Last week, it was announced
that Dio tribute band Dio Disciples will be touring the U.S. this year with a
special guest, Ronnie James Dio. Starting with a set at the Pollstar Awards in
Los Angeles on February 2, the band will be performing with a hologram of the late
frontman, with permission from his widow, of course. Dio Disciples guitarist
and former member of Dio Craig Goldy said of the shows during the “Talking
Metal” podcast, “We know how much
the fans miss Ronnie and the special and unequaled element that
he brought to his live performances. Being able to recreate that same kind of
magic for his fans at Wacken was incredible. For so many years, Ronnie always invested big in his live shows as his way to give back
to the fans, and that is exactly what we aimed to do with this latest
performance.”
While this might be one of the
first times a hologram will be going on tour, but it is certainly not the first
time a musician has been brought to the stage using such a method. Especially in recent years, bringing deceased musicians
back to life via hologram or CGI has become increasingly popular. Even artists
who are very much alive are getting in on the action, transporting them from
one stage to another (or five).
Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top
music outlet, has gathered seven of the most recent instances of artists being “beamed”
to the stage as a hologram. The list includes artists both living and dead who
have used the medium to give fans a unique and one-of-a-kind performance.
1.
Tupac: In 2012, Snoop Dogg was headlining the
Coachella Music Festival with Dr. Dre and one other guest of particular note:
Tupac Shakur. Shakur, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1995 (although
he continued to release music posthumously for years after his death), was
brought back to life via CGI to perform two songs with Dre and Snoop. The
projected image, which used an effect called ‘Pepper’s Ghost,’ was very
realistic down to the last detail.
2.
Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson has been
brought back to life a few times since his death in 2009; including for a Las
Vegas ‘Cirque Du Soliel’ show. But he was most notably brought back for a
performance at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. The projection, another ‘Pepper’s
Ghost’ scenario, performed an energetic version of “Slave to the Rhythm” with
live dancers backing him up. The way he practically walked of the screen was
life-like, as was his interaction with the dancers.
3.
Patsy Cline: Hologram USA, the same company
behind the Tupac and Michael Jackson holograms, decided in 2015 that they would
create one of country artist Patsy Cline. She would be the first female country
artist to get such a treatment. A tour was supposed to happen in 2016, but it
never materialized (no pun intended).
4.
Frank Sinatra: In 2008, hologram technology wasn’t
as advanced as it has become today, but that doesn’t mean that people weren’t
still doing it. During a performance at the Grammy Awards that year, Alicia
Keys took on a duet with a virtual version of Frank Sinatra. The hologram was
pretty basic and was only from the waist up. However, this wasn’t the only time
Ol’ Blue Eyes was brought back to life using this technology. There’s also
video of him singing at Simon Cowell’s 50th birthday party in 2013.
5.
Elvis Presley: Many people try to impersonate
The King, but nothing is like having the real thing singing next to you. In
1997, daughter Lisa Marie performed a rendition of “Daddy Don’t Cry” with a
hologram of her father. Ten years later, through rotoscoping, Celine Dion
performed “If I Can Dream” on the ‘American Idol’ stage with him. There have
been a few tours and talk of a new Las Vegas show starring a hologram of the
late singer as well.
6.
Mariah Carey: You don’t have to be dead to
become a hologram, just the will to be in multiple places at once. In 2011,
Mariah Carey decided to take her Christmas show around Europe, in one day. The
stunt, which saw Carey’s likeness belt out classic Christmas tunes in Germany,
Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Poland, was actually part of an ad campaign
for Deutsche Telekom.
7.
M.I.A. and Janelle Monae: What better way to
sell cars than to have a bi-coastal concert event. When Audi launched their A3
in 2014, they enlisted the help of M.I.A. and Janelle Monae to perform for
events in New York and California. However, the two performed side by side,
even though M.I.A. was in New York and Monae was in California, through the
magic of holograms.
Using holograms and CGI to resurrect dead singers or to
transport living ones somewhere else has become very popular as of late. Idea
that someone doesn’t need physically be somewhere to “be there” is something
that still fascinates people and boggles the mind. And though it is still up
for debate as to whether people parading deceased artists around for financial
gain is morally right or not, it is nice to see how technology has advanced in
such a capacity that such a stunt can happen.
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Find real, physical music from these artists and more at Long
Island’s top new independent record shop, Vinyl Bay 777. Browse our extensive
selection of new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and cultural memorabilia.
We have thousands of titles to choose from in store, as well as online at
vinylbay777.com. With new music being added all the time, you never know what
you’ll find when you stop by!
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