When the global pandemic brought in-person live entertainment events to a halt in early March of 2020, the pause gave event operators a new window of opportunity to try to develop a new format – virtual reality. Following Super Bowl LVI earlier this month, the Foo Fighters were the latest band to take a crack at the format, performing a postgame concert streamed to both virtual reality and standard platforms.
Results of the performance were mixed. Reports came in that those watching on Meta Quest’s Horizon Venues reported troubles with the feed and appearance. However, non-VR footage aired on the Foo Fighters’ Facebook page without incident. The rock legends opened with the live debut of T-Shirt off their 2017 album, Concrete And Gold. The band performed the likes of This Is A Call, Times Like These, All My Life and Best Of You in-between.
“Foo Fighters love a challenge – from playing the biggest stages in the world to the tiniest clubs to making movies and miniseries… We’ve pretty much done it all,” said front man Dave Grohl. “But we’ve never collaborated with Mark Romanek on a conceptual set of songs – including one being played live for the first time ever – for a worldwide audience.”
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While the results of their virtual performance may have been mixed, the band is showing no signs of slowing down their in-preson efforts. Foo Fighters recently added 10 tour dates to their upcoming 2022 North American Tour. The new shows will take place in two U.S. cities and eight cities across Canada this September and October, joining other North America dates that had been announced in the fall of 2021.
The new fall leg for Foo Fighters starts at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on September 18. Frontman Grohl then brings the band to Canada for shows in Winnipeg (September 21); Saskatoon, Saskachewan (September 23); Regina, Saskatchewan (September 25); Edmonton (September 27); Calgary (September 29).
What is Virtual Reality Concert?
A virtual reality concert is one in which real world users (i.e., “players”) participate (in avatar form) in a live streamed concert performed by a real-world artist or band (also in avatar, animated or anime form) within a video game or other virtual environment at a specific time. According to Forbes, it ultimately may make no difference to most artist whether their virtual concert is “pay-per-view”, particularly if they can use the popularity of the event to generate significant revenues from the exploitation of recorded music, publishing and ancillary rights.
