The Tupac Hologram: Coachella 2012

On Sunday, April 15, 2012, nearly sixteen years after his death, Tupac stood on a concert stage once again. In the middle of the headlining set by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on the main stage of the Coachella festival in Indio, California, a shirtless figure appeared. It greeted the crowd, rapped Hail Mary, and performed 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted as a duet with Snoop. The appearance lasted only a few minutes, but left a lasting mark on the debate over the technological resurrection of artists. The day’s reports can be found in the news from 2012.

Not a Hologram, but a 19th-Century Stage Trick

The word “hologram” took hold, even though it is technically inaccurate. Billboard and Rolling Stone made clear the very next day that it was a mirror illusion. NPR described the setup like this: a projector above the stage casts an image onto an angled glass surface on the floor, which reflects it onto a transparent Mylar foil. To the audience, the figure appears to stand freely in space, while other artists can walk past in front of and behind it. The principle is called “Pepper’s Ghost” and originates from 19th-century theater.

The illusion was implemented by AV Concepts of San Diego using projection systems from the British company Musion. According to reports, Musion holds the patent on Mylar screens for such illusions and licenses it to about 30 companies, including AV Concepts. Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, told MTV News that the idea came from Dr. Dre.

Rebuilt on the Computer, Not from the Archive

The image itself was created by the visual effects studio Digital Domain, once co-founded by James Cameron and known for films such as X-Men: First Class. Chief creative officer Ed Ulbrich emphasized to the Wall Street Journal that it was neither archival footage nor found material: “This is an illusion.” Tupac was rebuilt on a computer from reference material, primarily from footage of his concert at the House of Blues on July 4, 1996 (according to Andscape). Visual effects supervisors Janelle Croshaw and Steve Preeg led the team, according to the trade portal Animation World Network; Andscape cites around 20 people involved.

There are two different accounts regarding the timeline. According to the Wall Street Journal, Dre approached the studio about a year in advance, and work went on for about four months. According to Andscape, the commission arrived in mid-February 2012, and the actual production lasted six weeks. Both accounts can be reconciled if preliminary discussions and actual production are viewed separately; no official chronology exists.

The cost also remained undisclosed. Smith cited $100,000 to $400,000 for a comparable effect. Rolling Stone ran the headline that the projection cost “at least $100,000.” A verified total figure for Coachella does not exist.

Afeni’s Approval, Divided Reactions, and a Jump on the Charts

According to a TMZ report, Afeni Shakur had approved the performance and watched it at home via livestream; this claim, however, is second-hand (see the report). Reactions oscillated between enthusiasm and unease. Rolling Stone found the moment technically impressive, but also strange; Nas described the idea to Billboard as brilliant. More on this can be found in the debate.

The effect showed up promptly in sales figures. According to Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan, Greatest Hits returned to the Billboard 200 a week later for the first time since 2000: number 129 with around 4,000 copies sold represented an increase of 571 percent. In digital downloads, Hail Mary led with 13,000 units. In absolute terms these were small numbers, but in relative terms they were significant jumps. The detailed numbers can be found in the April 26, 2012 report.

“Strictly for Coachella”: Dre Halts the Tour Rumors

As early as April 17, the Wall Street Journal reported on a possible joint tour by Dre and Snoop featuring the projection. Digital Domain creative chief Ulbrich told the newspaper that this was only the beginning. On the second Coachella weekend, April 22, the figure was shown once more. Then Dre shut down the rumors in a video: the performance was “strictly for Coachella” (Billboard, April 23, 2012). A tour did not materialize. See the report and the tour rumors.

An Award in Cannes, Then Bankruptcy

On June 23, 2012, Digital Domain was awarded a Titanium Lion at the Cannes Lions advertising festival for “Virtual 2Pac,” commissioned by Dre. The award honored the concept of a virtual performance, not a work by Tupac. The company put the effect at 15 million YouTube views and 500 percent higher album sales; these are company figures that diverge from Billboard’s numbers (see the report).

Fame did not save the studio, however. On September 12, 2012, Digital Domain Media Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. According to the AP, the investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners intended to acquire the core business for $15 million; the stock, which had briefly hit $9.20 after Coachella, was last trading at 55 cents (report).

Imitators on Stage, Fundamental Questions in the AI Era

The concept quickly found imitators. In May 2014, a digital Michael Jackson performed at the Billboard Music Awards; the companies involved subsequently battled in court (The Hollywood Reporter). For Tupac, Coachella remained an isolated case, recalled even by German tracks such as 2Pac Hologramm (Tupac and Germany).

The question of who decides on the voice and likeness of the deceased became even sharper a decade later with AI. It is explored on the page Rights to Tupac’s Voice. Additional places of remembrance are gathered in the articles Monuments and Herford Statue.