Frank Zappa’s digital stand-in cranks out a guitar solo in rehearsal footage for the upcoming tour featuring a hologram of the late guitarist-composer.
In the clip, “Zappa” is decked out in blue jeans and a black T-shirt, wielding his signature red Gibson SG — a visual that calls to mind his iconic performances documented on 1973’s Roxy & Elsewhere.
The promo is soundtracked by the studio version of bluesy fan favorite “Cosmik Debris” from 1974’s Apostrophe (’). The footage, however, doesn’t sync-up, instead previewing visual cues from several songs on the “Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” tour. In other scenes, an animated Zappa plays guitar in front of glowing flames and newspaper clips tease the lyrics to his 1966 song “Trouble Every Day.”
The spring/summer trek features several of Zappa’s former bandmates, including guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin, percussionist Ed Mann and drummer/Zappa archivist Joe “Vaultmeister” Travers.
The jaunt launches with a nine-date U.S. leg on April 19th in Port Chester, New York. The American dates run through May 3rd in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by a series of European shows. Additional concerts will be announced in the coming months.