With the launch of his current concert tour on Lil Nas X is the second musical artist to integrate augmented reality into his new tour, the first being Jack Harlow. Lil Nas X’s Long Live Montero tour features a unique AR experience through Snapchat.
The augmented reality experience is divided into three acts that coincide with the show’s acts. After arriving at the concert, fans need to scan the show’s playbill, which they receive upon entry, to view the Montero AR experience. Throughout the 70-minute show, audience members will, via their mobile devices:
• View a cocoon during act one
• Butterflies in act two
• And Lil Nas X himself in act three
The AR tour experience comes courtesy of Snap in partnership with Live Nation. Snap announced its multiyear partnership with Live Nation back in April.
“For years, video screens have been a canvas for visual expression at concerts and festivals around the world,” said Snap. “They help artists tell their stories and bring music to life. We believe Snap’s augmented reality offers artists an incredible new creative tool that will change the way fans experience their performances.”
Arcadia, Snap’s creative studio, worked with Lil Nas X’s creative team to create the themed AR elements. The AR experience is geofenced to each tour location, preventing anyone not at the event from experiencing it. However, fans unable to attend can still use Snapchat’s new lens, which adds butterfly wings to the users in selfies.
In other hi-tech transmedia gaming/music news Lil Nas X has today declared himself the President of League of Legends…
Concerts in the metaverse
While AR experiences at live concerts are in their infancy, metaverse concerts are becoming a popular way for fans to enjoy their favorite artists. Ed Sheeran held a virtual concert in the Pokémon GO metaverse last November, while Twenty One Pilots began their tour last September with a virtual show within Roblox. Fortnite has already held its share of virtual concerts, with rumors circulating that Lady Gaga may be the next musical artist to grace the digital stage.
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
