Rumors from various sources are stating that the holographic Tupac performance was so great, legendary, that it prompted a spew of ideas, even one that suggested a tour?

According to The Wall Street Journal, Snoop and Dre are discussing logistics for a joint tour that would regularly feature the hologram at their concerts.  One option would be a tour in stadiums, involving other hip-hop stars, including Eminem, 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa. Alternately, they could stage a more limited tour, featuring only Dre, Snoop Dogg and the virtual Tupac, in smaller arenas.

The main issue would likely be making the cost of the concerts affordable to fans, as the detailed (right down to his tattoos) hologram was expensive to make. Nick Smith, president of the company that projected the computer-generated figure at Coachella, tells MTV that it cost as much as $400,000 for just the two song performance. A tour with more songs could mean higher ticket prices.

Digital Domain is a publicly traded company that reported revenue last year of $98.6 million. The thinly-traded company has a market capitalization of $211 million. Its stock is down 15% year-to-date.

“To create a completely synthetic human being is the most complicated thing that can be done,” Digital Domain’s chief creative officer, Ed Ulbrich, said in a phone interview Monday.

He said that the performances of the rapper’s hits “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” weren’t simply old ones captured on film and repurposed: “This is not found footage. This is not archival footage. This is an illusion.”

“This is just the beginning,” Mr. Ulbrich said. “Dre has a massive vision for this.”

Spokeswomen for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg declined to comment.

[Sources: WSJ / Syracuse]

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Watch the holographic Tupac perform hits such as, “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerika’z Most Wanted,” along side Snoop Dogg below:

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