Rest in Pixels: Do Holograms Add Anything To Live Shows?

In September Wu-Tang Clan headlined the LA leg of the Rock The Bells festival, debuting a much hyped hologram of the sorely missed Ol' Dirty Bastard:

     

Even though ODB has always been my favourite Wu-Tang member, I couldn't get excited for what felt more like an empty gesture designed to generate profit and page views rather than a heartfelt tribute. Audiences also didn't seem to respond with much enthusiasm to the great unveiling - the final two legs of the festival were cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

Snoop Dogg set the precedent for the use of holograms with Tupac's posthumous cameo during his Coachella headline set.The success of many heritage hip-hop acts still touring today is rarely down to their current musical output, but rather because they cater to nostalgic fans longing for a return to the mid 80's/early 90s 'Golden Age' of hip-hop. With so many icons of the time sadly passed away, reincarnation by digital means seems like a sure fire method of drawing the punters in.

The key issue with holograms is that it removes the improvised element of live music which makes going to a gig so special. There's only a finite amount of footage out there to source the holograms from, which means that not only do they lack longevity, but that if you've seen the footage before (as no doubt many fans who's recollection of the time is through youtube videos rather than their own experience) then there isn't even an enjoyable novelty.

Hampering the connection with audiences even further is the disparity in quality between the live vocals and the recorded vocals, not to mention the fact that the ODB hologram isn't even looking at the audience. In an age where artists are frequently under fire for lip-syncing and not providing concert goers true value for money, should these hip-hop groups not be held to the same standard and asked to provide a true live show?

Hip-hop gigs are already notoriously hard to pull-off, easily falling in to glorified karaoke sessions, but that doesn't mean that gimmicks are required to connect to an audience, as this gif of me at a hologram-free Wu-Tang gig in 2011 should attest to:

In this instance tribute was paid to ODB with a gang medley of Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Brooklyn Zoo and Got Your Money. At the time hearing some of my favourite songs performed live by people who had a hand in shaping them was more than enough. For me a well executed live show will always be better than a hologram's clumsy marriage of past icons and present technology, but I'm curious (and anxious) to see what the future of gig-going has in store.