In Musion's version of it, a bright projector above the stage casts the moving image onto a fully reflective surface on the stage floor. The basic idea behind the projection is an old stage magician's trick known as Pepper's ghost. It was in fact a high-definition two-dimensional projection cunningly devised to look like a life-size, moving figure, as executed by AV Concepts of San Diego with a patented technology belonging to Musion Systems Limited of London. The Coachella Tupac was neither of those. Such holograms are actually flat but, thanks to Princess Leia's "Help us, Obi-Wan" message in Star Wars, the term has also come to mean a kind of volume-filling projection for the same purpose. A true traditional hologram is a three-dimensional view of a scene or object recreated by shining laser light on a recorded interference pattern. (Note: In this column, yes, I will be taking the position that he is actually dead and has not been in hiding.)įirst, contrary to what was initially reported, the echo of Tupac at Coachella was not really a hologram.
A few optimists are even hoping that the technology points the way to real immortality, not just deathless celebrity. Not only is this new Tupac simulation likely to become a fixture on the concert circuit, but the technology that makes it possible is becoming more widespread and could start to play a part in everyday life soon. We should all prepare ourselves for similarly shocking encounters with the digitized departed. They were brand new performances by a computer simulation of the late artist. The audience was stunned when a ghostly life-size hologram of the late rapper appeared to take the stage to do "Hail Mary," then to join Snoop Dogg in a duet on "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" ( YouTube link). Everyone would agree that Tupac Shakur's performances were highlights of last month's Coachella music festival, partly because of his star power and partly because he has been dead for almost 16 years.
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