2Pac Hologram
It was a pivotal moment in the music industry. The technology might not be new. Its execution might have been seen before. But the scale and magnitude of 2Pac being projected as a hologram at Coachella 2012 will go down in the history books. For those who don’t know what we’re talking about, let’s picture the scene:
Dr. Dre was booked to headline Coachella Festival 2012. As a legend in the Hip Hop world, he was able to source a number of big names to perform with him. Included in his set were appearances from Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa. After performing one of his biggest tracks, “California Love”, the artist who he collaborated with on the song appeared. He hadn’t done this song with just any old artist. He’d done this song with 2Pac, Rap’s biggest superstar when it dropped. Unfortunately, however, he was killed shortly after the song came out. So how did they make it happen, you ask? Well, using cutting-edge technology, which some may remember from a Gorillaz performance in 2005, enabled the slain rapper to be resurrected as an animate hologram.
2Pac performed “Hail Mary” before doing “2 of America’z Most Wanted”, live on stage with Snoop Dogg at a massive Californian festival in April 2012, 15 years after his passing. You can only imagine what it felt like to be there. A life-like image of one of the world’s most recognisable figures doing what he does best, all this time after we thought we’d never see him again. Some see it as just the beginning of great things. Apparently the people behind this also brought Frank Sinatra back from the dead to perform at Simon Cowell’s 50th birthday recently too. Could it be the start of lost legends coming back to tour again, all these years after we thought it wouldn’t happen again? Who would you like to see? Bob Marley? Jimi Hendrix? Freddie Mercury? James Brown? Elvis Presley? Michael Jackson? The options are endless now.
This could revolutionise the live music industry. What are your thoughts? Would you pay to see your late idols one more time?
To answer this qusiteon, I need to ask myself why do I go to see a live concert versus just watching a video performance. Hmmm, is it the sound quality? Arguably, I never see a live concert for the sound quality. Do the artists provide good visual stimulation? Perhaps, with an elaborate light show, smoke, outfit changes, dancing, or the artists are just really attractive, the visuals are definitely a factor. How about the venue? A large outdoor/indoor concert with tons of drunk/drugged strangers all bonding over the love of music is certainly an experience. A smaller indoor venue usually provides a more intimate experience with the artist and the sounds quality is usually better. How about the personality of an artist? Does the artist interact with the crowd? Do they take time to tell road stories, jokes, and answer qusiteons from the audience? The level of artist interaction is definitely a factor. So can a hologram provide the live concert experience ? I think for large venues with lots of people getting drunk, I think holograms can provide that experience of bonding with strangers. I think for a more personal experience with the artist where the artist interacts with the audience (doesn’t appear scripted), then I don’t think holograms can offer that experience. I like to watch the expression of an artist as they sing. Are they passionate when they sing or are the simply singing words that they don’t feel ? I like to hear why an artist wrote a particular song. I love artists who take time to play requests from the audience and answer qusiteons. So no, going to see holograms would not be for me even if I was just looking for a large crowd experience. I see holograms being just a fad primarily catering to a younger audience because they fail to offer a human emotional experience that only live people can provide. Even if we could see Elvis or The Doors? What are you paying for? If you weren’t’ alive to see those concerts or too young, wouldn’t it be cool to know what it would have felt like? To have that experience, it takes much more than a hologram.