M.I.A. and Janelle Monae perform duets as holograms

It wasn’t quite resuscitating Tupac at Coachella, but Janelle Monae and M.I.A. did manage to bend the space-time continuum a bit for a concert Thursday night using holograms.

The concert - part of an Audi-sponsored gig for the launch of a new car - beamed images of each singer across coasts onto the other’s stage. Monae performed in L.A., M.I.A. from New York. M.I.A. popped in for a verse of Monae’s “Q.U.E.E.N.”; Monae returned the favor on M.I.A’s “Bad Girls.”

The two artists didn’t take the “Star Trek” aspects of the gig too seriously, with M.I.A. joking that she wore specific gold “hologram friendly” pants for the occasion, and the artists changing lyrics to tout Audi at every possible opportunity.

PHOTOS: Unexpected musical collaborations

Not quite a middle finger at the Super Bowl, but at least she was self-aware about participating in the flagrant corporate tie-ins here.

Watch the performance of “Bad Girls” below and take bets on the next pop star who plans to tour by holographically Skyping it in, from the grave or not.

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