The pop sensation that is ABBA are reportedly coming back. That’s right, in 2018 the Swedish 70s superstars are set to tour a curious performance they call a new “virtual and live experience” in partnership with Spice Girls’ manager, Simon Fuller. What this extravaganza will entail is currently unclear – but the project promises to capitalise on our “new technological world”, making use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. So, are we about to enter some new era of live music? And is the classic gig a thing of the past?
Of course, the use of emerging technologies for entertainment is nothing new. Musicians, movie technicians and performance designers have all attempted to harness the technology of the day to create something new with their music and performances.
Accomplished cinematographer Morton Heilig is often known as the father of virtual reality (VR) due to his fabulous “Sensorama” of the late 1950s and early 60s. Heilig created an immersive entertainment machine in which viewers could experience a specially made 3D movie – complete with sounds and smells. He also invented something he called the “Thrillerama Theatre Experience”, which mixed 3D images, projections and live stage action.
Billy Idol, rockabilly punk of the late 80s and early 90s, brought early concepts of VR, cyberspace and digital culture together with his music and performances on MTV. Idol used computer animation and stop frame animation inspired by the cult Japanese cyberpunk film Tetsuo to supplement his music and create a new cross-genre experience.
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Source: The Conversation