The performance was enjoyed by the crowds at Coachella, along with thousands of people watching live via the festivals official YouTube channel. The unique gig left many wondering just how the visual trick was achieved.
Tupac's "resurrection" comes thanks to San Diego-based AV Concepts, which worked with Dr. Dre to make the special show a reality. AV Concepts previously worked on similar projects in the past, including a 2006 gig that saw virtual band Gorillaz playing in front of a live audience.
The on-stage hologram is not a hologram at all, actually. It was the result of good old fashioned trickery that dates back in part to the 19th Century. As explained in an International Business Times article, the visual trick works by reflecting a flat 2D image on to a transparent surface, which creates the resulting illusion.
Of course, beyond the visual trickery, visual production company Digital Domain put together footage of Tupac. Rumor has it the whole visual stunt cost more than $100,000 to pull off.
Oh, and just in case anybody watching wanted to believe that Shakur was still with us, the "hologram" performance concluded with the rapper dissolving into tiny triangles and dissapearing into the Indio night.
[via Geekosystem]
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This story, "Tupac's Coachella 'Hologram' Performance Explained" was originally published by PCWorld.