‘Bizarre World of Frank Zappa’ comes to life as a hologram at Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on May 1
From a press release:
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 United States. The nine U.S. shows will kick off Friday, April 19, including a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m.
This marks the first time a hologram artist will appear on the Kirby Center’s stage.
Tickets, which are $39, $59, $75, $99, and $179.00 (VIP), plus fees, go on sale this Friday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. and will be available at the Sundance Vacations Box Office at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100, with a special VIP pre-sale launching on Wednesday, Feb. 13. A Kirby Member pre-sale also begins on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m.
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 honoring 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 humor 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.”
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil Zappa performing at the F.M. Kirby Center in 2017 here and read a 2014 interview with Dweezil here.
