An AR broadcast during Coachella 2026 generated a viral sensation but drew backlash for excluding in-person attendees.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa took to the stage during DJ Anyma’s set at the Coachella Music Festival, where YouTube livestreamers were stunned by the appearance of a digital, angelic version of Lisa towering over the stage while performing their new track “Bad Angel”. The effect was achieved by an AR overlay created exclusively for the broadcast.
The AR broadcast has drawn backlash from some festivalgoers who were in the crowd and fans who shared their disappointment on social media when they realised that the crowd was not experiencing the towering angel in person.
The broadcast generated confusion and apathy for streamers who voiced their disappointment with the “fake” effect, initially mistaking the AR overlay for an in-person hologram. One streamer wrote: “The columns at [the] start actually gave me fomo and [I] thought ‘wow maybe this will be revolutionary’ and then they disappeared and I realised it was AR… Everything was downhill from there”.
Another fan speaking on Reddit said that they: “feel bamboozled, I thought they did some clever hologram tricks or something”.