WATCH: Janelle Monae and M.I.A. Perform Eachother’s Shows as Holograms

What do we love the most about those surprise concert appearances via hologram? Well everything actually. Performing on two separate coasts of North America, Janelle Monae and M.I.A. joined forces for a couple amazing live duets in front of partygoers in New York and Los Angeles.

Performing at Quixote Studies in Los Angeles, Monae was joined onstage by an image of M.I.A. that seemed to dazzle with more elaborate lighting technology than was seen at the Tupac Shakur performance at Coachella in 2012. The two were heard to perform Q.U.E.E.N., a single from Monae’s latest album. M.I.A., performing at New York City’s SIR Stage 37 was in turn joined by a projection of her digital partner for a rendition of the track Bad Girls.

Hologram technology has so far been prohibitively expensive, only available to be activated on stage for a brief amount of time. And when it has, it always seems to capture our imagination. Monae and M.I.A. hope that the brouhaha will be enough to garner some additional attention for their projects in the flesh.

Monae released her third studio album The Electric Lady in signature psychedelic soul style last year and will be making appearances at Roots Picnic next month in Philadelphia and Way Out West later in the fall.

M.I.A., who has been getting quite a bit of heat from the NFL in recent months for a middle finger at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, is coming off recent performance at the Ultra Music Festival. Her Matangi album, released late last year, will be followed up by a long spring and summer tour, which has already kicked off. Her next date is April 25th at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pa.