Los Angeles – I had the
privilege to go and see the fantastic Black Eyed Peas concert live from the
Staples Center this week. Although I wasn’t in the Staples Center. I was next
door at Regal Cinemas watching a live 3D broadcast in one of their movie theaters.
The VIP event was supposedly
the first live concert broadcast of its kind in 3D and 2D at the same time
with partners 3ality Digital and AEG Network LIVE. In all, it was a great
experience that technically worked out almost without a glitch.
The following is a summary of
my feedback.
Positives:
+ The 3D concert experience provided by AEG Network LIVE and 3ality is truly
impressive and makes you feel immersed in the show
+ The cameras takes you up
and close to the stage, so you feel almost like you have the best tickets in
the house
+ The cinema sound-system
gives a good representation of what the actual concert sounds like
+ Watching the concert with a
room full of other people that clap their hands, whistle and sing along gives
you the right live concert feeling
+ The knowledge of that the
show is live and anything can happen makes it feel like a special experience
+ You don’t have to stand in
long lines to get in and out of the concert venue
+ Ticket prices of $15 is affordable,
compared to what tickets to the actual show cost
Negatives:
–
The movie theatre is not
a place where you are accustomed to making noise, dancing in the aisles and clapping
your hands so it takes some time getting used to
–
The band can’t see you
or hear you, so it naturally doesn’t feel at all as interactive as a being there for the concert
–
The fancy light system at
the concert venue doesn’t really translate through the screen, even in 3D
–
There is no alcohol served
in the theatre, for those of us who want to enjoy a beer, wine or cocktail as
we’re watching the show
In summary, I think that
watching a live 3D concert in a theatre is the next best thing to actually
being there. However, with today’s technology, I think that there is much more you can do much
more to make it feel truly interactive through two-way communication from the
theatres as well as adding décor and exclusive offers such as merchandising as well as, if possible, a bar…
I was there too and completely agree with you on the negatives. Anytime anyone in the theater cheered it was a little awkward.
As for the booze, I was expecting a little bar with some cocktails. That was a huge letdown for me.