Jimi Hendrix and MJ to play live again

Hollywood technology, which has been pioneered by 'Avatar' director James Cameron, will not only resurrect all the dead music icons including Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, but do so in the very near future. Fans at last weekend's Coachella Festival in Indio, California, watched in awe as late rapper Tupac Shakur performed "live" with Snoop Dogg. More sophisticated than the sort of hologram used in Disney theme parks, the computer generated image of Tupac, who was killed in Las Vegas 16 years ago, seemed to move and harmonise in perfect synchronicity. "The level of sophistication was mind-blowing," the Daily Express quoted one concert-goer as saying. "Does this mean we can bring any star back from the grave?" the concert goer said. As long as their images were captured on film when they were alive, the answer is yes. So stand by for what one expert describes as a "coming explosion of digital resurrection events" that will change the live performance landscape forever. Digital Domain, a Los Angeles company founded by Cameron, masterminded Tupac's rise from the grave. "To create a completely synthetic human being is the most complicated thing that can be done," Ed Ulbrich, the company's chief creative officer, said. "This is not archive footage. This is an illusion that looks completely real but isn't," Ulbrich said. Behind the scenes, Digital Domain and other pioneers have been working on digital resurrection for some time. Two-and-a-half years ago, Ulbrich and his team raised Frank Sinatra from the dead to perform 'Pennies From Heaven' at Simon Cowell's 50th birthday party. Ulbrich is cagey about the price of bringing CGI to live audiences, admitting only that the event cost more than 60,000 pounds. Yet that is considerably less expensive than hiring a living star and considerably more interesting to fans who long to see their late heroes on stage again. Jackie Jackson, who watched the show, was so impressed he is now in talks with Digital Domain about bringing back his brother Michael to join the first Jackson Five reunion tour for 20 years.