The legendary rock band will livestream their Colorado concert with customizable options for VR users.
Matchbox Twenty is a band infamous for not only their stellar rock music, but also their desire to experiment and innovate. Now the Florida-based rock group is pushing the boundaries even further with a concert live-streamed in VR that allows users to customize their experience.
Tonight, Matchbox Twenty will rock the infamous Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, to a crowd full of insatiable fans. But the true magic will happen on-stage. Several 360° cameras will capture the action from multiple vantage points for the audience viewing the show in VR.
Thanks to a partnership with Ad Air‘s Swivel VR, users can download the Swivel VR app to access a live stream of the show via multiple 360° cameras, accessible through gaze-based controls.
The app also serves as a hub for all things Matchbox Twenty, including on-demand 360° video from previous shows, band information, and other additional content. All of this is viewable through a picture-in-picture mode and various hands-free options, so you don’t miss a minute of the live action.
No VR headset? No problem. The Matchbox Twenty Swivel VR experience allows viewers to use their Apple iPad, Apple Airplay with AppleTV to join the Swivel VR VIP experience. Of course, what would all that excitement be worth if you couldn’t share it with your friends? That’s why the Matchbox Twenty VR experience includes a hands-free picture-capturing feature that lets users snap their favorite moments and export them to social media.
“I knew I wanted to do something above and beyond what’s been out there already to keep on-brand with Matchbox Twenty and everything that they have done, and Rob himself,” said Manager Nick Lipman, partner at Lippman Entertainment, in an interview with VRScout. “They’ve have never been trend followers. They’ve always been trendsetters, and I was looking to do that in this space as well. When Robert and Angela and the team at AdAir showed me above and beyond what they can do—after they had already blown me away with their VR capabilities—I thought, what a great mesh and a great fit for Matchbox Twenty to do something in this space and also do it at the level that we’ve been accustomed to doing it, and be the first in something new.”
Ad Air CEO Robert Fitzgerald explained that their system allows for a wide variety of users to create a personalized experience of the show.
“Users put their smartphones into a headset, then they’ll be able to see it in stereoscopic,” Fitzgerald said. “What differentiates us is that the graphic overlay creates an ability to move from one VR position to another. If you like the front of the stage view you, got that. If at some point in the in the concert there’s a better view—maybe the guitarists are playing with their guitars face-to-face up close next it another camera—we can jump to that camera virtually immediately and then you’re in the middle of all that.”
For those who suffer from intense FOMO, AdAir’s system allows viewers to see the show as it appears in its 2D presentation.
“We also provide a picture-in-picture capability,” Fitzgerald said. “In VR you’re getting closer with 360° as opposed to what people are traditionally used to, and that’s watching a concert from a handheld 2D camera that’s pointed in and shows you where to look. You have the option to look at that camera view as well within the picture-in-picture mode.”
Matchbox Twenty’s live Denver, Colorado concert will be available in VR for $19.99 October 4th via the free Swivel VR app. You can also use it to access previous performances in 360°, information about the band, and other immersive VR content. Whatever you end up using the app for, you can be sure you’re accessing high quality VR content centered around some stellar music. One thing’s for certain: I can’t wait to see what Matchbox Twenty has up their sleeves next.
