Tupac at Coachella 2012 joins Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre

Is hip hop legend Tupac back from the dead? After all, he appeared on stage alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in the form of a shirtless, 3D-like Shakur, complete with Thug Life tattoos and all. Not only that, his movements were super realistic, and he did greet the crowd with a voice that sounds almost like his own, asking, “What the [f] is up, Coachella?” This virtual rendition saw Tupac roll back the years with renditions of “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” complete with gestures and pacing around the stage in a lifelike manner.

Some say that it is a hologram, but to be more accurate, the Tupac that folks saw at Coachella 2012 is a brilliant optical illusion technique known as “Pepper’s Ghost”, where it merges high-quality computer rendering as well as old-school optical trickery to deliver quite the impressive visual effect. Will we see such novelties arrive at future concerts as well? It would be something to see Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, Elvis and Michael Jackson “resurrected” in this manner.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers