KISS to Perform as Avatars for Decades to Come After Final Show

The rock band KISS announced that they will perform as avatars for the first time in 2027. They had their last human concert at Madison Square Garden on December 2, ending their ‘End Of The Road’ world tour. They revealed that they will use virtual avatars to continue their legacy, becoming the first US band to do so. They also shared a preview video that shows when their avatars will debut. The video says: “2027 a show is coming.” and the caption reads: “50 years is a long time, and what the future holds is in the making.” Gene Simmons, the bassist, said that the avatars will “get better” and that “about 200 million” dollars is being spent on the technology. He also said that the farewell tour was the “end of the road for the band, not the brand”.

The avatars are reportedly created by Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas’ SFX company, and Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was founded by ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus and is behind the Voyage avatar show of the Swedish pop band. However, the KISS avatars are reportedly not as realistic as the ABBA ones.

Per Sundin, the CEO of Pophouse, said (via BBC): “We’re going to figure it out after the tour.” He added: “Is it a Kiss concert in the future? Is it a rock opera? Is it a musical? A story, an adventure?”

Paul Stanley, meanwhile, denied the rumours that KISS could have a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. He told Ultimate Classic Rock: “I can’t speak to it in any other way except to be honest with you about how I feel now, and the way I feel today is … I can’t really see that happening.” He also said: “As far as I’m concerned, we’re done.”