October 01, 2009

By By Andre Paine, London

German pop-rock act Tokio Hotel is launching a 3D holographic tour - a "virtual" performance to be shown in 12 cities across seven countries.

The promotion, which uses ground-breaking new technology, launches tomorrow (Oct. 2) in Berlin.

The performance will be broadcast via 3D holographic images in 12 stores of Europe's leading consumer electronics retailer, the Media-Saturn Group. Hologram technology uses lasers and allows 3D images of the four musicians to be projected on stage.

Tokio Hotel will perform songs from their new album, ?Humanoid? (Universal), for fans in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. The 3D performance was filmed with Tokio Hotel in Hamburg in September.

Tokio Hotel?s virtual tour will begin at a Media Markt store in Berlin, followed by virtual shows in other European cities from Oct. 5-19. This includes a show in Magdeburg, Germany - Tokio Hotel's home town.

The itinerary will climax with an in-person, live performance by Tokio Hotel on Oct. 27 at the opening of France's largest Saturn store in the Paris region.

"This is the perfect innovation, using new technology to bring the excitement of one of Europe's biggest bands to their fans in different countries,? said Max Hole, EVP, Universal Music Group International, in a statement. ?It's also evidence of our commitment to support and serve partners such as Media-Saturn, by delivering a great experience for the audience. We expect this to be the first of many such initiatives."

The virtual tour is a partnership between Tokio Hotel, Universal Music and the Media-Saturn Group.

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