Fuming audience members for a new immersive Elvis Presley experience have accused the show of being “misleading” and “a shambles from start to finish”.
Elvis Evolution was announced in January last year and was billed as a concert experience that would “use AI and feature holographic projections of the star”.
The event – a collaboration between Elvis Presley Enterprises and Authentic Brands Group, the custodians of the Elvis Presley Estate – promised to feature a “life-sized digital Elvis” who would perform “iconic moments in musical history on a UK stage for the first time”.
Ticket prices for the show, which launched last week for a six-month run at London’s Exel Waterfront, ranged between £75 including booking fees to a £300 Super VIP option, which includes a mid-show champagne experience, commemorative glass, dedicated seating and cloakroom access.
Speaking to the BBC, some attendees complained that the show had been “mis-sold” as it did not feature a hologram of Elvis.
Mark and Tracey Baldwin said they felt “more like mugs than VIPs” after witnessing what they described as an “absolutely atrocious” show, which they had believed would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“You could have seen this at the local theatre for £30,” Mrs Baldwin told the BBC.
“It was a shambles from start to finish, there was no Elvis, it was just a video of him that you could watch on YouTube.”
She claimed that unhappy guests left the show early during the second act and accused Layered Reality of exploiting older people by “scamming us with technology that we won’t understand”.
A number of audience members have shared more positive reviews on social media, while others have also expressed their upset over the experience and demanded refunds.
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“Awful from start to finish,” one disgruntled Elvis fan wrote on X/Twitter. “Felt like a GCSE performance on a shoestring budget. How they can justify those ticket prices?! Luckily I didn’t pay otherwise i’d be fuming. Others said the same… shame really.”
A spokesperson for Layered Reality said: “A small number of people have pointed out that they were expecting a hologram concert, due to the initial announcement made in January 2024. As with many complex productions that are two years in the making, the concept developed from those early stages, and this was made clear when tickets went on sale in October 2024.
“We ultimately took the creative decision not to mimic Elvis’s performances. Those moments proved to be too iconic and irreplaceable. Instead, we use AI to upscale archive footage and in moments we know happened but where no footage existed, offering a new lens into his world.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for additional comment.
Andrew McGuinness, founder and chief executive of Layered Reality, said when the show was announced last year that it would serve as a “next-generation tribute to the musical legend that is Elvis Presley”.
“Elvis maintains superstar status globally and people around the world no longer want to sit there and passively receive entertainment – they want to be a part of it,” he said.
“It’ll be a memory-making experience that will be a bucket-list item for Elvis fans and admirers around the world; people can step into the world of Elvis, walk in his shoes and celebrate his extraordinary musical legacy.”
The event has received mixed reviews from critics, including a one-star write-up from The Telegraph who said the “limp” offering was “not worth one tenth” of the price of its VIP package. In a three-star review, Time Out said it was “made with care” and was “enjoyable once you accept it for what it is”.
Elvis Evolution was delayed by several months from its original planned launch of November 2024. It is hosting multiple shows a day with a capacity of 160 people, and will run at ExCel London until December 2025.
