ODB, who died in 2004, will give a virtual performance at Rock the Bells on Sunday, Sept. 8. (2003/File Photo)
When Tupac Shakur appeared onstage during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s set at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Chang Weisberg’s was stunned.
The head of Pomona-based promoter Guerilla Union and founder of Rock the Bells, ran 20 feet to the left and another 20 feet to the right, to view the performance of Shakur, the iconic rapper who was murdered in 1996.
“I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” Weisberg said.
While hologram 2Pac went viral on social media the instant he appeared, Weisberg was fielding texts with suggestions of who he would resurrect for Rock the Bells — hip-hop giants like Notorious B.I.G., ODB and Big Pun.
And when it was time for last year’s Rock the Bells announcement, Weisberg was adamant: “No holograms, just hip-hop.” He was still processing what he had seen at Coachella.
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Weisberg said he had been curious about virtual performances since Gorillaz and the Grammys. He had seen the work of the Black Eyed Peas, what Las Vegas was doing with Elvis Presley and more.
He immersed himself in learning about the performances and how the technology was used.
This year, Weisberg’s studying has manifested in two virtual performances at Rock the Bells — one by the late Eazy-E with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on Sept. 7 (on what would have marked the rapper’s 50th birthday) and one by ODB with the Wu-Tang Clan on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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“I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to announce the virtual performances,” Weisberg said. “It’s a lot of pressure to deliver,”
When he did, the media swarmed in from CNN, TMZ and even tech magazine Wired.
“It almost got to the point where people thought it was just a gag,” Weisberg said.
He was still sifting through the rights to the likenesses with the families when the announcement was released. Ultimately, questions and issues raised were resolved and Weisberg called it a “very rewarding process.”
Among those helping to recreate the rappers are their children. Eazy-E’s daughter, Erin, is the face of her father. His son, Lil’ Eazy-E, is his body and his brother, E3 is the voice.
ODB’s son, Young Dirty …, who is also on the bill as a performer, moves on stage like his father.
“Working with family members, there’s a whole other level of commitment there and responsibility, ultimately,” Weisberg said. “You don’t want to let family members down when you’re in a room working with a widow and a daughter and a son on their late father’s virtual avatar.”
Months later, after hours of green screen captures the work of dozens of animators, projection specialists and others, the world will see the performances of the late stars. While Weisberg is not dropping many hints about the performances, ODB and Eazy-E will be on stage with their fellow performers.
“What we’re doing now will have an impact even 50 or 100 years from now,” Weisberg said.
Tickets are still available for the festival. Single-day general admission passes are $99 each, before fees. Single-day VIP passes are $199 each, before fees. Weekend passes are $165 for general admission and $399 for VIP, before fees for both. Tickets are expected to increase in price at the door.