Whatever your opinion of hologram concerts are one thing's for certain, a lot more are on the way.
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It's pretty remarkable that the list of artists has grown that much in such a short period of time. The first hologram to kick off the trend came during Coachella 2014 when a Tupac Shakur hologram appeared on stage to rap alongside Snoop Dogg.
The holograms present a fascinating fusion of music and technology enabling fans who never had the chance to experience a concert from these artists to see them in a live setting. At the same time, it's a hologram and will never replicate the real thing.
Artists like Frank Zappa were known for their uncanny ability to transition on the fly and keep a concert in fluid motion. Partially letting the audience deciding where the set will go and improvising with other musicians on a whim when the time called for it. That's not possible when you have to program a hologram.
However, it's not for a lack of trying. A statement from Ahmet Zappa on the Bizarre World of Frank Zappa project read,
"We will be pushing the limits of what anyone has seen holographically on stage before in a live venue. Circumstances, objects, places and subject matter from Frank’s songs and imagination will be brought to life for the first time on stage. We are anthropomorphizing Frank’s music utilizing various visual techniques, art styles, classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs, culminating in one extremely bizarre, live music experience."
He added, “My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in. He actually devoted half a chapter of his The Real Frank Zappa Book to this subject."
Like it or not it appears hologram tours are a burgeoning business in the world of live music. What will be interesting to see is the scope of these projects and if they serve as one off concert tours, or adapt and evolve over time much like the beloved artists did.