When asked about the future of holograms in concerts, concert visual effects artist Shinjiro Tanaka says, “as time goes on and the technology becomes more and more accessible, smaller artists get to use better visual effects at an earlier time (in their careers). Whenever I see the same artist a few years apart their live show is way more dynamic and impressive.”[6]
In 2012 a hologram of Tupac Shakur took the stage at Coachella with artists Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg as the headliners for that day of the festival. It’s safe to say that for a lot of people this was one of the first times, and most well known, uses of a hologram on stage during a musical performance. For some audience members it was a special way for them to see an artist on stage that they never got the chance to see while others got to view the event as a celebration of one of the most successful and impactful hip-hop artists to date. Other people saw this as, “emblematic of how Black bodies are mistreated in (post) colonial, racially bias societies even after they are dead”[3].
Regardless of whether bringing back an artist from the dead and using their image and music to sell tickets to shows is right or wrong it is something that is happening nonetheless. With every passing year there are more and more shows and tours being announced for deceased artists who are digitally brought back on stage in a way to celebrate their legacy and let an audience of both new and old fans get an experience that they couldn’t get anywhere else.
To be clear, the videos that people see on stage and refer to as holograms aren’t really holograms is instead an illusion created with angled mirrors and projectors but for the ease of this reader, and to be consistent with how these concerts are marketed, they will be referred to as holograms.
Holding on To the Past
Music is something that humans have cherished and valued for a long time. Since the beginning of civilization humans have found ways to craft instruments from their surroundings in order to produce music. Even in times when all of their essential needs were not met and every day would be a challenge humans still spent time and energy crafting instruments in order to create music. This bond between humans and music has only grown as time went on and music became more accessible and easier to consume.
During a person’s teenage years and early adulthood they start to look for music that appeals to them and this is where the strongest music bonds are made. This time period is when people start feeling the need to develop an identity and try to find out what makes themselves unique. For most people, a big part of this period of self discovery is the music that they are exposed to and the artists that they grow to love. When this bond with an artist is cut off by an untimely passing at the height of their careers or the artist being dead or retired years before a person was able to become a new fan, a wishful mourning takes place in the fan’s heart. The aching desire of being able to see this artist or group perform live starts to grow and it is this desire that some of these holographic live performances are trying to meet.
Just as Beautiful as the Day You Left Me
The bond between an artist and their fans is something that can, and often does, last a lifetime. Many of the songs that people who are in their late 60s can sing songs that they loved in their 20s word for word and remember what the artist was like at that time because of how deep the connection humans have to music they enjoy and the people behind it. Record labels, touring companies, and holographic artists have noticed this and capitalized on this bond and have digitally brought back some of the biggest artists that passed away too soon. Some of these artists include: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Buddy Holly, Frank Zappa, and the previously mentioned Tupac. Ratings on these digital performances vary from fan to fan with some calling them tributes that honor the legacy of the artists while others think that these people are being exploited from beyond the grave. But what happens when the band that is being digitally cast on the stage is still alive?
The pop supergroup ABBA have decided to use holograms in one of their live tours to put digital doubles of themselves when they were younger on stage. This use of holographic technology in concert is very unique because it isn’t trying to honor the legacy of an artist that is no longer alive but instead used merely to distract from the fact that the band is aging.
The reaction from fans has been very polarizing with some appreciating that their children would be able to see the same people on stage that they saw when they were their age while at the same time others feel like they paid an exuberant amount of money to watch a music video in a concert hall. “The complete lack of real human activity throughout the performance can alienate some audiences, and the jeopardy of “gimmick” tarnishing the longevity of such concert experiences,”[2].
Audiences of these holographic concerts seem to be more enthusiastic about the experience when the show that they are watching is something that would not be possible without the use of this technology. These shows include artists who have gained and sustained large audiences even after they passed and left a legacy that new fans wish they could’ve been there to experience. Shows such as ABBA’s holographic tour where all the members are still alive seem to be in muddy water and are deemed unnecessary and cheap. On the other hand, some fans think that this concert, “allowed people to reminisce about the last time they saw ABBA or the strong connection they had to ABBA in the past,”[2]. While bringing back dead artists or deaging artists that are still alive seems to be the main idea for most when thinking of a holographic live show, it isn’t the only use that the technology has found.
Creating Life With Vocaloids
If you have ever seen an image of an anime girl in a white/grey button up shirt and two long blue pigtails that are taller than her then you have just encountered the Japanese virtual popstar Hatsune Miku. Hatsune Miku is a vocaloid, a voice synthesizer, created by Crypton Future Media. Vocaloids are used just like any other instrument but instead of being played they are instead programmed. “The program is easy to use. In principle, the user types music notes and song texts into the software and obtains a sounding product,”[1]. Someone using vocaloid software is able write out individual words or syllables, choose the pitch, cadence, and vibrato, and then choose from a wide range of voice banks in order to get the end result which is having the program sing their song back to them. Not only does the voice itself sound unique and futuristic but this also allows songwriters who can’t sing to have the ability to create and listen back to a song they might want to pitch to a vocalist. A growing online community has started to compose and share music that use vocaloids to sing their lyrics over very intricate rock or jazz inspired instrumentals.
