On the night of April 15, 2012, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Coachella headlining set was the main stage finale. Eminem was scheduled as a special guest, and Dre and Snoop had already gone through 20 songs with 80,000 people gathered. But as the set went on through the night, the iconic rappers had one more surprise waiting.
Almost 16 years after his murder, Tupac Shakur appeared on the stage with a triumphant shout of “What the f**k is up Coachella!” Was this lost footage of the rapper from performances gone by? Some sort of space-age hologram? Did Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg summon Tupac’s ghost?
Fans were baffled and surprised, and in the time that followed, speculations swirled. The consensus was that it was a hologram made in Tupac’s image. And that was a close guess, but not the entire story.
The image was computer-generated, but it wasn’t a science fiction-style hologram. Dr. Dre worked with visual effects studio Digital Domain to recreate Tupac’s image, a project that took almost a year from start to finish. The result was a chance for Snoop Dogg to take the stage with Tupac again, and Dre for the first time. While Dre and Tupac collaborated on “California Love”, they never performed it together. Meanwhile, Snoop joined Tupac on stage for his last concert in 1996 before his death. That same year, they made “2 Of Americaz Most Wanted” together.
Computer-generated Tupac Shakur Takes COachella Stage with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in 2012
This simulacrum of Tupac Shakur seemed like a genuine hologram for the tens of thousands of fans gathered at Coachella. But while the image seemed meticulously crafted in 3D, the reality was more smoke and mirrors.
Digital Domain was tasked with creating the Tupac likeness. Meanwhile, AV Concepts was in charge of projection at Coachella. At the time, reports estimated that a project of this caliber would cost between $100,000 and $400,000.
Tupac’s likeness was crafted from scratch and rendered in 2D. But when it was projected, it took on the illusion of a 3D image. It was first projected onto a curved piece of glass installed on the ground. This sent it up to a huge Mylar screen set up on the stage. While the projection was made using the state-of-the-art Musion Eyeliner system, it was really a more than 400-year-old theater technique called “Pepper’s Ghost.”
Still, the effect was visceral. It’s possible that 80,000 people really believed they were looking at Tupac Shakur performing from beyond the grave. At least for a split second. But once the dust settled and Coachella came to an end, it turned out to be some computer effects, old school projection techniques, and a labor of love.
The post 14 Years Ago Today, Fans Were Left Baffled When Tupac Shakur Played Coachella From Beyond the Grave appeared first on VICE.
