Charlie Daniels Hologram to Sing at Army Base on Fourth of July

Six years after his death, Charlie Daniels is returning to the stage. A hologram of the country music singer and musician is set to “perform” at a 250th Anniversary celebration on July 4. The spectacle is the centerpiece of an Independence Day party at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where Daniels’ likeness will presumably re-create hits like his 1979 fiddle duel “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and the patriotic “In America” for attendees and members of the 101st Airborne Division.

Billed as “The Legend of Charlie Daniels” tribute concert, the production will feature a live band performing behind Daniels’ image on the parade field of the U.S. Army installation. Live and in the flesh country singers Aaron Tippin and Eric Lee Beddingfield are also on the lineup, along with the 101st Airborne Division Band.

Fort Campbell, located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is one of the official America 250 celebration sites. According to a release, the base will be part of the “largest synchronized Fourth of July celebration in United States history.”

The Daniels hologram is just the latest in a wave of departed music stars resurrected via technology, which began when Tupac Shakur’s image stunned fans at Coachella in 2012. Since then, there have been holograms of ABBA, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, and more.

Daniels, who died July 6, 2002, at 83 after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, was a staunch supporter of the U.S. Military and founded the Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project to assist veterans. 

This week, the Pentagon reportedly ordered the deployment of 2,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the U.S. and Israel war with Iran, where they could potentially join the conflict.