The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has become a favorite with fans over the years, and has featured a number of stunning performances from some of the world’s biggest names. The 2012 event, which was held in April, will live long in the memory, thanks to the ‘appearance’ of a star who died several years ago.
Tupac Shakur was shot dead in Las Vegas in 1996, but was seemingly brought back to life at Coachella by the use of a highly impressive state of the art hologram. Thanks to this incredible technology, the star was able to perform alongside Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg, much to the delight of the stunned audience.
The performance was incredibly lifelike, and many fans of the rap superstar were close to tears as their hero sang and danced on stage alongside two legends of the genre. The appearance was a closely guarded secret, with only a few people in the know. One of them was Tupac’s mother, who professed her delight at the whole event.
Star performers at the touch of a button
With the development of such technology, the future possibilities are intriguing. Presumably at some point in the future we will be able to witness other stars who are no longer with us, such as Amy Wine house, Jimi Hendrix or even Elvis Presley. There’s no reason why a whole host of John Lennon couldn’t be performing in separate cities on the same night, even.
In the last ten or more years, we have seen an increase in the popularity of tribute acts, with many of them performing to a standard that’s not far removed from the singers and bands they’re paying tribute to. The development of the performing hologram could provide fans with an alternative method of seeing and hearing the songs of their heroes.
The incessant advances in technology could even mean that one day we will be able to view hologram singers in our own living rooms. Maybe we’ll be able to type in a key word or phrase into a hologram version of YouTube which will then call up a classic performance of yesteryear.
The possibilities are almost endless - Freddie Mercury wowing the crowds at Live Aid, Buddy Holly on the Ed Sullivan Show, Nirvana playing unplugged for MTV or perhaps even Marc Bolan glamming it up on Top of the Pops. The future for nostalgic music fans is starting to look very rosy indeed.
___________________________________________________________________________________
About the Author
David Showell is a music fan from the south of England. He works for a company that provides the finest car hire Doncaster residents are ever likely to find.
