Holograms Changing the Music World
It turns out that just because an artist is dead, it doesn’t mean you won’t get to see them on tour again. Hologram tours are becoming increasingly popular, and so far stars like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and Frank Zappa have “appeared” on stage again doing what they do best.
Recently, The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa tribute show took to the road, and once again fans could bop the night away with Zappa and his band. But Zappa actually died in 1993, so the man on stage was a completely digitally rendered version.
Digital Frank was apparently as otherworldly as ‘real’ Frank, and the audio used was taken from a concert in 1974, so there was an added air of authenticity to the whole event. Fans reportedly loved the show and said it was very well done – and almost as good as the real thing.
A Demand For Dead Stars
The idea of taking dead rock stars on tour is not that new, but improving technology that is used everywhere from Bet365 NZ to the movies has meant that it is now more accessible and cheaper than ever.
Whereas early attempts were far more one dimensional and choppy, the holograms of today are slicker, smoother, better rendered and far more realistic. Many will remember the hologram of Tupac at Coachella a few years back being less than stellar, and it is safe to say we’ve come a long way now.
In 2018 Roy Orbison was brought back to life in holographic form and went on tour. The tour proved to be a success and now, Orbison and Buddy Holly are set to take to the road for another round of gigs. Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston tours are also on the cards after performances by both these divas were extremely well received.
A Growing Trend
This new trend of holographic performances by dead rock stars is quite a fascinating one. There definitely seems to be a new wave of tours in the pipeline and fans are thrilled to be able to see their idols ‘in the flesh’ again, or in some cases for the first time.
What many don’t seem to understand upfront is that seeing a hologram performance is something special on its own, and the visuals don’t really get shown off to their true potential in photos or YouTube clips. The live concert is exactly that. It’s a concert that is real, and that features the artists as they were, on stage.
Hologram concerts truly are a unique experience and they offer music lovers the chance to enjoy something they may have missed out, or want to relive all over again, much like online pokies sites offer players an opportunity to enjoy their favourite games from all around the world. In a way, they are not that much different to when Freddie Mercury’s voice is played over a live performance if the original band members, or when David Bowie’s music is played live in a concert venue.
In the future we’re sure to see more hologram tours, and the chances are we’ll not only see dead musicians performing, but live ones too. Just like in Black Mirror.