An eye-popping hologram of murdered rapper Tupac Shakur has stolen
the show at US music festival Coachella and amplified questions about
the future of "live" performance.
The high-definition projection of the gangsta rap
icon appeared with superstars Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre in a stunning end
to the first weekend of the annual music festival in California,
setting off a wave of social media debate.
Thousands in the crowd gasped as the shirtless Tupac
- killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996 - rose up on the
stage.
"What up, Coachella?" the digitally revived Tupac shouted before launching into his classic single Hail Mary.
Amazingly life-like, down to his signature tattoos, Timberland boots
and jewellery, the hologram stalked the stage, swapping phrases with
Snoop Dogg and performing 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, Come With Me, and
Gangsta Party.
Then, Tupac's image dissipates.
Digital Domain is behind the digitally altered images of Brad Pitt in
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Jeff Bridges in TRON: Legacy, and
Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Even Australian cricket legend Shane Warne has been
the subject of holographic technology, coming face-to-face with a
life-size, three-dimensional image of himself at the National Sports
Museum in Melbourne in 2008.
The cricketer listened to the virtual Warne talk
about his career, including the "ball of the century" that bowled
England's Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes.
A spokeswoman for Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, told
entertainment website TMZ that she was ''thrilled'' with the latest
recreation, although the experience was bittersweet. She did not attend
Coachella but watched the performance live online.
The stunt set social media ablaze, with Tupac trending worldwide on Twitter and his name mentioned at least 40 times a minute. It was still trending in Australia this morning.
The stunt set social media ablaze, with Tupac trending worldwide on Twitter and his name mentioned at least 40 times a minute. It was still trending in Australia this morning.
Singer Rihanna, who was at the show, tweeted: ''#TupacBACK #unbelievable #IWASTHERE #STORY4myGrandKidz.''
But others said the hologram was too realistic for comfort.
''Tupac at Coachella. so legit it hurts,'' tweeted @nadia_is.
''That Pac Hologram haunted me in my sleep. Rest In Peace 2pac,'' tweeted @questlove.
A twitter account, @HologramTupac, was quickly set up and had attracted more than 12,200 followers by this morning, AEDT.
''I could have sworn I died with a shirt on,'' one of the first tweets read.
Mr Smith, from AV Concepts, would not divulge the cost of the stunt to
MTV but said it was ''affordable'' compared to the cost of attracting
entertainers from around the world.
He said the hologram took almost four months to
create in a studio, and the price range for a comparable live event
would be between US$100,000 to more than US$400,000.
The visual magic could spell a new era for live
entertainment, with many on Twitter saying they would be prepared to
pay for the experience of seeing Tupac in concert again.
Mr Smith said his company had the ability to visually recreate long-dead figures in the studio.
"You can take their likenesses and voice and ... take people that
haven't done concerts before or perform music they haven't sung and
digitally recreate it," he told MTV.
AV Concepts was also behind the 2005 Grammys
performance featuring Madonna and the holographic members of the
Gorillaz, as well as holograms used in concert by Celine Dion and the
Black Eyed Peas.