Image: Steph Martin
Imagine sitting in the audience of a theatre, rocking out to the music of a tribute band, only to discover they’re not actually on stage.
That’s what Creative Power Entertainment aims to do as early as next month with its lineup of hologram tribute band concerts at the Phoenix Theatre on the city’s Exmouth Street.
Stephen Gaudet, one of the founders of Creative Power, said in a recent interview that his company began around seven years ago, promoting majors acts in the Maritimes and across Canada. But around two years ago, they started developing Dimensional Holo Imaging (DHI).
“When the pandemic started almost two years ago, all of us were basically shut down in the world of entertainment,” said Gaudet. “Through a series of Zoom meetings, my business partner, Tony Lee, came up with DHI.”
While hologram technology has been around since the ‘70s, Gaudet said DHI’s holograms are different as they’re multi-dimensional, which he says is like watching a 3D movie without goggles. The screens they use are 14 feet high and 30 feet wide and are going across the country.
Gaudet said they’re now in the process of recording all of Canada’s top tribute bands, including the ones that Creative Power will bring to Saint John: Holo Floyd, a tribute to Pink Floyd; Zed, a Led Zeppelin tribute band; and Pluto Nessie’s tribute to Elvis in Hawaii.
“It would take probably maybe 40 to 50 hours to record these different artists,” he said. “Each individual instrument is recorded singly to create a stereo sound in high definition. So, as you can imagine, it’s actually almost better than playing live.”
One of the parts Gaudet enjoys about the hologram shows is the ability to bring more big names to smaller towns and cities like Saint John. In addition, it can also bring more local artists to the spotlight, especially those who may not have the time or money to tour.
A lot of backers are on board with the project, investing more than $1-million in the company. Each screen costs about $40,000, according to Gaudet.
Gaudet said the company did a soft launch of the setup in Stratford, Ontario earlier this summer, which he says was well received by those in attendance — so much that people stood up and applauded, even though the band wasn’t present.
“It’s pretty crazy stuff,” said Gaudet.
Based on Gaudet’s viewpoint, Saint Johners are ready to see that holographic magic for themselves. He says tickets are already starting to sell out, all with little to no advertising. Gaudet said Creative Power’s business model is small in order to stage multiple shows.
“Even if we have just 100 people at our shows, which we’re going to do no problem at all,” said Gaudet. “It’s the multiple shows that are happening every night. Zed, for example, could be sitting home on their couch while doing 20 shows in one night across Canada.”
Moving into a post-pandemic world, Gaudet said people are ready to get out there and return to the traditional nightlife. Outside of concerts, however, there has also been an interest in the service at smaller events like weddings.
“It won’t be long before some of these bands that are getting older will be coming onto our screen,” said Gaudet. “Seeing is believing, and it’s truly hard to believe.”
Anyone interested in purchasing tickets for any of the three tribute shows can check out Creative Power Entertainment’s page on Eventbrite. They can also find out more information through its website or Facebook page.
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