U2 is launching an augmented reality app as part of the band's eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour, which will kick off the North American leg next week.
While other bands and artists are discouraging or even outright banning fans from using their smartphones during concerts and live performances, Bono and company are encouraging their fans to make their phones a part of the show.
Digitally Enhanced Live Show
The U2 eXPeRIENCE app, which is now available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, offers the experience of a live show right in the comfort of one's home. The app features previews of the band's concert in AR by pointing the camera to the cover art of Songs of Experience.
Here is a sample of the AR feature of the U2 eXPERIENCE app:
Stufish are excited to be working on The u2 experience & innocence Tour that will integrate Augmented reality. Here is a taster by using the u2 experience app on the album cover. #u2eitour pic.twitter.com/BRaohRftiv — Stufish (@StufishStudio) April 24, 2018
In addition, fans who already downloaded the app prior to the live performance can hold up their phones, point them into the 100-foot long LED wall for a unique experience.
"Download this app to experience a live rock show like never before as the tour's 100' long LED wall triggers a specially curated audio-visual experience emerging through your mobile device," the app description reads. "Real-time Augmented Reality before your eyes... and thousands of others at the show."
The app is available for download for free.
The eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour supports U2's most recent album Songs of Experience. The series of live performances will begin on May 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma while the European leg of the tour commences in Berlin, Germany in September.
Tickets are now available on U2's official website and Ticketmaster.
Musicians Ban Cellphones
The app comes at a time when celebrities have made a stance against camera phones and filming during gigs.
Jack White, formerly of The White Stripes, recently made headlines after he had banned mobile phones from his upcoming tour.
"We think you'll enjoy looking up from your gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it IN PERSON," White said in a statement.
While concertgoers will still be able to bring their phones to the venue, the devices will be locked in pouched called Yondr. They will be allowed to use their phones outside of "phone-free zones."
Other artists who have banned smartphones and other audio/video devices from their live performances include Guns N' Roses, Alicia Keys, Prince, and Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar.
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