First Tupac and Michael Jackson did it and now Billie Holiday is the next artist tapped for resurrection in hologram form for a performance at New York's historic Apollo Theater.
According to The New York Times, Hologram USA is setting up a permanent hologram system at the stage that will bring classic acts back to life in the halls they originally performed in. The jazz singer is just the first of several acts the program hopes to bring to life, which could include James Brown's career setting 1962 performance.
Fans haven't heard Holiday's live voice in more than 50 years and the Apollo performance will mark what would have been her 100th birthday, according to Vulture. She made her debut on the Apollo stage when she was just 19 years old and performed there in the flesh a total of 30 times before being inducted into the venue's hall of fame earlier this year for her centennial.
Apollo President Jonelle Procope told the Times that Holiday is capable of teaching fans about the history of the venue as well as answering questions from the audience. Presumably, the questions are sort of pre-programmed but still that's pretty amazing.
"When people see this, they're going to understand the vast opportunities that we'll have to bring some of these performances to life," she said.
Hologram USA has previously brought to life performances from Buddy Holly, Chief Keef and comedy acts from past eras, but this will be the first permanent installment in a theater and one of great magnitude and historic significance at that.
Thankfully, everyone involved is taking precautions to ensure the musician's artistry is not damaged in the process of the programming.
"We would never do anything that would compromise the integrity of the artists or the Apollo," Procope said.
Watch Billie Holiday perform in the CBS Studios in 1957 below and fall in love again with the jazz singer who once dominated American culture.
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