Yes, but 'obviously' because they aren't physically limited, ticket prices will approach the level of an iTunes download, because they'll be able to appear everywhere.
The headline on the website says first US band to do so, but Tupac was “resurrected” as a hologram a long time ago. Is this about the IL&M tech?
Obviously there is a market for this band, since they performed at Madison Square Garden, but I wonder how “eternal” such acts will be if/once the technology becomes mainstream.
Kiss was known for putting on a show. Much like Taylor Swift is nowadays. You might not love her music, but by all accounts Ms Swift is one of the best entertainers that has ever lived. People who hate her songs love her shows.
Rush toured with Kiss. Probably the most technically talented band in history said “yeah, we knew how to make music, but those guys taught us how to put on a show”.
I wish music concerts weren't about putting on a show in any way except musicians playing their stuff... maybe some atmospheric lighting and that's it. No smoke machines, no light shows, no multi-stage crap, no cranes, not background scenery, no shit...
The difference between a recording and a live gig (that relates to music) is a fixed artifact vs live in-the-monent playing (improvising, imperfections, reacting to the audience's and night's flow and energy, vulnerability, and so on).
Apparently some people think it's the light show, background settings, smoke machines, makeup, and general clowning about.
It's rather them that might as well go to watch some Michal Bay flick on IMAX then - as they aren't interested in the musical performance.
Autechre goes complete lights out. Maybe not completely - depending on venue rules, but they try to go as dark as possible.
Metro in Minneapolis 2005 was the literal darkest show I've ever been to, barely could see in front of me. Just sound and the presence of others... Amazing show.
I'd imagine it means the first band to do it before death. Both 2pac and Michael Jackson have virtual performances and have for some time - but it was granted by their estates, not the artist themselves.
“U.S.” then is a doing a lot of heavy lifting. Gorillaz has been a virtual band since inception and already has “Avatars” that play live. Although, the humans are also there.
You're conflating two things. What we're talking about is holographic avatars REPLACING the artists at a concert. The Gorillaz band members are absolutely at their live concerts. The Avatars are for music videos, and sometimes make an appearance on video screens as an augment to their live performances.
There is no KISS thing yet. The whole story is that KISS has proactively given their label permission to do a hologram of them when they’re done touring.
No other artist has done that while still alive (according to the article).
I saw the Coachella Tupac "hologram" - it was just a video that got played on a slanted piece of glass for one verse of a song. It was cool the first time as a surprise but no real longevity.
My reading/understanding is this is virtual avatars that use performance capture and extend that with AI to put on a performance more than just a recorded video - I'd expect variations across performances and potentially some kind of interactivity with the crowd. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this and how it compares as bands I follow/like start to adopt it (and who gets the money).
As long as they don't call it a "live" performance.
Concerts are expensive undertakings - maybe there is a place for events like this in dedicated arenas like the Sphere where you can minimise costs like transport, setup/pulldown and staffing and you have the light and sound capability to make each acts performance unique?
I see this the same way as the relationship between cinema and theatre and I would expect prices to be similar. Maybe at thr beginning they'll try to keep concert prices the same, but eventually they will as this type of entertainment becomes more mainstream
I wonder how long this will last. Once their copyright expires in a few decades, anyone can be KISS, either digitally or in real life. (E.g. No one had to ask Napoleon’s estate for permission to portray him in the recent movie.)
Kiss was a well known target of the satanic panic back in the day. Folks tried to ban them saying their music was demonic and KISS stood for "Knights In Satan's Service".
Now, their act is immortalized and will still be running long after they're dead.
Perhaps they did sell their soul to the devil afterall! /s
Dont know any of their other songs, but "I want to rock and roll all night" seems like a minimally viable rock hit. Something an incredibly lazy (and smart) artist would write.
As was foretold by the anime Macross Plus in 1995.