“The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa” is set to launch in 2019 with a Frank Zappa hologram, alongside members of the Mothers of Invention. The newly-announced tour will kick off with nine U.S. dates in April followed by seven European dates in May, with additional dates set to be announced in the coming months.
The Frank Zappa hologram was created by Eyellusion, the company behind a hologram of Ronnie James Dio that embarked on a world tour last year, and will serve as the centerpiece to “hours of never-before-seen (or heard) Zappa performance footage from the early seventies.”
About the footage, a press release details:
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 unique 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.
The “Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” tour is approved and organized by the Zappa Family Trust. Ahmet Zappa, a co-trustee and the trust’s executive vice president of business development, enthused in a statement: “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 continues, “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.”
Check out the promotional video, which includes audio of Frank Zappa speaking out about Holograms, below:
“The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa – Coming 2019”
[Video: Frank Zappa]
Ahmet Zappa continues about the forthcoming hologram tour:
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.
Head to the Frank Zappa website for additional information.