Frank Zappa Hologram to Play With Former Mothers on ‘Bizarre World’ Tour

The planned, estate-approved Frank Zappa hologram tour has recruited its band of former Mothers for the “Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” trek. The tour kicks off later this year.

The Mothers alumni set to make special appearances on the hologram tour include longtime Zappa collaborators Steve Vai, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Ian Underwood and Joe’s Garage vets Warren Cuccurullo, Vinnie Colaiuta, Arthur Barrow and Ed Mann.

The touring unit itself boasts guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin 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,” Zappa’s son and co-trustee of the Zappa Family Trust Ahmet Zappa said in a statement.

“This mind-melting show we’re putting together celebrates the music, often surreal imagery and humor synonymous with Frank. We will be pushing the limits of what anyone has seen holographically on stage before in a live venue. Circumstances, objects, places and subject matter from Frank’s songs and imagination will be brought to life for the first time on stage. We are anthropomorphizing Frank’s music, so his own hand drawn illustrations, classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs can all interact and perform on stage.”

“The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa Hologram Tour” will also make extensive use of never-before-seen 1974 footage of Zappa in his Los Angeles rehearsal space, which he turned into a soundstage for an audience-less performance captured only by camera operators. That footage remained in the Zappa vault for 44 years before it was unearthed for the hologram tour.

“My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in. 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,” Ahmet Zappa added. “And let’s not forget, Frank himself will be rocking his fans, alongside his bandmates like nobody’s business.”

Eyellusion, the same company that crafted the Ronnie James Dio hologram, created the Frank Zappa hologram; the Dio hologram and its backing band recently concluded a tour of Europe. Tour dates for the Bizarre World of Frank Zappa Tour will be announced later in the year.