The Appreciation Engine Blog
Thoughts on Tupac Shakur’s Coachella appearance
So you’ve probably already heard: hologram technology has now advanced to the point where we can bring dead performers “back to life”. This week Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre’s festival-closing Coachella set featured a performance by a holographic Tupac Shakur. In case you missed it:
So do we really want to bring performers back from the dead? Especially when we’re putting words into their mouths that they couldn’t possibly have said during their lifetime.
Tupac gives a shoutout to Coachella – a festival that started in 1999, 3 years after his death. MTV UK Host Zane Lowe took this thought a step further, tweeting:
Personally, I think it’s a great idea, as long as it’s used in moderation and with taste. I’d hate to see Tupac advertising McDonalds as much as the next person, but let’s be honest, it’s not that much worse than what has gone before.
Would I like to see a holographic Elliott Smith performing a series of stadium gigs around the world? No, of course I wouldn’t. But this was a fun interlude to what was already a great set. Snoop and Dre have performed their duets with Tupac live since his death with just a voiceover, and this was simply taking it up a notch.
Think of it as a really spectacular light show. Holograms will never replace real touring musicians for the same reason that Coachella’s web livestream hasn’t affected ticket sales for the actual event.
Of course, a lot of people loved the appearance too. I know that Dave Chappelle and Questlove have been thinking about it for quite some time:
All I want to know is this: now that we’ve got the technology for the holographic shark from Back To The Future 2, how long till we get the hoverboards?
Got something to say? Comment Here.
While the concept of the hologram was cool (and already done with Gorillaz), I had two thoughts about it…
a) Tupac died over 15 years ago… he was an average artist beforehand, the nature of his death created the legend… that teat has been well and truly sucked dry now.
b) If they do this with Lennon or Cobain, I’m going to smother someone.
Sure, I don’t think it would work with Lennon or Cobain either – they just weren’t the sort of artists to go in for showy spectacle.
Someone like Michael Jackson, on the other hand, this could work really well for. He was always about big stage shows, and to be honest, I think he would have approved. (There has apparently been some talk about actually doing this).
I don’t think Tupac’s murder is the reason for his ongoing legend any more than Kurt Cobain’s death is responsible for his. I was a big Tupac fan before he died and I continue to love his music today. His death was certainly part of the ongoing legend (and a large part of the taste question regarding his “resurrection”), but I don’t think it is the reason for it.
More importantly, I think Tupac would’ve approved of all of this, while Lennon and Cobain most certainly wouldn’t have.
What I think would be cooler is if they sycned this to like a Jason Mraz song or something gay like that And bring back Benjamin Franklin too. That dudes is banging everything in heaven Why can’t he live the thug life too.