The largest star to come out of this online community and also the icon that serves as the image for vocaloids as a whole is Hatsune Miku. Hatsune Miku’s music doesn’t work like any other popstar’s music because Hatsune Miku has no set writers, producers, or collaborators. All of Hatsune Miku’s music is entirely created by fans and then shared online and then whatever songs become the most popular on their own become a part of her official brand in the eyes of the fans. When traveling in Japan, longtime Hatsune Miku fan Whitney Gammon said that, “There was so much MIku Merchandise for tourists, lots of Miku Gacchapons and plushies,”[4]. With Hatsune Miku’s starpower she has grown an international fanbase that wants the ability to experience her music in a live setting, a hard task for a popstar who is entirely digital from the voice to her body but this hurdle has been lept over through the use of holograms.
Vocaloids on Stage
Although Tupac’s holographic performance was probably the most memorable or impactful moment that kicked off the idea of holographic live shows, Hatsune Miku has been far more consistent than any other artist when it comes to them. Hatsune Miku has had yearly tours and expos where she will take the stage and is accompanied by a band. This mixture or live music with digital vocals seems to be more appropriate for this type of medium since there is no uncanny valley due to the audience already knowing that Miku isn’t a real person. Another benefit that Hatsune Miku shows have when compared to other hologram live performances is that Miku gets the Asian popstar treatment which involves a lot of interaction from the audience while other holographic performances usually don’t have audience participation as a given. Dr Michaud has been interested in vocaloids for a long time and has gone to see as many shows as she could. While attending a Hatsune Miku show she said that, “the audience comes equipped with led glow sticks and perform choreographed routines to each one of Miku’s songs,”[5]. On top of having a culture of audience participation at live shows Miku also has stunning visual effects at every one of her expos. She is accompanied by top of the line light shows and screens that help enhance the spectacle of her performances. Concert visual effects artist, Shinjiro Tanaka, says that, “most artist’s in the underground scene look at Hatsune Miku concerts as the blueprint for what they want for their live shows. Clients will often take screenshots or small video clips and show them to me and ask if I can do that for them,”[6].
Where Will This Go?
The future of holographic live performances can go in many different directions depending on the type of artist that is performing. As time goes on many of the most successful music acts are starting to age and pass away while their music still finds young listeners and creates deep and connected fans. These fans might become the new customer base for upcoming holographic tours of these famous artists since they never had the chance to appreciate their music in a concert setting before. Although people are questioning the ethics and morals of digitally puppeteering a deceased band or artist these shows are still happening today and the more that they happen the more common that these shows will seem and the stigma will eventually fade away. Technology will only get better and the experience will only get more immersive. Some day these holograms might even be programmed to react to the crowd and approach actual dynamic and human moments that a real live performer would have. Looking at the Google Trends data it shows that Hatsune Miku is more relevant than she has ever been and is slowly starting to hold an international audience and is touring in the United States. Both of these growing trends still have to hold up against the test of time but they still are on the rise nonetheless. If these holographic performances find a way to increase the engagement with the audience then that might be where future success for this medium lies. As Dr Michaud points out, “the main area of impact and cultural meaning isn’t found in the interaction between the hologram and the audience. It is found in the way that the audience interacts with itself. The engagement and collective fandom that these people who traveled all across the world to come together as a collective to show their support and love is the real impact of these hologram and Vocaloid performances.”[5]
Works Cited:
1. ARENDT, M.-L., & NOWACK, N. (2021). THE VIRTUAL ARTIST. VOCALOID AND AN EXPERIMENT ON ITS PERCEPTION. Nauka Televideniâ (Online), 17(1), 173–213. https://doi.org/10.30628/1994-9529-2021-17.1-173-213
2. Matthews, J., & Nairn, A. (2023). Holographic ABBA: Examining Fan Responses to ABBA’s Virtual “Live” Concert. Popular Music and Society, 46(3), 282–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2023.2208048
3. Whitaker, R. (2020). Black utopian and dystopian technological simulation: Tupac Shakur’s holographic persona at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Świat i Słowo, 34(1), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0014.3082
4. Gammon, Whitney. Personal Interview. 13 May 2024.
5. Michaud, Alyssa. Personal Interview. 20 May 2024.6. Tanaka, Shinjiro. Personal Interview. 24 May 2024.