Elton John signs deal for Las Vegas hologram residency at new Hard Rock hotel
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesElton John has signed a multimillion-dollar deal to headline a Las Vegas residency as a hologram, according to a report by the British tabloid the Sun citing an unnamed source, with the account subsequently repeated by other entertainment outlets. The show is expected to open at the new Hard Rock Hotel in the city next summer.
The 79-year-old music legend will reportedly film performances later this year at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, before the footage is digitally transformed into what the source described as a “lifelike” hologram. A source told the Sun the technology would be more advanced than the system behind London’s ABBA Voyage show, which has drawn millions of fans to watch digital avatars of the Swedish pop group since 2022.
The Hard Rock residency will not be a solo act. Digital versions of pop star Dua Lipa and Mr. John’s longtime collaborator Kiki Dee are expected to join him onstage as holograms, according to the same source. Dee, who recorded the 1976 duet “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with Mr. John, will mark a reunion of sorts, while Ms. Lipa collaborated with the singer on the 2021 hit “Cold Heart.” Mr. John reportedly signed a seven-figure deal with Hard Rock for the show, which the source described as a fully immersive experience.
The deal marks a reversal for Mr. John, who as recently as 2018 said he wanted no part of a posthumous hologram act. At a New York press conference announcing his farewell tour that year, Mr. John recalled telling his eldest son, Zachary, “When Daddy dies, promise me there won’t be a hologram going around the world doing concerts.” He compared the idea to “doing a duet album with someone who’s dead,” calling it “spooky.”
Mr. John officially stepped away from full-scale touring after wrapping his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in 2023, a run that grossed more than $900 million and became the highest-grossing concert tour in history at the time. He has continued to perform occasionally since then but has grown more selective about live appearances after disclosing that an eye infection contracted in France in 2024 left him blind in his right eye.
Neither Mr. John’s representatives nor Hard Rock have publicly confirmed the residency. The reporting rests entirely on the Sun’s anonymous sourcing, and no outlet has independently verified the deal’s existence or terms.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times' original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.