Deceased rap icon Tupac Shakur gave another performance after his “resurrection” on the third day of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Fans gathered at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California to see a sight they had never seen before.
Tupac gave the performance of his life on stage with longtime friends Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Well, at least it appeared that way.
The use of technology and lighting effects stunned millions when the hologram of Tupac materialized, greeted the crowd with “What’s up Coachella?” and immediately jumped into his classic hit, “Hail Mary”. Word of the hologram spread quickly as videos of the performance went viral around the world.
Approving fans, from celebrities to every day teens flooded social media sites to share the video and their reactions to it.
Senior D.J. Christian remembers his astonishment when he came across a video of the performance on YouTube.
“It was amazing,” said Christian. “I’d never thought I’d get to see one of the greatest rappers that ever lived perform. It blew my mind.”
Christian is among others who believe that we should “resurrect” deceased stars as holograms.
“They should create holograms for other artists who passed way before their time like Aaliyah and Biggie,” said Christian.
Contrary to the call for repeat performances, not all reactions to the hologram have been positive.
There are critics who warn against the use of technology to create these holograms. Some think that the use of holograms will quickly become overused and tacky, while others argue the entire experience is eerie and unnatural. Senior Stanly Kamga shared his thoughts about seeing the video.
“I just don’t think it is right to bring back someone from the dead, whether it’s digitally or not,” said Kamga. “It’s not respectful.”
However, Kamga was also quick to point out the undeniable power of the “resurrected” Tupac’s performance.
“Everybody I talked to said that they got the chills after watching the performance,” said Kamga.
Despite the complexity of Tupac’s appearance, he did not require the use of up to date hologram technology, but merely an updated version of an old stage trick called “Pepper’s Ghost”.
By projecting the rappers image onto a mirrored piece of glass, which is then reflected onto another surface above, the show produced a 3D effect that allowed the other performers to interact with the projection.
In addition, the whole festival contained completely original performances, with Tupac’s moves and actions all referenced but not copied from previous performances. Thus, the producers made Tupac’s concert from the ground up.
Rumors of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre bringing the digital Tupac on tour with them shut down as quickly as the idea began, with said rappers against the proposal. The decision provided controversy for fans that either supported or went against bringing back deceased stars.
Senior Michael Somarrriba agrees with the former.
“Holograms performing concerts and going on tours have been around for years in Asia,” said Somarriba. “So I don’t really see why they won’t. It’s not that big of a deal.”
In the aftermath of the prolific performance at Coachella, a feeling that a new era in entertainment is on the horizon began to peek. Thanks to Tupac’s performance, one thing has been made clear- the amount done with technology in recent days could make anyone turn over in the grave.