BEHOLD, THE CONCERT OF THE FUTURE

Five innovations that could change the way you see and hear live music

Augmented Reality

According to Strangeloop Studios co-founder Ian Simon, who has worked with everyone from Kendrick Lamar to SZA, augmented-reality goggles will become commonplace at concerts. “At certain moments where they might be realworld fireworks, for example, you’ll be able to augment them with AR fireworks,” Simon says.

Original Avatars

Most in the U.S. haven’t heard of MAVE: (above), but the South Korean virtual pop group released its debut single, “Pandora,” in January. It’s a metaverse model that could easily cross over. “We’re going to see this whole new wave of younger users able to build their own characters,” says Simon, “and also create their own virtual experiences. We’ve seen this already with Gorillaz, but that’s really just the beginning.”

Digitized Rock Icons

Fans in London are paying hundreds of dollars to watch digital avatars of ABBA perform. As more boomer acts like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones retire, such shows will likely spread. Says Simon: “If the Stones do this … they’ll present it as a new experience that feels true to the spirit behind their shows.”

Immersive Audio

The days of punishingly loud concerts will soon be behind us. The technology underpinning Dolby Atmos surround sound used in movie theaters is coming to live music. “It’ll give you an immersive effect since we now have the ability to control spatial audio,” says Simon.

3D LED Walls

3D glasses have been around for generations, but high-resolution LED walls are changing the game. “Human artists can perform right next to digital avatars when fans wear 3D glasses,” says Simon. “We’re only going to see more availability of this product, and it’ll become less onerous for venues to provide that kind of infrastructure.”