Mixed reality is the next great canvas for live performance. XR allows artists to bring their imagination to life beyond the confines of physical space and production.
Through creative direction, production, and marketing, our team has supported the talented designers and technologists at Forward Studio, &Pull, Six Degrees, All of it Now, Xite Labs, Lux Machina, Epic Games, and YouTube through years of research and development to debut real-time 3D technology at the festival and unlock an innovative canvas for creativity.
In 2022, the worlds first live broadcast augmented reality enhanced show entered the scene during Flume’s Coachella Stage performance. Four coordinated moments extended the creative world directed by Jonathan Zawada beyond the confines of the stage for the first time. Audiences watching the Coachella YouTube Livestream were treated to godzilla-sized parrots, lush forests in the desert, exploding flowers, and floating talking heads.
In 2023, the iconic Gorillaz characters made their long-awaited Main Stage debut, performing alongside their physical counterparts, brought to life by Nexus Studios. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny, in collaboration with STURDY, took full advantage of the XR canvas, expanding the maximalist vision of his headline performance into new dimensions. These performances demonstrated the limitless potential of merging physical and digital worlds.
Building on the success of our XR performances on the Coachella Stage, we expanded our capabilities to the Sahara Tent in 2024. Through a pioneering interoperable pipeline, we integrated 3D assets from the live performances of DJ Snake, Anyma, and Grimes into other Unreal Engine experiences, creating connected moments across Coachella’s UEFN Creative Islands in Fortnite, livestream special effects, and the physical stage. This seamless integration marked a new era of connected, multi-platform storytelling.
Beyond live performances, our XR infrastructure also powered captivating branded moments throughout the festival livestream. Between sets, viewers were treated to stunning visual transitions, with art installations soaring into the sky and Coachella’s creative dimension taking physical form on the stream.
Technology is a means to expand an artist’s toolkit and allow them to better connect with their fans both at the festival and on the livestream. As our physical and digital lives converge, and as artists continue to experiment with virtual platforms, spatial creativity will become an integral part of live performance.
