There is a recent trend that has just gotten started lately in music where now a beloved performer who has passed on to the great gig in the sky can be "resurrected" through the power of modern technology via hologram. Notable musicians brought back from the grave this way include: rapper Tupac Shakur, pop icon Michael Jackson, and now beloved metal god Ronnie James Dio this past weekend at the Wacken Festival in Germany during a performance from the Dio Disciples. The Dio Disciples is a band comprised of former members of Ronnie's solo band throughout the years, for those of you who don't know.
These holograms don't just appear, but they make sound as well. In the case of the hologram of Ronnie they took recordings of live vocals of his and layered them over the hologram as the Dio Disciples performed. The band has promised that this will not be the only appearance of the hologram, but it will make appearances next year during their upcoming tour.
Within days of the performance the appearance of the late metal giant has already sparked a great deal of mixed reactions. Some were of absolute wonder and joy at the fact that there is now a way for future generations to see Ronnie perform, but others were of absolute shock, horror, and disgust at the fact that they would insult the man's memory and legacy like this.
As for where I stand, I feel I'm kind of on the fence. While I'm caught up in the flash and wonder of it all, I do kind of see where people are coming from when they say that the hologram is a dishonor to Ronnie's memory. I sadly never got to see Dio perform while he was alive and this is honestly the next best thing. It would be a real spectacle, that's for sure.
However, it seems kind of disingenuous because even if I did see the hologram I'd just be listening to and watching a recording from days past. He wouldn't really be there. He wouldn't really be performing. I could easily just watch a Dio concert DVD at home. I wouldn't go so far as to say it dishonors Ronnie's memory, but it does seem a bit like they are wandering into a real grey area and unknown territory that they need to watch their footing in.
With this new technology it's kind of hard not to wonder how exactly it will be used from here. If holograms are going to be more commonplace, what is to stop record labels/big corporations from making entire concerts out of groups that are entirely holographic? They could put on a show without any live performers in the venue at all and still make a hefty sum of money. It makes me a little concerned because I have this bad feeling that despite the fact that it is literally a cash grab people will spend money to go see shows like this anyway and real live shows won't be as much of a thing any more (except for the bands who don't have the kind of money to have holograms).
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for having rock n' roll shows be big spectacles. When I spend some ungodly amount on a concert ticket I want to get as much bang for my buck as humanly possible. However, at the end of the day what is important is that it is real live people making real live music from the heart up on the stage. If you're just playing a recording you've kind of lost the purpose and soul of a live concert. There's no exhilaration. There's no energy. There's no spirit. Nothing. Just moving pictures in 3D with an audio track.
That said, while I'm overall not in favor of holograms becoming a widely used thing to replace performers altogether, I wouldn't mind them showing up for a song or two maybe once in a while. It just wouldn't be right to mass produce them for whole shows. There is no way to ever truly replace a performer once they are gone or just not present. Hopefully these fears of mine and others do not come to pass.
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