Get on Stage with The Gift in Virtual Reality

Samsung Electronics will once again demonstrate how technology can transform the human experience through a live virtual reality broadcast of alternative rock band The Gift’s highly anticipated concert on Saturday, December 19 at 10 p.m. in Lisbon, Portugal.

The concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Gift will take place at the MEO Arena and will be the first direct transmission in Portugal of a musical performance in virtual reality. Utilizing two cameras, the transmission will give the viewer the option of watching the show from the front row, or from the stage alongside the band.

To watch the concert in virtual reality from anywhere in the world, viewers will need the Samsung Gear VR headset, a compatible smartphone and the IM360 VR App, which can be downloaded from the Oculus Store. Alternatively, the concert can be viewed at various Samsung Experience Store locations throughout Portugal.

The Gift was formed in 1994 and is made up of Sónia Tavares, brothers John and Nuno Gonçalves, and Miguel Ribeiro. The band has released five albums of Portuguese and English songs over the past 20 years, which were well received in their native country, as well as throughout Europe. They were also recipients of the MTV Europe Award for Best Portuguese Act in 2005.

Thanks to the latest technological developments, and more affordable devices such as Samsung’s Gear VR, virtual reality has become more accessible. Leveraging this, Samsung recently set out to use this increasingly evolving media platform to connect sports fans around the world to their favorite athletes in a way like never before in Portugal.

On September 20, the soccer match between Portuguese teams FC Porto and S.L. Benfica was broadcast to the world in virtual reality using a multi-camera system which featured 360-degree cameras placed on the pitch and in the bleachers. In October, surfing fans from around the globe had the opportunity to be transported to Portugal’s Supertubos Beach to get an up-close view of the Moche Rip Curl Pro. Now, Samsung is expanding its virtual reality efforts to music.