Then, the crooner appeared to rise magically from the stage, wearing his signature light gray suit and black shades and jamming on a red Gibson guitar to his 1960 hit "Only the Lonely." Fans screamed as they quickly positioned their smartphones to record the spectral image.

"This is as good as seeing him in person as you'll ever get," marveled 71-year-old Ray Sadowski, who paid about $200 for a pair of tickets to the Tuesday night show.

Thirty years after his death, Orbison (at least the digital version of him) is going on a national tour, the latest and possibly the most ambitious example to date of how holographic technology is transforming the music industry. The hologram's 65-minute show, which features 16 songs and orchestral accompaniment, is among the first full-length concerts to feature a holographic dead singer.