After their last concert, KISS confirmed that the band would continue via digital avatars. Credits: Youtube/KISS
After several decades, the legendary rock band announced their retirement KISS said goodbye to his The End of the Road tour on December 2nd with a final concert at Madison Square Garden from new York. However, before turning off the lights for good, the group announced that their legacy will continue digital avatarsand thus heralds a new chapter for his musical legacy.
The avatars, designed by George Lucas’ special effects company, Industrial light and magicIn collaboration with Pophouse Entertainment GroupCo-founder of Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA, took the stage to perform “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.” This technology, which they had already used at the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, opens up the possibility of KISS holding concerts on different continents at the same time, he said. Per SundinCEO of Pophouse Entertainment.
During their final concert, KISS gave a first insight into their new era with digital avatars. Credits: Youtube/Dummycast
The members of Kiss, including the founders Paul Stanley And Gene Simmonstogether with the guitarist Tommy Thayer and the drummer Eric Singer, participated in motion capture sessions to create these digital avatars, which were presented as superhero versions of the band. The aim of the initiative is to ensure “digital immortality” for the group after a five-decade career.
KISS members participated in motion capture sessions to bring their digital avatars to life
“What we have achieved is incredible, but it is not enough. The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than us. It’s exciting for us to take the next step and see KISS immortalized.” explained guitarist and singer Paul Stanley about the band’s new digital stage. For his part, bassist Gene Simmons reiterated that this technology will ensure that KISS never ages.
“We can be forever young and forever iconic, taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before. Technology will make Paul jump higher than ever before“.
Since its inception, KISS has distinguished itself by turning its music into a multimillion-dollar brand, with all sorts of products coming from the band. The end of KISS’ live performances will not end this “tradition,” because as Simmons explained, the universe they created will endure.
Gene Simmons, KISS bassist, assured that there will also be films, Broadway shows and much more content from the band in the coming years (Photo by Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images)
“This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand. KISS is its own universe: movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience… is immortal“.
Simmons has also mused that in addition to shows featuring digital avatars, new experiences could emerge with artists wearing KISS makeup and clothing. This way, each country could have its own musicians performing hits like Rock & Roll All Nite or God of Thunder, Forever and Heaven’s on Fire.
“The KISS show will live on in different ways (…) There will also be four to ten different traveling shows. So, You can be in Japan and have Japanese actors, we are musicians, and at the same time you could go to Las Vegas, New York or London“.
Shows featuring artists from around the world wearing KISS makeup and franchise-style clothing are also in the band’s plans (Photo Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
The use of digital avatars is becoming increasingly common in the music industry, as evidenced by the creation of the “Digital Mark,” a digital twin of the K-pop artist. Mark Tuan. In this context, the Kiss avatars represent a significant step forward in this trend. Although the date has not yet been announced, a concert by the KISS avatars could take place in 2024.
The last show of KISS In Madison Square Garden It not only marked the end of an era for the band, but also the beginning of a new one, in which technology will allow them to captivate their fans beyond the traditional boundaries of stages and physical presence.