British synthpop duo AlunaGeorge will perform a “live” virtual concert inside popular sandbox game Minecraft, which allows players to construct their own worlds using 3D blocks. The concert, which is being billed as “the first-of-its-kind,” will take place both virtually and in reality on March 23 at the Gathering, an annual tech festival based in Hamar, Norway.
Here’s how it will work, according to FACT Magazine: “[The concert] will be achieved by a team of volunteer gamers who will control avatars modeled after the performers. They will match the movements on-stage live, giving people not attending the concert in Norway a unique virtual experience.”
Just like in real life, the show will have limited capacity. Erik Heisholt, a Gathering organizer, told The Local Norway that the server will be only able to accommodate between 2000-3000 users. Sure enough, the event’s trailer encourages Minecraft users to “run to be the first in line.” The volunteering gamers are even creating billboards and flyers to advertise the concert featuring electronic duos Lemaitre, Broiler, and headliner AlunaGeorge.
AlunaGeorge, who is composed of Aluna Francis (vocals/songwriting) and George Reid (production/instrumentation), rose to prominence in 2011 with the release of ‘You Know You Like It’, the lead single from the duo’s debut studio album, Body Music. Since then, AlunaGeorge has signed with Interscope Records and begun work on the pair’s second album, I Remember, which arrives on April 29.
Meanwhile, Minecraft has dominated the charts since its release in 2011, selling over 70 million copies and earning the distinction of the best-selling PC game of all-time in the process. The game’s collaboration with live music and virtual reality should make for a fascinating experiment, to say the least.
Take a look at the trailer for the live Minecraft concert, below:
