Apple and U2 have gotten together again to promote their greatness, only instead of force feeding you an album you don’t want, this time the duo is diving into virtual reality for the band’s new video for “Song for Someone.”
The 360-degree U2 video is one of the first signs Apple is interested in VR after remaining on the sidelines of the up-and-coming tech for the past few years. Apple’s only other effort in VR videos was an exclusive 360-video of The Weeknd’s remix for ‘The Hills.’
U2’s video begins with the band playing in an empty Toronto venue. Bono sings his lyrics right into your face, then The Edge materializes to your side before the other members of the band fill in the rest of the stage. The video then transports viewers across the globe to see different fans singing along to U2’s dad-rock.
The U2 video was also created by Vrse, which made the VR experience available for the first time on an Apple Music branded bus outside U2’s show this weekend at the O2 Arena in London. The video can now be watched via the Vrse app for iOS and Android.
“It was an amazing experience working with the people at Apple on this project,” Vrse CEO Chris Milk told Wired. “Jimmy Iovine is, of course, interested in music and innovation and has been a huge supporter of this project from the beginning—and was instrumental in making it come to fruition.”
More 360-degree music videos are in the works at Apple too according to a Milk who says Muse is partnering with VRSE and Apple Music to make “post-apocalyptic action film” in VR.
Now if only we could get an Apple-branded VR headset to watch it on.
