Elvis Evolution, the new immersive experience at Excel’s Waterfront, opened two weeks ago to eager Presley fans hoping to be immersed in the life and music of the rock ‘n’ roll icon. With some tickets costing as much as £300, expectation for the new immersive experience was high.
However, disappointed from many fans quickly became apparent.
The main issue lies with what was promised, and not delivered, by creators Layered Reality. Many fans were expecting a holographic projection of Elvis. Yet, there was no hologram of the rock ‘n’ roll superstar and no holographic music performance.
Instead, visitors found several rooms filled with old memorabilia and locations significant to Presley. However, many felt the experience lacked immersion and did not match what was originally advertised.
This left many fans reeling. Some even compared it to the infamous Willy Wonka experience. One fan described it as “one of the most misleading shows I’ve ever seen.”
Another Elvis fan 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.”
Layered Reality defended the experience: “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.”
Elvis Evolution is set to stay until December with plans to expand internationally to places like Tokyo. Whether amendments to the experience will be made and if it will expand overseas has not been confirmed by Layered Reality.
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