A year ago, the Honda Civic Tour was supposed to be headlined by former One Direction member Niall Horan, but, like all large-scale IRL events, the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation. In April, the “tour” returned for its 20th anniversary with a virtual concert headlined by H.E.R.
Presented on Live Nation’s Twitch channel, the hourlong performance, produced by the concert producer, was touted as the “first-ever mixed-reality broadcast on an XR stage,” and used a combination of live-action footage, a stage built with LED panels that surrounded H.E.R. and the Unreal game engine to bring the experience to life from a studio in Los Angeles.
“Overall, virtual productions are exponentially more complicated than a traditional, straight-forward livestream because they require all elements of a show production to be in sync,” explained Meliza Humphrey, senior manager of American Honda Marketing for American Honda Motor Co. “All elements—light, color calibration, camera tracking—have to be processed by a central server to output the content. To make this happen required an entire production crew of mixed-reality, 3D creative artists and tech experts to create an aesthetic that aligned with the Honda brand identity while maintaining a look and feel authentic to H.E.R.” This included an otherworldly, Mars-like setting that featured a virtual version of the new Honda Civic Sedan, which popped up during transitional moments throughout the concert.
The virtual concert used a combination of live-action footage, a stage built with LED panels that surrounded H.E.R. and the Unreal game engine to bring the experience to life from a studio in Los Angeles.Photo: Courtesy of Honda
Before the livestreamed concert, fans also got a first look at the 2022 Honda Civic Sedan before it rolls into dealerships nationwide this summer. “For Honda, introducing the all-new 2022 Civic lineup to young buyers is critical and the majority of viewers on Twitch (67%) are under the age of 35,” Humphrey explained. “Twitch also has been a very successful platform for Honda as a media amplification partner for our esports program."
She added that the Civic prototype was revealed on Honda’s Head2Head gaming channel back in November, making Honda the first automaker to globally debut a vehicle on a branded Twitch channel. The Amazon-owned video game-streaming platform has served as a kind of replacement for in-person events like car shows where auto brands such as Honda usually generate buzz about new models.
In addition to the concert, the virtual tour experience included an interview with H.E.R., as well as trivia rounds and behind-the-scenes footage. Fans were able to enter for a chance to win a 2022 Civic Sedan, plus virtual meet and greets with H.E.R. and a “concert in a box” filled with swag. The next “stop” on the tour will be a remix version of the April 28 performance, which will be available on Honda’s YouTube channel.
Twitch, the Amazon-owned video game-streaming platform, has served as a kind of replacement for in-person events like car shows where auto brands such as Honda usually generate buzz about new models.Photo: Courtesy of Honda
Before the livestreamed concert, fans also got a first look at the 2022 Honda Civic Sedan before it rolls into dealerships nationwide this summer.Photo: Courtesy of Honda
