meta has hired the Foo Fighters to rock the metaverse.
The social media giant (formerly known as Facebook) will host a free concert performed by Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters on Sunday, Feb. 13, immediately after the end of the Super Bowl.
In addition to streaming on Facebook and Instagram, meta will present the performance by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers in an 180-degree virtual-reality concert in Horizon Venues, the company’s social VR app.
The concert will be directed by noted music video director and filmmaker Mark Romanek. It will feature a custom stage design, described as a “surreal convergence of physical, fantastical visual elements.” Foo Fighters are slated to perform some rarely-played tracks — including one the group has never played publicly before. (They’re keeping that a surprise for the live event.)
“Foo Fighters love a challenge — from playing the biggest stages in the world to the tiniest clubs to making movies and miniseries. We’ve pretty much done it all,” Grohl said in a statement. “But we’ve never collaborated with Mark Romanek on a conceptual set of songs (including one being played live for the first time ever) for a worldwide audience, where everyone has the best seats in the house thanks to the most badass VR tech… until now. Join us when we cross that one off the FF bucket list!”
For meta, the Foo Fighters event is aimed at shining a spotlight on Horizon Venues, designed as an immersive “metaverse” VR environment that lets people interact using digital avatars via meta Quest VR headsets (formerly known as Oculus Quest). CEO Mark Zuckerberg has huge hopes on the commercial prospects of the metaverse and the company invested more than $10 billion in 202 building AR and VR products and services.
The stream of the Foo Fighters show on meta’s platforms will start at 8 p.m. Pacific on Feb. 13 or immediately following the conclusion of the game, whichever occurs later. It will be free to access, with no ads or brand sponsorships. Produced by Supersphere, the concert is being pre-recorded (and will not have an in-person audience).
The concert will be streamed in Horizon Venues, on the Foo Fighters Facebook page and the meta Quest Facebook page, and on Foo Fighters’ Instagram. It also will be featured on meta’s Portal device and Facebook Messenger via Watch Together.
The Horizon Venues app features a virtual lobby where users can meet up with friends and other fans before, during, and after the Foo Fighters show. Some of the lobby bays also will have doorways into Horizon Worlds, where people 18-plus in the U.S. and Canada will be able to jump into additional football-themed games and experiences, including a laser tag-inspired team game.
