Editorials
[Reaction] Tupac Returns From The Dead At Coachella 2012…Kinda
Last night, on the final day of Coachella 2012, hip-hop star Tupac Shakur, who was killed in 1996, joined Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre on stage…as a hologram. Yup, you read that right. Through the amazing advances in technology we can now bring dead artists “back to life”. The late rapper joined Snoop and Dre for Come With Me, Hail Mary, and Gangsta Party. You can check out video of “Tupac” below.
Does anyone else have an issue with this? I’m actually quite uncomfortable with the prospect of deceased artists suddenly appearing before me at a concert. That’s not something that I could want to see. Wanna use holograms to create astonishing creatures and light shows? Totally cool with it. Hell, I’d pay an extra $10 per ticket to see that because it would probably be unbelievably awesome.
But this is something else entirely. After all, think about it: Tupac died in 1996. Coachella started in 1999. How then, I must ask, did Tupac ever say, “What the fuck is up Coachella!” So now we can not only bring back deceased artists, but we can put words in their mouths?
Imagine going to a Nickelback concert (I know, it’s not easy) and, suddenly, during their performance of Side Of A Bullet, Dimebag Darrell appeared and played the guitar solo. Not all that cool in my book.
Oh, let’s take it a step further. Say Live Nation decides they want to do a Guns N Roses reunion tour. Axl has cleared it and so has Slash (a cold day in Hell, right?). But what they actually agreed to is that their likenesses can be used as holograms. They don’t actually have to ever appear next to each other or even leave their own home. They collect royalty checks for a completely hologram concert. Would you pay $70 per ticket for that? I know I wouldn’t. I pay to SEE the artists perform their art. I give them my money because I support them actually going out and working on a daily basis. I’m not going to pay these guys for going into a motion-capture studio to record a few moves that will then be recycled on a daily basis for a “tour”.
Like I said before, I’m all for technological advances that make the concert experience that much more amazing. After all, I think live touring needs to do what it can in order to make things interesting and keep people coming back for more. But this is taking things too far. I don’t trust artists or promoters to use this technology with any sense of compassion or respect yet. Until that day, I’ll be quite happy with some pyrotechnics and perhaps some lasers.
Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonny B.? Shoot him a message on Twitter!
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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