Whitney Houston’s hologram set to take Las Vegas stage at residency this fall

Whitney Houston once sang, “I will always love you.” But what we — and she — didn’t realise, is that the late singer would always perform, too — even from beyond the grave. Indeed, Whitney Houston is headed to Las Vegas for a six month residency via an especially convincing deep-fake of the late star.

“An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert,” will premiere in the U.S. this October, and features imagery of Houston from “all stages of her career,” according to Rolling Stone. The innovative presentation is elevated by real-life elements, as well: Actual human (as in, not holographic) back up singers, dancers, and musicians will grace the stage alongside the late diva’s image. It’s a little Black Mirror, but we must admit, it sounds pretty cool.

The concert, which was produced by BASE Hologram in collaboration with Houston’s estate, is scheduled to start October 26 at the Las Vegas Harrah’s Showroom. Performances are scheduled nearly every night through April 30, 2022, and tickets are available for purchase via Ticketmaster. The concert already had one successful run, in the U.K., in early 2020.

Pat Houston, Houston’s sister-in-law and executor of the late singer’s estate, revealed the inspiration behind the concert in an interview last year. “In 2011, Whitney and I discussed her idea of an intimate, unplugged concert tour. It was a project we called ‘Whitney Unplugged’ or ‘An Evening with Whitney,’” she told Rolling Stone, insisting that Houston would have appreciated being brought back in holographic form.

“While Whitney’s no longer with us, her voice and legacy will live on with us forever. ‘An Evening with Whitney’ is another chance for us to relive and celebrate the talent that we were so lucky to receive for more than three decades and we’re excited to bring this cutting-edge musical experience to the fans who supported the pop culture phenomenon that was Whitney Houston because they deserve nothing less.”

Base Hologram Productions CEO Marty Tudor also told the publication that show is the “result of five years of discussion,” followed by another full year of actually creating it. Now, of course, yet another year has been added to the first six, as Covid postponed its initial Vegas debut.

“It’s primarily just paying homage to her legacy. How many times can you just hear the same song over and over? This is a new way to experience the music,” Pat Houston continued.

“Realistically, it’s all about the Whitney experience. She preferred doing small shows, and it was something she couldn’t really do when she was alive. People need to understand, no one is trying to recreate our Whitney. This is a show to celebrate her music and introduce her to people who never got to see her live.”