How Tupac returned for Coachella - Stuff.co.nz

MEGAN LEVY

GUESS WHO'S BACK: Snoop Dogg performs on stage with the eerie, but incredibly convincing Tupac hologram at Coachella.

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.

WARNING: CONTAINS COARSE LANGUAGE

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.

-Sydney Morning Herald with Agencies

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He looks like a sim...

Impressive - just a pity it's not actually a hologram. It's a type of optical illusion which we (as a species) have known how to do for over 400 years now (of course it's easier with modern technology). There seems to be one of these spring up every year or so as well (Branson in 2005, Madonna in 2006 and Al Gore in 2007) but people seem to forget. Still impressive however.

Not just dead artists but imagine seeing your favourite gigs from the past how they were actually performed rather than seeing so many fat old irrelevant dudes (i.e. most of my favourite bands) in their current state.

VERY impressive technology. Not my cuppa tea but sheee-it, that's clever.

Shame the technology couldn't pull up his virtual trousers though; not sure about seeing his virtual grundies!

There would've been some dudes tripping in the crowd when this happened!!

@ jasmine #4 - It was a festival. People didnt pay just to see this...get out of hater-town. It was an awesome accessory to Snoop and Dre's act.

Isnt technology fun ^_^

This seems... stupid. I mean, paying to see a 'hologram' of a dead guy 'rap live' at a concert otherwise filled with actually live rappers? I loved Tupac when I was a kid but I wouldn't be all pumped up for a hologram. Weird. I am hugely impressed with the tech, however.

This is awesome, Illuminti killed him and then he rises again to rap!

Even though I hate rap music, this is an amazing story. Potential unlocked.