The latest band to embrace VR is ... New Kids on the Block?
Your mom may want to borrow that Oculus thing.
Here's a sign that virtual reality has lots its veneer of cool before it even really arrived. Pop TV has revealed that it will use the tech for the next season of Rock This Boat featuring New Kids on the Block. If you've no idea what any of those words mean, the show is about fans on a cruise ship with the '90s boy band (NKOTB, if you're cool), "as they engage with each other and rock out with their fans, both on- and off-stage."
The channel says it teamed up with VR network Littlstar, to create "experiences [that] will include live performances with the band, selfies with Donnie, surf lessons with Joey and Jonathan, and more." (Also, plenty of shots of butts and ripped abs, showing the band is still in shape at 40-plus.) If nothing else, it's clear proof that virtual reality is no longer reserved for experimental artists or huge pop stars. Rather, it's apparently front-of-mind for every producer looking to generate buzz for acts that need it a lot more than Taylor Swift.
