Sidhu Moose Wala hologram tour opens without AI

Sidhu Moose Wala's Signed to God tribute tour opened at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on October 9, 2026, in what The Tribune called the first hologram-based world tour by an Indian artist.

The show had been pushed back a day from October 8, according to the venue's own event page. The Tribune reported a packed house for the opening night.

The Concert Production, the New Delhi company that built the show, told Rolling Stone India that the technique is actually Pepper's Ghost, a 2D projection reflected off a screen, even though the tour's own site advertises "3D holographic" performances. Italy's Studio Tangram supplied the projection, and its chief executive, Giovanni Palma, told Il Sole 24 Ore that a projector and a plastic screen invisible to the audience create the image.

No AI was used for the likeness. The Concert Production co-founder Zeeshan Siddiqui told Rolling Stone India that the team tried an AI-generated likeness around 2024 through a UK agency and judged the result gimmicky and too crude to use. "It was looking very kiddish," Siddiqui said. The team went to Italy to build the look with a body double, prosthetics, Moose Wala's own clothes and replicas of his tattoos. A Hollywood prosthetic artist and the man who tied Moose Wala's pagdi were brought in, per Rolling Stone India.

The shows use Moose Wala's original vocals, The Tribune reported, and some artists who had recorded with him took the stage during the hologram set.

Moose Wala, born Shubhdeep Singh, was killed on May 29, 2022, at 28. His father, Balkaur Singh, told The Tribune the first phase covers 10 shows, and he is attending with his wife and younger son, Nikka Sidhu. A new video for the 2021 track "295," built from archival footage, was released for the launch; The Tribune said it passed 280,000 views in its first 30 minutes.

Announced dates continue with Vancouver on October 15, Calgary on October 19, Belmont Park, New York on October 23, Rosenberg, Texas on October 30 and Oakland on November 6, per the tour site. The Tribune reported planned stops in the UK, UAE, India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand.

For anyone selling an AI likeness service, the run is a documented case of an estate and a producer declining one. The producers' stated reason, that they needed a specific mustache and a familiar gesture rather than a generic reaction, is the bar a generative model would have to clear before a family signs off.

Tickets for the announced dates are on sale through Ticketmaster, and the "295" video is on the Sidhu Moose Wala YouTube channel.