Tech

Rob Thomas wants you to sing karaoke with his hologram

by Richard Howard

When Justin Bieber decided to stop attending his VIP meet-and-greets with fans because his fans’ energy was bumming him out, he thoughtfully provided a cardboard cutout to act in his stead.

Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas doesn’t seem to have any such issue with his fans, but he is offering a VIP experience that utilizes a stand in… albeit a far more high-tech one. On his solo tour with Counting Crows, Thomas is offering a VIP package that will allow purchasers to – I shit you not – sing karaoke with a hologram of the singer.

Tech startup VNTANA, which describes itself as a “social augmented reality company,” will be providing the technology for the vaguely creepy fan experience. A custom display will project a hologram of the VIP ticketholder next to a hologram of the singer, which will invite them to sing a duet of his new single “Pieces” or older tracks “One Shot” and “This is How a Heart Breaks.”

A promotional video refers to this project as “the first ever interactive hologram selfie experience,” which is both the most fucking infuriating phrase I have ever heard and a sure harbinger of the end of days. After caterwauling through the mediocre adult contemporary tune of your choice, you’ll instantly receive an email with a video of your duet with tiny Pixel-Rob – because, as Hologram Rob Thomas explains, it “didn’t really happen until you share it with your friends.”

Thanks for the metaphysics lesson, Robert.

[h/t Exclaim!]