Dead can dance: Tupac Shakur resurrected for concert appearance

The late Tupac Shakur

Late rapper Tupac Shakur made a 'surprise' appearance at the Coachella music festival with Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre at the festival. Thousands in the crowd gasped as the shirtless Tupac - killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996 - rose up on the stage. After saying "What up, Coachella?" to the audience, Shakur appeared to rap perfectly in time with 'Hail Mary', as well as communicating with Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre before fading away."What up, Coachella?" the digitally revived Tupac shouted before launching into his classic single Hail Mary. Amazingly life-like, down to his signature tattoos, Timberland boots and jewellery, the hologram stalked the stage, swapping phrases with Snoop Dogg and performing 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, Come With Me, and Gangsta Party. Then, Tupac's image dissipates. Digital Spy reports that Tupac Shakur's mother Afeni Shakur has said that she approves of the hologram of her son shown during Dr Dre's concert at Coachella. 

The ghostly image of Tupac on stage at Coachella

 The rep said that Afeni, who didn't attend the concert, was "thrilled" with the performance. Dre showed his gratitude by donating to The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. Several guests also made appearances during Dre's concert, including Eminem, 50 Cent, Warren G, Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa. The hologram was created by San Diego-based company AV Concepts, who previously produced the Gorillaz performance with Madonna at the 2005 Grammys, as well as gigs by Celine Dion and Black Eyed Peas. "We worked with Dr Dre on this and it was Dre's vision to bring this back to life," president Nick Smith told MTV News. "It was his idea from the very beginning and we worked with him and his camp to utilize the technology to make it come to life."An eye-popping hologram of murdered rapper Tupac Shakur has stolen the show at US music festival Coachella and amplified questions about the future of "live" performance. The hologram took several months of planning and a further four months to create in the studio. Smith did not disclose how much the hologram cost, but added that a similar project would cost between $100,000 and $400,000.