Like so many other events, the legendary Wacken Open Air Festival had to be cancelled due to coronavirus. The event has now been moved to the web in the form of a live broadcast including a mixed reality stage.
Rock and metal fans all over the world can rejoice: although you won't be able to visit the Schleswig-Holstein Wacken to enjoy three days of live metal, but you don't have to miss out on the gigantic show completely. Organiser Thomas Jensen and Deutsche Telekom have decided to move the festival to the web with Wacken World Wide to create what it claims is the biggest mixed reality show of all time.
Wacken in the parlour for once
Over three days from 30 July to 1 August, bands such as Kreator, Blind Guardian, Heaven Shall Burn, Beyond the Black and In Extremo will rock live and in real time on a virtual digital stage, complete with light show and stage effects. Michael Schuld, Head of TV and Entertainment at Telekom Deutschland: "We are presenting one of the world's most important festivals in this revolutionary format. Thanks to a state-of-the-art mixed reality studio, we are bringing the energy of Wacken exclusively into viewers' living rooms with MagentaMusik 360. A festival experience at home couldn't be more authentic." Thomas Jensen is also certain that the innovative technology combined with the concentrated load of metal will thrill fans around the globe.
Free of charge on the web
If you like, you can watch the concert in the app from MagentaMusic 360, on MagentaTV or in the programme #DABEI live and free of charge. The virtual stage is based on extended reality technology, in which the artists playing live are filmed and integrated into a virtual set complete with LED back wall and LED floor. In addition to the live streams, there will be background stories and the best performances from 30 years of Wacken. Samsung is on board as a strategic partner, with the Galaxy S20, a suitable end device for the mixed reality experience, in its portfolio.
Source: wuv
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