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Roy Orbison, the legendary singer/songwriter behind timeless songs Oh, Pretty Woman, You Got It, Only The Lonely and Crying, will be brought back to life in spectacular fashion thanks to hologram technology next April.
In what’s certain to be a dazzling and emotional tour de force, The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will back up the universally acclaimed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist at a string of arena shows kicking off next spring.
Though Orbison tragically passed away some thirty years ago in 1988, his star has never really dimmed. On the back of his stellar career, sheer innovation and peerless back catalogue, the greatest artists in the music business have paid tribute to the so-called ‘Big O’. John Lennon cited Orbison as a massive early influence on both his songwriting and vocal style, while Elvis Presley praised the slight Texan with a three-octave range as no less than ‘the greatest singer in the world.’
Closer to our own era Bruce Springsteen attributes his style and grit to Orbison: ‘Most of all I wanted to sing like Orbison. Everybody knows that nobody sings like Roy Orbison.’’
Orbison’s iconic stage appearance – dyed black hair, black clothes, black sunglasses – has been attributed by many biographers to his chronic shyness, although ironically the look lent him an aloof mystique that has won him legions of fans down the decades.
Some have even gone so far to argue that the now cliché ‘sunglasses indoors’ rockstar image can be traced directly back to Roy Orbison and his trademark Wayfarers.
The tour will kick off in Cardiff on April 8 and climax in Bournemouth on April 20.
Ahead of the tour, Sony Music will release accompanying album ‘A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’ on November 3, 2017.
The Hologram Roy Orbison will play the following shows. Tickets available here.
APRIL
8 - Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
9 - Birmingham, Genting Arena
11 - Manchester, 02 Apollo
12 - Edinburgh, Playhouse
13 - Glasgow, SEC Armadillo
14 - Leeds, First Direct Arena
16 - Nottingham, Royal Centre
17 - Liverpool, Echo 2
18 - London, Hammersmith Eventim Apollo
20 - Bournemouth, Bournemouth BIC
