If it’s good for hip hop, why can’t we get in on it?
The Tupac hologram that appeared towards the end of Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre's epic, star-studded performance at Coachella last year had the internet abuzz and, understandably, everyone was wondering who would be next.
Overnight it was announced that there would be “virtual performances” by two deceased hip hop legends in Ol' Dirty Bastard (performing with the Wu Tang Clan) and Eazy E (performing with his protégés Bone Thugz N Harmony) at the Rock The Bells festival across the US. So, if it's working for hip hop, why can't we use it for Oz rock?
Here are five acts we want to see live, but will only get the chance to through the use of holograms.
Australian Crawl
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We respect why James Reyne hasn't reformed an incarnation of the 80s chart topping Aussie rockers; it's not really Australian Crawl when you're missing both guitarist and vocalist Guy McDonough who passed away in 1984 (though all respect to his replacement Mark Greig) and guitarist and keyboardist Brad Robinson who was taken from us in 1996. Plus, Reyne and his current band make a pretty good fist of a heap of the Aussie Crawl canon.
But many of us never got the chance to witness this great band live, given they were all done and dusted by 1986, and some kind of magical Australian Crawl stage show spectacular might go some way to reinstating some much deserved credibility for the Victorian band.
INXS
Honestly, we'd be happy to have a Michael Hutchence hologram if only to appear at a band meeting and tell his INXS band mates that they should not take that tour with Matchbox Twenty, because they were one of the best bands in the world and the risk of diluting their legacy is not worth the performance fee.
Having said that, we'd also happily see a Michael Hutchence led INXS taking us through a set packed full of the best hits of the band's storied career. Everyone who saw him said there was something indescribable in the air whenever he hit the stage and we want one last chance to see INXS hit it out of the park.
AC/DC
Brian rules, no doubt about it, but there isn't an AC/DC fan alive who doesn't want to see Bon Scott out the front of AC/DC.
Scott's voice was a vital piece of the puzzle that made the band such an important part of the late-1970s Australian rock'n'roll scene and his cheeky attitude leant a huge part to what has become the general culture of AC/DC, the band's image and the behaviour of their fans.
It's hard to describe why Bon Scott is possibly Australia's finest ever rocker. He just is.
Johnny O'Keefe
One of Australia's most important rock stars, Johnny O'Keefe has perhaps been afforded more recognition since his 1978 passing than he received throughout his varied career. In 2013 Johnny O'Keefe's music would fit right in at any number of the big festivals around the country and we reckon there'd be scores of incredible musicians who could back him up with the required amount of grit.
Laurel Lea
With so many incredible girl groups getting around the Australian indie scene at the moment, we'd love to see one of them backing a virtual Laurel Lea up for a bit of 1960s meets 21st Century brilliance. Lea might not have done all that much business on the Australian charts, but we reckon we could get Pitchfork excited if we put the right spin on her in 2013.