Step Into the Future of Entertainment with Gooii’s Groundbreaking Augmented Reality Concerts

Imagine standing in front of a real stage, then suddenly, a hologram of David Bowie appears, stars fill the room and the crowd around you dances as he launches into ‘Star Man’.

No, it’s not sci-fi. It’s the world’s first Augmented Reality concert, and we just made it happen. We’ve turned a historic venue into a live portal for jaw-dropping, 3D performances, blending cutting-edge tech, holograms and zero-latency connectivity to create an immersive shared AR concert experience. Curious how we pulled it off? Let’s dive in.

Creating The World’s First Holographic 3D Concert

Gooii has successfully developed the technology for audiences to project an Augmented Reality concert into a real-world venue.

As part of the CORE project, we’ve been developing a series of Augmented Reality experiences at Cambridge’s historic Corn Exchange to test a new 5G Open Ran network.

The result is a groundbreaking Augmented Reality concert experience, which transforms any real-world stage into a portal for immersive, holographic performances. It enables audiences to relive historic shows as if they were happening live, right in front of them.

In this article, we’re going to delve into the project and…

• Explain how we developed the technology for the Augmented Reality concert
• Look at how CGI effects made it a more immersive experience
• Explain why zero latency is so important for AR
• How we made it a shared yet personal experience
• Look at how we can use this technology in your industry

From Government Innovation to Holographic Performances: Meet the Visionary Team Behind the Augmented Reality Concert

We’re incredibly proud to be part of the government’s £88 million investment in innovative open 5G connectivity solutions across the UK.

The Cambridgeshire Open RAN Ecosystem (CORE) was one of 19 projects that benefited from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) funding. The project is being led by digital connectivity programme Connecting Cambridgeshire, on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.

We worked alongside a consortium of partners to develop emerging technologies that are designed to test and improve mobile capacity in busy areas of the UK, or ‘High Demand Density’ locations. These included AWTG, Benetel, Ontix, Wolfram, University of Surrey and University of Cambridge. We were also thrilled to be partnered with the historic Cambridge Corn Exchange venue.

New hardware and software has been developed to test the capabilities of a super-fast Open RAN network. This was done with the aim to support the local tourism industry and test how well the network can handle large amounts of data.

Read more about HDD locations and the new 5G Open Ran network.

Gooii’s Public Trials Featured on ITV East Anglia News

Reimagining 150 Years of Music History: The Brief That Sparked a Groundbreaking Augmented Reality Concert Experience

Using the new network, the brief was to design a new experience that celebrated 150 years of the Cambridge Corn Exchange and the artists that have played there.

Key Deliverables

• We used actors to recreate classic performances in life-like 3D
• Artists were placed as holograms on the Corn Exchange stage
• CGI was added to enhance the performances
• Artists performed directly to each audience member
• Content was streamed via an edge server over a private 5G network
• The performances were delivered to the audience in perfect sync
• A management app was developed to control the experience.

Public Trials

In order to test the technology, we set up a public trial at the Corn Exchange. Members of the public were invited to test the AR experience developed in-house by Gooii.

Augmented Reality Concert: How We Developed The Technology

The process for developing this technology started in our offices in Nottingham, before the production was taken to Nexus Studio in Sheffield.

We recorded real-life artists and performers, who recreated historic shows from the Corn Exchange’s history. These included actors playing Dave Grohl, Adele, David Bowie, Diana Ross and Freddie Mercury. Working with Adam Marsden and Dan Mears from Next Step Films, we created stunning 8K 3D performances.

Our expert coders and designers then turned this into an immersive AR experience that can be viewed anywhere in the world.

To deliver the experience, we networked a series of Meta Quest and Apple Vision headsets. By connecting the devices we were able to share data, interact in real-time and synchronize the experiences. This ultimately ensured participants were all part of the same experience.

Audience members gathered in front of the stage and put on their AR headsets. The headsets then streamed the 8K 3D content as holograms on the stage in front of them.

