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400K Live Viewers Tuned In For Lindsey Stirling’s VR Violin Performance

The dancing violinist broke new ground with her one-of-a-kind VR performance.

Last month acclaimed electronic violinist, dancer, and singer-songwriter Lindsey Stirling performed a one-of-a-kind VR performance for a live crowd of 400,000 viewers scattered all across the globe.

Hosted by online music platform Wave, Stirlings 1 ½ hour performance featured a stunning combination of live music and choreographed dancing as the singer-songwriter performed a variety of tracks from her fifth and latest album, Artemis. Stepping into the role of Artemis, goddess of the moon and the main protagonist of the album, Stirling used an XSens 3D motion capture suit and Manus VR Gloves to capture all of her movements and dance routines and translate them into VR in real-time, delivering a jaw-dropping sense of presence while in VR. 

“Yeah that’s me, that’s how I move!” Stirling said about the performance in an official recap video. “That is me performing and I got to experience it with people around the world. To feel their energy even from a virtual screen was very cool.” 

“It was just really fun to bring this world to life with ideas and things that could never happen in a practical real show.”

Image Credit: Wave, Lindsey Stirling

Using the power of the Wave platform, Stirling’s incredible performance was accompanied by an equally-compelling visual backdrop, one that ebbed and flowed in-tandem with Stirlings music and movements. Throughout the show the VR world would change drastically, dropping Stirling and her fans in futuristic cyberpunk cities, serene cave systems, and a slew of other abstract locations, each of which responding to Stirling’s every action. 

Image Credit: Wave, Lindsey Stirling

As previously stated, fans could watch the performance in a variety of formats. Those watching live from Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube enjoyed a standard 2D experience featuring several different camera angles, or in VR using a SteamVR or Oculus-compatible headset. Those who were in headsets appeared as in-game avatars lining the “stage” in front of Stirling or as tiny stars floating just above the action. Fans could even ask questions during the performance by typing out messages that would then appear above their avatars. 

Image Credit: Wave, Lindsey Stirling

While the Wave platform has featured performances from major musical acts in the past, Stirling’s has been the most physical by far. Whereas previous artists remained stationary behind DJ booths, Stirling’s show featured live instrumentals as well as a heavy amount of live dancing. As Wave continues to expand its platform, it’ll be interesting to see what other types of musical acts eventually make their way to VR.

Lindsey Stirling’s latest album, Artemis, is available now on Apple Music and Spotify. You can check out Stirling’s full performance via the video provided above.

Feature Image Credit: Wave, Lindsey Stirling

About the Scout

Former Writer (Kyle Melnick)

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