MAGICAL MYSTERY TOURS

Aided by the Great Pause, concert tech is growing by leaps and bounds. The next wave of live music will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen

- DAVID BROWNE AND SAMANTHA HISSONG

Shaun Clair has seen the future of rock & roll, and it’s a 3D pig. Starting in the Sixties, Clair Global, the company co-founded by Clair’s grandfather, has provided sound systems for major rock tours, from Elton John’s and the Stones’ up through more recent ones like Roger Waters’ The Wall extravaganza. But with advances in AI, lighting tricks, robots, lasers, and other new technologies in the offing, what could the Wall of the future look like?

For one, Clair says, the music would be piped into your ears by way of AirPods or similar in-ear tech — so when that plane smashes into the brick wall at the show’s end, “it will sound authentic,” no matter where you’re sitting. Then, picture everyone sporting Google Glass or similar headgear as the pig arrives. “But instead of that pig being physical and remote-controlled, it’s reproduced through somebody’s lens,” Clair continues. “The pig could explode into a thousand different pigs and bounce around. Or it says over your shoulder, ‘Hey, welcome to the show. Get ready for what’s going to happen next.’ ”

Fans shouldn’t expect a whole new world when they walk into their first post-pandemic show. Thanks to the prolonged loss of income, a lot of acts will be focused on cost-cutting measures, which — according to veteran tour director Christian Coffey — could result in more package tours that allow multiple headliners to share production. For the time being, masks will likely remain mandatory in many places, and admission could become more tiered, similar to boarding an Amtrak train: People may be let in at different times and through different doors.