Whitney Houston Hologram Las Vegas Show Slammed by Fans as 'Morally Wrong'

Daniel S. Levine

07/22/2021 11:49 pm EDT

The Whitney Houston hologram is finally reaching Las Vegas. An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert, which toured the U.K. in February and March 2020, will open in October in Harrah's Las Vegas. Although the tour is sanctioned by Houston's estate, fans were horrified when they heard the news, with one calling it "morally wrong." Houston died in February 2012 at age 48.

The show features a virtual image of Houston, alongside a live band, backup singers, and dancers. The project has been in the works since 2019 when Houston's estate announced a partnership with the publishing and management firm Primary Wave, reports Variety. At that time, Primary Wave took a 50% stake in the estate's assets and began working with Houston's former manager and sister-in-law, Pat Houston, to plan the hologram tour and release an album of unreleased tracks.

Houston's fans might think the idea is exploitative, Pat Houston claimed Houston would have approved the idea. She claimed she talked about an "intimate, unplugged concert tour" with Houston in 2011. "While Whitney's no longer with us, her voice and legacy will live on with us forever," Pat Houston said. "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."

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The hologram was created by Base Hologram, which has also produced hologram programs featuring the late Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, and Maria Callas. The setlist is made mostly of familiar Houston hits, including "I Will Always Love You," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "The Greatest Love of All" and "Higher Love," notes Forbes. The show was originally supposed to go on tour last year, but dates were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show only completed a tour of the U.K. in February and March 2020.

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Tickets for An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert will go on sale Friday, July 23 at Ticketmaster.

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Since Houston's death, the estate has released several new albums. Months after her death, the greatest hits album I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston was released. A collection of live recordings was released in 2014, and I Wish You Love: More from The Bodyguard hit stores in 2017.

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When the idea of a Houston hologram concert first surfaced in 2019, Dionne Warwick was among those horrified. "I haven't a clue as to what that is. It's surprising to me," Warwick told Entertainment Tonight at the time. "I don't know what it is. I think it's stupid, but whatever it is that's what it is."

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"Can't even let the dead rest This is pointless and disgusting," one fan wrote. "PURE GREED! It is being done by her estate, her own family. The grift will never end. So gross and disrespectful," another commented.

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"As a fan, and someone who never got to see her perform in person, this is still a HARD PASS. Let her music live on, let her story be told, but let this legend rest," another wrote. "I know this is the future, but just because we can do it, doesn't mean we should. It's just morally wrong."

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