Date: 2018-05-04
U2’s new stage show is a technical wonder
U2 has a special duet planned for its latest tour: Bono and AR Bono.
The band’s “Experience + Innocence” tour will include an augmented reality spectacle that turns its lead singer into a larger-than-life version of himself. The tour kicks off in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday.
But to see AR Bono sing, fans must download the U2 Experience app. AR is a technology that displays digital images on top of real-life objects when viewed through a smartphone.
By holding up a smartphone toward the 80-foot long double-sided LCD screen on stage, fans will see superimposed images and videos meant to enhance the experience. (The app also works on U2’s “Songs of Experience” album cover, which debuted last week).
“I am abusing technology, if you like,” Bono told CNN’s Laurie Segall ahead of the show. “[What we’re] using goes back to the very early stages of U2 when we would stage dive to break the fourth wall, trying to reach our audience and touch them.”