POP superstar Whitney Houston played the SEC in Glasgow last week … no mean feat, considering she died in 2012.
But let’s suspend disbelief for just a moment.
Whitney might have been indisposed to wow the crowd in person, but 21st-century kit does not let such a minor detail stand in the way of a good night out. The show came courtesy of hologram technology.
The Houston-inspired gig by Base Hologram follows similar productions built around Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and legendary opera singer Maria Callas; before those, other companies in the same field brought a Tupac Shakur hologram to the Coachella festival in 2012 and a moonwalking Michael Jackson hologram to the Billboard Music Awards in 2014.
The company was also set to launch an Amy Winehouse hologram tour in mid-2019, but it was delayed as it “needed to be worked on delicately and in an extremely respectful manner”.
Base Hologram was given permission to make their latest vision a reality by the Whitney Houston estate last year. Since then, the singer’s sole estate executor and sister-in-law, former manager and now president and CEO of her estate, Pat Houston, has been working with the company to create and supposedly “perfect” the experience.
But just because technology means you can bring people back to life, does it mean it’s right?
Pat said in a statement: “A hologram show is all about the imagination and creating a wow factor that extends to an incredible experience to enjoy for years to come.
“We know we made the right decision partnering with Base because they understand how important it is to produce a phenomenal hologram.”
She continued: “Whitney is not with us, but her music will live with us forever.”
Presumably, her earning potential lives on too.
The concert has since toured extensively, albeit to mixed reviews. The majority of negative views stem not only from how Houston’s digital reincarnation looks – one Twitter user has compared it to the quality of “PlayStation 1 graphics”. Another tweet observed: “I’m not saying the Whitney Houston hologram tour will be a hot mess, but they are suggesting she had as much grace as a malfunctioning The Sims character”.
Social media users also questioned the morals behind the supposedly “exploitative” “money grab by those controlling her estate”. “Ghost slavery” is a term that’s also been floated.
Pat Houston again: “In the spirit of Whitney, I know we’re doing all the right things right now. This is something that she wanted to do. I get very emotional watching this, because it is so, so close to what she wanted.”
I would like to have heard how that “I want to be a hologram” conversation went. Alas we will never know. As for the ethics of this enterprise, perhaps we should give Whitney the last word. As she said herself in her 1999 R&B jam, It’s Not Right but It’s Okay.
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer live acts to be ... well ... alive.
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