A hologram concert celebrating rock legend, Zappa

The Island Now

In 1974, musician, composer, activist and filmmaker Frank Zappa transformed his Los Angeles rehearsal space into a sound stage and cranked out some unbelievable performances seen and heard only by the camera operators in the room. The audio from these performances — locked away in the Zappa vaults for 44 years — is now the basis for the ambitious hologram tour, “The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa.”

The “can’t miss” concert spectacle, produced by Eyellusion, live music’s premier hologram production company, in close cooperation with the Zappa Family Trust, will make a stop at The Paramount on Wednesday, April 24 at 8 p.m.

The hologram tour includes longtime Zappa players, including guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin, percussionist Ed Mann, and drummer and Zappa archivist Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers.

“As a futurist and hologram enthusiast, Frank fearlessly broke through boundary after boundary as an artist, and in honoring his indomitable spirit, we’re about to do it again, 25 years after his passing,” said Ahmet Zappa, Frank’s son and co-trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. 

“‘Bizarre World’ has been a herculean undertaking and an extremely emotional journey for me,” Ahmet adds. “Weirdly, it’s also been one of the most creatively satisfying projects that I have ever had the privilege of working on. It’s fascinating to me how into holograms my dad was and it’s unbelievable that we have Frank in his own words talking about it. The fact that we’re now finally able to technologically bring to life the ideas and concepts my father talked about so many years ago is astonishing.”

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz and orchestral works in the more than 60 albums he released with his band, the Mothers of Invention, and as a solo artist. He is still considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse rock musicians of his era.

“The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” celebrates the music, surreal imagery and humor synonymous with the rock legend. The inspirations and subjects of Zappa’s songs will be brought to life on stage using various visual techniques and classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs, culminating in what has been called a “bizarre” live music experience. 

“My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in,” Ahmet says. “He actually devoted half a chapter of his ‘The Real Frank Zappa’ book to this subject. This is a love letter and a journey celebrating the genius artistry of Frank Zappa. On a personal note, I feel like I am finishing something my father started years ago.  And let’s not forget, Frank himself will be rocking his fans, alongside his bandmates like nobody’s business.”

For the first time in a long time, Zappa fans will get to see and hear new music performed by Frank with his live band and enjoy never-before-heard versions of their favorite songs, all while brain-melting visuals make them laugh, smile, and perhaps even cry.

To purchase tickets to the show, go to www.theparamountny.com.

The Paramount is located at 370 New York Ave. in Huntington.

 

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