Starting with Tupac at Coachella in 2012, music estates have used “holograms” to put deceased acts back on the road. The use of heavy inverted commas around “holograms” is because they are not true holograms, just visual projections that are effectively updates on an old Victorian stage illusion called Pepper’s ghost. There have been “hologram” shows by acts including Frank Zappa, Ronnie James Dio, Maria Callas, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Whitney Houston, although a planned Amy Winehouse one was mothballed following public outcry in 2019.

This has, to date, been something used primarily for dead artists as living artists can, frankly, still tour; but the ABBA Voyage show also reveals how living artists who do not want to go back on the road can play “live” again night after night. These living artists also have the benefit of having a say in whether or not virtual versions of themselves are put to work on the stage.

Now MTN Group, the largest mobile network operator in Africa, has worked with technology company Proto (tagline: “It’s not communication, it’s holoportation”) to develop what they are terming “a blockbuster 5G tour of top artists” featuring acts such as Johnny Drille, Praize, Hamisu Breaker, Qdot and Slowdog. Performances from the digitised acts will take place in Abuja, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan and the Hard Rock Cafe in Lagos. The acts appear life-size in a giant frame that looks like a hefty advertising hoarding.

“This is an important stage in Nigerian entertainment because hologram technology allows artists to connect with their audiences on a whole new level, surpassing geographical boundaries and engaging fans who may not have been able to attend live concerts in the past,” said Ibifiri Uhuegbulem, MTN Nigeria’s regional sales manager.

This is a headline-grabbing move by Proto to push its technology which it feels has a wider use application for not just entertainers but also teachers, doctors, brands and businesspeople to reach wider audiences regardless of location.