On the heels of news of the first big VR film sale at Sundance, Elton John unleashed a VR360 retrospective short to introduce a livestream concert announcement on January 24, 2018.

(Use your A, S, D and W keys to move in space if you don’t have a headset. I found the 1440 resolution provided the best balance between detail and smooth playback.)

His upcoming 3 year, 300 date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour will be his last; Elton (currently age 70) intends to quit touring to spend more time with his young children and husband.

Watch the full announcement with host Anderson Cooper (interview begins at 16:00 of the clip).

According to Wired, the VR360 video took two years to produce. Amazingly, it pushes the limits for motion sickness in VR.

Here’s the Making Of, Part One and Part Two.

My take: kudos to Elton John for embracing VR (and AR the previous day.) With over 700,000 views to date, the piano man shows us how to build buzz and steal the show.