The possibility of hologram concerts being a viable form of music content has been around for a while. In 2014, the Billboard Awards featured a hologram performance of Michael Jackson. It didn’t raise much interest in me then because I’m not a fan of Michael Jackson or the Billboard Awards. Ditto for when I saw there was a hologram Tupac performance.
But, then I was listening to the “Talk is Jericho” podcast featuring former WWE wrestler and Fozzy frontman, Chris Jericho. He discussed how hologram concerts may be a viable option for seeing artists who have passed.
Think about it. A full Michael Jackson concert. Another Elvis revival. How about a Beatles performance or the Doors? It might sound good at first thought. But take a look at the Michael Jackson performance. Granted, watching it on TV (or computer screen) might not have the same effect as seeing it live, but did it look real? The movements for the most part came across ok, but the mouth matching the vocals not as much. In the pop world, it’s probably no worse than their normal lip-syncing (yes, that was a shot…). It’s not gonna cut it in the rock world though.
I can’t stand anything taped in a concert. There’s a reason it’s live…most of which is the $150 or more they charge for a ticket nowadays. I don’t like taped keyboards, background vocals, anything. Van Halen used to drive me nuts when all four guys would stand around on stage while the taped keyboards played. This would be an entire computerized concert with no actual live music. Sorry, but that doesn’t cut it for me. I might as well watch a DVD, but at least that was live at one time.
One interesting aspect could be surviving members playing live with holograms of past members. We could see The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Who, Queen, and more. But, again, it would be live music mixed with taped music which would hold my interest for a song or two. This is being done with Ronnie James Dio with his live band Dio to mixed reviews. Some of the feedback has been his voice not syncing with the hologram and jerky movements.
Also, what image do you use of the hologram members? Do you use a 30-year-old John Lennon next to a 70-year-old Paul McCartney? That would be odd. Check out this article from Entertainment Weekly of “Ten Hologram Tours We’d Like to See”!
I do like the technology and think there could be applications for it. How cool would it be for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to offer hologram concerts of inductees? Especially if we could pick the song! It would also be a perfect fit for Vegas! What better place for it. Instead of an Elvis impersonator, see the hologram.
What do you think? Would you pay to see a hologram concert? How much would you pay for it? Who would you want to see? Where do you think this goes in the future?
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