Last year, we started to explore 3D concerts. And you learned how AEG Live was redefining the 3D concert experience in 2010.
And now with the advent of 3D TV, it’s time to dream about the possibilities as Lady Gaga and other artists begin to unveil their live show on 3D Blu-ray, so you can experience their concerts like never before at home.
Editorial note: part of this post first published as Concert Fans Dream in 3D on Blogcritics.
Earlier this year, Phish 3D debuted in theaters giving Phish fans the chance to experience their favorite jam band in full 3D. Filled with curiosity and wonder, I went to check it out.
As you know, watching Phish 3D turned out to be one of the most unique concert experiences I’ve ever had.
But on the downside Phish 3D could have gone from good to great with more fan-centric and innovative storytelling elements.
So can 3D TV make that a reality? Is it the interactive next frontier in the ever evolving virtual concert experience?
Will Phishheads and other concert fans have the chance to re-experience live music like never before? It looks like it.
Will 3D TV Replace The Live Concert Experience?
Sure, nothing can replace the feeling of seeing your favorite band live in-person at the show.
But what if you could re-explore your favorite concert in the comfort of your home? Would that open up a whole new world of possibilities?
Would it give fans more creative control over how we experience and remember our live music moments?
There hasn’t been any official word on the Phish 3D movie coming to Blu-ray DVD any time soon, but there have been other artists getting ready to virtually rock your 3D TV.
Lady Gaga, Alice in Chains and other artists have recently filmed their current tours using 3D technology.
Which means that Little Monsters and 90’s grunge flannel-rocking fans can expect to buy 3D Blu-ray releases of those concerts in the very near future.
But you still have to ask, will 3D TV make the live concert experience more personal, memorable and exciting?
What’s On Your 3D Concert Wish List?
If your live music experiences are being virtually reinvented on a 3D Blu-ray DVD, what special features would you wish for?
Would you want to be virtually transported on stage with Gaga herself?
Or how about an interactive 3D behind-the-scenes adventure of taking our through the construction and operation of her lavish broadway-style sets.
What if you could watch, in 3D, how she magically transforms with her gazillion costume changes during a show?
Or what if you could rewrite, enhance or personalize Gaga’s Moster Ball performance and add in your own director’s cut on a fan-driven audio and video commentary track that you could control with your remote?
What If You Could Create Your Own Virtual Concert Story?
Having that ability would profoundly transform what I experienced at Lady Gaga’s Lolla set and if it were possible we would certainly add it to our how to improve Lollapalooza list.
And what if you could created your own virtual concert story and share it with your friends and family? Would it transform our real rock n roll fantasies into virtual fantasies?
I know I had a lot of fun playing Kinect 
What if you could pull from other media that you took during show, or your add song from your own personal playlist, collection of photos or virtual concert merch, and then upload it all to tell your complete concert story?
I’m thinking it would be like what Halo gamers do, but this concert version would be a 3D TV virtual and fully interactive concert fan forum that you could access through your TV and that would stretch across time and space.
Like we learned in our Layar Tweeps Around 3D experiment and mobile app review, live music always becomes more meaningful when you realize the emotional context of the concert by become aware of what you and other fans around you were feeling during the show.
So what if there was a special feature that, as you had your 3D goggles strapped on, enabled you to upload your concert story while you watched the 3D concert, and then you could click on other fans in the crowd on the TV in front to explore other fan stories who had also uploaded their story?
That would be an amazing feature that would revolutionize how we experience a concert.
Having that feature would allow you to take your live music moments and extend them far beyond just that memorable night.
It would let you remember, recreate and evolve your concert memories with an entire community of concert fans just like you.
Sort of like what Recreate My Night has done.
What About Virtual Social Gaming For Concerts?
Even better, what if the band hid virtual Easter Eggs in the 3D Blue-ray concert DVD and when you unlocked the Easter Eggs you won tickets or other prizes.
Or what if these virtual Easter Eggs revealed unique information about the bands and venues that you didn’t know before? It would be really cool to create new kind of geocaching by adding virtual concerts and hidden GPS units at popular venues to the mix too.
In this type of virtual environment it would be fun to compete against other concert fans to see who could unlock the eggs, it might even be like Foursquare or other social gaming experiences.
One of the things I loved about Phish 3D was being visually and sonically immersed as all types of live
concert elements from the three-day festival popped from the screen.
Beach balls bounced and plumes of stage smoke floated in front of us.
Several times during the show I actually reached out and grabbed the beach balls and brush away the smoke as if I really could.
That said, I have no doubts that the visual and sonic 3D TV experience would be just as sonically dynamic and stunningly vivid.
And having that type of personalized virtual adventure in the comfort of my own home with friends and family and other concert fans, would certainly add another revolutionary dimension to the concert experience that you can’t always get at the venue.
What We Really Need 3D TV To Do
Whatever concert Blu-ray DVD features they come up with, most of all, I hope they use the 3D TV technology to empower concert fans to tell their own real and virtual concert stories.
Having that ability would truly inspire and challenge bands, promoters and fans to redefine the concert experience.
I’ve played with other gaming toys this year, and even though I’m not the biggest gamer, I still loved every minute of playing those games.
And if they can make those motion gaming experiences a reality, then I know that they can also make them possible for the live concert experience.
That said, I think it’s not a matter of “if” at this point. It’s when these features become a reality.
And in 2011 and beyond, I’m excited to see what it will be like when my concert 3D TV concert “wish list” does become a reality.
What Is 3D TV?
Yes, this post didn’t get into the technical side of 3D TV and how the technology is developing. And like I said before, right now were just dreaming about the possibilities.
But if you’re like me, you’re probably new to it and just learning about all this 3D TV stuff, so here’s a few 3D 101
You can also check out the How Stuff Works explanation of 3D TV.
Thanks to Much Music for the cool Lady Gaga photo.
What’s Your Take On 3D TV?
Are you looking forward to testing it out? Do you think it will forever change the live concert experience? Have you already tried it? The comments are yours!