Roy Orbison hologram concert in L.A. invites awe and debate

Thirty years after his death, Orbison (at least the digital version of him) is going on a national tour, the latest and possibly the most ambitious example to date of how holographic technology is transforming the music industry. The hologram’s 65-minute show, which features 16 songs and orchestral accompaniment, is among the first full-length concerts to feature a holographic dead singer.

Orbison’s hologram was made by L.A.-based BASE Hologram, led by Brian Becker, the former chief executive of Clear Channel Entertainment, a major promoter of live entertainment events. Unlike other companies, BASE Hologram says its images of deceased celebrities are projected by a single machine without the help of a screen or previous concert footage.

BASE Hologram hired a model to mimic Orbison’s actions, and computer animation work was done to create a digital representation of Orbison that is beamed onto the stage. Orbison’s voice was taken from previous recordings and later paired with a live orchestra and synced to the hologram’s movements.

Such images and shows are becoming more common, as families of deceased celebrities look for new ways to prolong and capitalize on their legacies. But as technology evolves and it becomes easier to create three-dimensional, lifelike visuals of artists, there’s growing debate over how those images will be portrayed — and whether they truly represent how the artists behaved when they were alive. That has prompted some celebrities to add language in their contracts about holograms and to be more meticulous about selecting who is in charge of their estates. It has also sparked threats of lawsuits from estates to bar companies from profiting from a celebrity’s image without their permission.

Alex Orbison said he thinks his father would have liked the idea of a holographic concert because he loved Hollywood and cinema. “He really loved the special effects in movies,” such as when Princess Leia appeared as a hologram in “Star Wars,” Orbison said.