Holograms: An Illusion of Musical Artistry

The holographic Tupac (Getty Images)

Attendees at last month’s Coachella music festival were left dumfounded when the deceased rapper Tupac Shakur materialized on stage and performed two of his hit songs, “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”. As we now know, the man who was once deeply fascinated with the writings of Machiavelli did not, in fact, heed the advice of his Renaissance idol by faking his own death in an attempt to fool his enemies.

Rather, Tupac’s pseudo-resurrection was made possible by the collaborative efforts of Dr. Dre and the Digital Domain Media Group, a special effects company that was co-founded by Hollywood’s CGI titan, director James Cameron.

Digital Domain, whose work can be seen in blockbusters such as Titanic and The Day After Tomorrow, has lauded their holographic Tupac as a truly innovative piece of 21st century technology. “This is not found footage. This is not archival footage” said Digital Domain’s chief creative officer Ed Ulbrich, in reference to the projected image of Tupac that appeared at Coachella. “This is an illusion”.

This holographic technology will eventually produce more than just a physical illusion. Unfortunately, it will also be used to produce the illusion of artistry. This “artistry” will come about in the form of massive and flashy hologram concerts, featuring faux performances by rockers, rappers, and crooners that are dead and buried. Already, there have been rumors that the holographic Tupac will be taken on a world tour, most likely accompanied by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog. “Dre has a massive vision for this” Ulbrich said. In a video response, Dr. Dre said that the hologram was “strictly for Coachella” and that any stories about touring with it were just rumors. However, Dre discreetly left the door open for the future, adding “If a concert happens, we’ll see.”

The possibility of a holographic Tupac concert may still be up in the air, but one such act has already been confirmed. On Monday, Queen guitarist Brian May confirmed that a holographic version of Freddie Mercury will appear on stage during the 10th anniversary performance of the Queen-themed musical We Will Rock You. And Sanj Surtai, one of the chief architects of the Tupac hologram, has indicated his desire to create holograms of other artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Michael Jackson.

This type of morbid visual trickery is not art, it’s simply a method of cash grabbing exploitation. That’s not to say that the technology itself is disgraceful. It’s certainly impressive, and it can and should play some sort of tangible role in the realms education and entertainment. However, using the technology to reanimate dead musicians for the purpose of touring them is insulting to all musical performers, both dead and living.

 The single most important aspect of music is the humanity that backs it up: Emotion, lyrics, and raw energy are all vital aspects of any good musical piece or live performance. None of those elements can be replicated by a hologram. Jimi Hendrix’s shredding skills, Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, and Kurt Cobain’s tortured passion were all genuine talents that made them the legendary artists that they were. Their technical and emotional genius cannot and never will be truly reproduced by computer graphics.

These inevitable hologram concerts are also offensive in that they prevent the dead from resting in peace. Many musicians met tragic ends due to substance abuse, painful diseases, and violence. And others loathed being in the spotlight on a nightly basis, preferring the days when they played in tiny clubs for small audiences. At any rate, death probably provided many of these artists with a sense of calm that they couldn’t find in the physical world. Creating a hologram of these particular artists essentially entraps part of them on Earth for eternity. It’s a tragic fact, and it needs to be realized and respected.

But the damage that these holograms will do to the living is even more readily apparent. The music industry, in its current state, is far from friendly towards new artists. Upstart acts rarely get promotion and support from big labels, because the big labels choose to perpetually prop up acts that have been established for many years or decades. Now imagine a world in which popular bands never go away. A Beach Boys concert in 2025? A Lil Wayne show in 2050? Mozart in 2012? That would be an unnatural pattern. Music is supposed to change and evolve as time progresses. Indefinitely supporting old acts, long after their literal expiration dates, denies new generations of musicians from achieving the same sort of success that their predecessors did.

Digital Domain’s holographic technology is magnificent, no doubt about that. I can already see it being used by museums around the world, in order to visually re-construct important events in human history for all to see. And I’m fine with that concept. But I’m not ok with the idea of passing off a digital smoke and mirrors trick as a legitimate method of resurrecting musical talent. It demeans the work of the deceased, and it delegitimizes the work of those who are still living.