This resulted in thrilling reenactments of events from the Corn Exchange’s history, in the exact same place they happened many years ago. Using our AR technologies we transported the audience back in time and back to the future.

How Are These Augmented Reality Concerts Different From Virtual Reality?

The AR concert is different to the Virtual Reality gigs we’re used to seeing. VR concerts create entirely digital environments, immersing users in a fully virtual space, including the audience, stage and performers.

Gooii’s Augmented Reality technology overlays digital content onto the real world. This means participants can still see their surroundings while watching the holographic performances. In the words of John Naylor at Nexus Studio “It bridges the gap between film and the real world and allows the viewer to step into the scene.”

Our technology allows participants to gather together in front of a real stage and watch synchronized AR performances. Unlike VR concerts, where each participant is in a digital space, AR audiences are physically together in the real world.

Client Testimonials

Jay Apperley of the UK Foo Fighters said “Gooii is pushing the boundaries of technology and audience viewing.”

Adam Marsden, our consultant film director, enthused: “We’re finding new and inventive ways to create a whole new canvas for people to perform on, generating a new experience for a live audience.”

John Naylor added, “Projects like this are the future. This is changing the entire way we consume media. Gooii is pushing the boundaries, it’s just mind blowing.”

The feedback from the trials was excellent. Here’s some of the comments we got from the trial participants:

• “The experience was a delight and one of a kind”
• “Exciting, new and creative experience”
• “Amazing experience. Very immersive”
• “Mind bending”
• “Unique experience, a look into the future of augmented reality in a live event environment.”
• “Unbeatable experience”
• “I will be telling people about this for weeks!”
• “Excellent insight into what’s possible augmenting live events and leveraging modern technologies.”
• “The future man!”

Using CGI to Bring Immersive Experiences into the Real World

We added CGI elements to the AR performances and replicated classic moments from live performances.This made the viewing experience even more immersive. We added aeroplanes flying over the audience during the Foo Fighters classic ‘Learn to Fly’. The room was filled with stars when David Bowie sang ‘Star Man’, and we made it rain gold glitter as Adele sang ‘Someone Like You’. These CGI effects are designed to emulate the spectacle of live shows and their music videos, elevating the experience from watching a video of a past performance to being part of an immersive, interactive show.

By blending real-life footage with dynamic digital enhancements, we recreated the energy and magic of a live concert. The result was an experience that was not only visually stunning but also deeply engaging, making audiences feel as if they had stepped into a dreamlike version of history.

Zero Latency – Creating Shared Experiences with Augmented Reality

A cutting edge 5G network provided zero latency when delivering the content. There is no delay between the action and the reaction, which enables us to deliver an authentic AR concert experience.

It also meant that everyone in the audience was watching exactly the same thing, at exactly the same time. Participants were clapping for their favourite songs, dancing during choruses and cheering at the end of sets. It creates a truly unique, shared experience that brings people together in a way a real-life gig can.

Accessibility: Opening Up Live Experiences to Everyone

The technology also has many accessibility benefits. As Jay explained, “it allows you to feel part of a performance that you weren’t present for.” It enables you to “reach people that wouldn’t normally come and see a rock show.” This opens up many opportunities for event planners, enabling them to open the doors to a whole new audience that aren’t able to physically attend events.

People with mobility issues, or those who fear crowds, are now able to experience live music. You can also bring cultural events to people, rather than them needing to travel somewhere – think taking art exhibitions to schools or projecting a concert into a care home or hospital setting. With our concert experiences, everyone can have a front row seat.

How Event Planners Could Use This AR Technology

The success of these trials at the Cambridge Corn Exchange demonstrates just how powerful Augmented Reality can be in transforming the way we experience and interact with performance content. AR allows us to open up a world of new possibilities for audience engagement.

The opportunities for events are without limit. We can use it in corporate events and shows, sporting events, theatres, film premieres, theme parks and training.

This is just the beginning – where we take it next is limited only by imagination.