glass of whisky at the side for a bit of Dutch courage as the King hadn't sung in seven years after a stint in the army and appearing in a selection of uninspired films before that pivotal Comeback Special on TV in June 1968.

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But I’m not in downtown LA – I’m in East London’s Excel exhibition centre, and I am living every Elvis fan’s dream come true as I get a sneak preview of the fully immersive Elvis Evolution which opens to the public today (July 18).

Here, Elvis fanscan relive the King's most iconic moments as cutting-edge AI and holographic technology breathes life into 60-year-old footage of that career-changing night.

Unlike the two-hour hologram concert ABBA Voyage, this isn't an AI-generated Elvis singing his greatest hits, it's an immersive theatre experience which takes fans down memory lane using actors and incredibly realistic scene settings.

“It’s all based on meticulous research,” says Andrew McGuinness, founder and CEO of Layered Reality which created Elvis Evolution, having previously worked on Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience.

The virtual reality and live theatre company’s experience charts Elvis’s rise from dirt-poor Mississippi roots and his rags-to-riches story – and centres around the 1968 performance, and uses video footage and photography from Elvis Presley's personal archives at Graceland.

"The story behind the ’68 special is a fascinating one," says Andrew, and explains how Elvis's manager, Colonel Parker, was against the idea of a TV special and wanted the singer to do a cheesy Christmas show instead.

"Most people have only really seen the ’68 special as grainy images,” says Andrew. “We've used AI technology to transform that to be something that really gives you a sense of what that performance was, and we use AI and hologram effects to create scenes that we know happened, that were well documented but were not captured on film.

Unlike the 2022 Baz Luhrmann directed Elvis film which was told from the perspective of the Colonel, Elvis Evolution is told from the viewpoint of Elvis's childhood friend Sam Bell who leads the audience through the story.

There is also interview footage from the real-life Sam Bell who died in 2021 talking about his relationship with Elvis how devastated he was at his friend's untimely passing aged just 42 in 1977.

Sam is one of a cast of 28 actors playing characters, including record producer Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis in 1954.The man who directed the Comeback Special and was instrumental in revitalising Elvis's career is also acknowledged.

In front of me at the piano, attached to the music sheet for If I Can Dream, is a card which reads, “Steve, Something like this? E." “Steve is Steve Binder, who directed Elvis's show,” explains Andrew. “Elvis and Steve both wanted him to do something authentic. And really, the moment of the '68 special was when Elvis rediscovered his musical self and got back to his soul. And I Can Dream is a big part of that"

Elvis was rejigging the format of the song written by Earl Brown, especially for his Comeback Special. It echoed Martin Luther King’s 1963 I Have A Dream speech – after he was assassinated just two months previously.

On top of the piano, I spot the Life magazine tribute issue to the Civil Rights campaigner. There is also a whisky at the side of the piano - for Dutch courage.

Elvis was very nervous, there is no doubt of that,” says Andrew. “He had been doing movies for the last seven years, but he was desperate to get back to his musical roots."

The Elvis Evolution begins at Bob’s Burbank Diner opposite NBC Studios where the ’68 special was filmed. The menu offers a peanut and banana milkshake in homage to Elvis' love of the peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Then the experience starts, and NBC execs played by actors rush into the diner desperately in need of audience members.

“That really happened," says Andrew. “The Colonel was responsible for ticket distribution, but as he was against the show, he didn't do it, so people had to be invited at the last minute. It created a raw, unfiltered performance which led to the likes of MTV Unplugged.”

From there visitors become part of the show – enjoying a pre-show drink at one of three themed bars including the Blue Hawaii.

A voice over the tannoy tells me that someone will be along shortly “to take you into the studio where tonight’s Elvis show will be filming. In the meantime feel free to look around you might spot some signs of what's coming in tonight’s show.”

“We want the audience to rummage around the room as it has lots of Elvis bits of stuff discarded from the set,” says Andrew.

That’s where I spot a cardboard cut-out and I feel All Shook Up standing that close to a semi-naked Elvis on a surf board.

After listening to Mystery Train, I am taken to a real-life replica of a mystery train featuring more historical footage and actors to bring Elvis and Sam’s early years to life.

The centrepiece of the experience comes towards the end with the original footage of the Comeback Special. “It’s the first time people will see the performance like this, it's completely digitally remastered,” says Andrew.

“I wanted to help people to understand the King’s vulnerability with this experience, but visitors also get to celebrate the musical legacy and party. There was no one like Elvis,” says Andrew.

I decide to let loose in the All Shook Up After Party bar before deciding it's time I left the building.

• Elvis Evolution is now open at Excel London.