Fans slam ‘atrocious’ immersive Elvis Presley show with tickets up to £300

A newly opened high-tech Elvis Presley show in London that initially promised an AI hologram of the star on stage has been blasted by punters as ‘a shambles from start to finish’.

Elvis Evolution was announced in January 2024 with a life-sized, digital Elvis as its golden ticket item which would perform ‘iconic moments in musical history on a UK stage for the first time’.

The show also claimed it would use the smells and weather of Memphis to fully ‘immerse’ guests in the experience.

Creator Andrew McGuinness of Layered Reality promised at the time that ‘intricate sets’ would help make ticketholders ‘feel like you’ve time travelled’ – but punters now beg to differ.

Elvis Evolution officially opened on July 18, with tickets priced from £75 to £300 for the super VIP experience, including booking fees.

However, some who have already attended the event have felt let down as there is no Elvis hologram after all.

They instead described the show as ‘absolutely atrocious’, with Tracey Baldwin telling the BBC that ‘you could have seen this at the local theatre for £30’.

‘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 added, claiming that disappointed ticketholders left the show early.

She also said she felt that Layered Reality had been unfair to older fans and ‘taken us for a fool by scamming us with technology that we won’t understand’.

‘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,’ a spokesperson for Layered Reality told the outlet.

A Metro piece discussing Elvis Evolution with its creators ahead of tickets going on sale did not mention the Elvis hologram teased months earlier, with the team instead focusing on discussing its ‘deeply personal and interactive format’ and promising it would be ‘a memory-making experience’.

The spokesperson continued: ‘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.’

They also said the show has been praised by fans and they had been ‘overwhelmed by the feedback, with many describing it as fun, immersive and unlike anything they’ve seen before’, according to the publication.

There is no mention of any Elvis hologram on the experience’s website. Rather it mentions that Elvis Evolution ‘will use generative AI to deliver intimate moments, giving you exclusive glimpses behind the scenes, at never seen before moments in Elvis’ history’.

It also claims the show uses ‘groundbreaking digital techniques to bring the musical icon to life’ and points to a partnership with the custodians of the Presley estate, which allowed access to personal photos and home-videos.

According to those who have seen Elvis Evolution, live actors playing different characters guide guests through the King’s childhood and friendship with Sam Bell, as well as his career, in various themed locations, including a train carriage and a diner.

After an interval in a Hawaii-themed bar – complete with an Elvis cardboard cut-out for photo opportunities – ticketholders are then taken through to experience the King’s 1968 comeback special concert broadcast on NBC as audience members.

Superfans Linzi Naldrett and Zoe Finch described the show as ‘bizarre’ and said that there was ‘nothing in it that you’ve not seen before’ if you’re an Elvis fan.

Linzi also questioned where the ‘AI immersive aspect came into it’, saying of the grand final recreation: ‘All it is is a projection on the back wall of the 1968 show, which you can buy on DVD or watch on iPlayer.’

Musicians also play live alongside the concert footage, according to photos from the event, as well as another separate band during the experience.

Skipping out on the included afterparty, she added to The Daily Star: ‘At one point, I just had second hand embarrassment for the actors dancing and there was [sic.] a few young girls in tears of laughter at how awkward it all was.’

Elvis Evolution has also been met with mixed professional reviews, with The Telegraph awarding it just one star and slamming its ‘limp and indifferent offerings’ and ‘underwhelming’ partial recreation of the 1968 special, saying it is ‘not worth a tenth of the price’.

However, TimeOut gave it three stars and called it ‘a slick affair, heartfelt in its admiration for The King’ even if comes with ‘a difficult-to-defend ticket price’.

Critic Andrzej Łukowski revealed in a tweet alongside his review that people in his show’s audience were ‘actively booing it’ although he felt it was ‘actually basically fine, but still it probably needs a rethink’.

CityAM went one step further, awarding the show four stars and calling the experience ‘incredibly touching’.

The breadth of reaction continued on social media too, with @bigboyb on X tweeting: ‘Awful from start to finish. Felt like a GCSE performance on a shoestring budget.’

But according to the BBC some ticketholders on Facebook praised the experience as ‘well-acted, innovative, exciting and a whole lot of fun’, and another added that ‘the majority of people were having fun’.

Elvis Evolution is at Immerse LDN at the Excel London and is currently scheduled to end on December 28.

Metro has contacted Layered Reality for further comment.

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