U2’s New AR App Is Kinda Freaky
You know how some artists like Jack White are trying to create a cell phone-free experience at concerts? Yeah…U2 is pretty much doing the exact opposite.
U2 kick off their “eXPERIENCE & iNNOCENCE” tour next week and have launched a special augmented reality (AR) app for fans to use in concert venues before the band hits the stage. Per the band’s website, fans will open the app, which requires access to your phone’s camera, and you point your camera at a special LED screen on the floor of the venue “for a specially curated AR scene-setter.”
Fans can test the app out right now by opening it and pointing their camera at the album cover for Songs of Experience. This then triggers a weird 3D image of Bono to rise from the cover and sing a clip of “Love Is All We Have Left.”
Here’s a still photo from the test, which cleverly embeds the hashtag #U2eiTour, because branding matters. (Side note: Remember when we thought ZooTV was a technical marvel? Oh, how far we’ve come!)
The U2 AR eXPERIENCE App is available for IOS and Android as a free download.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.