The farewell tour of KISS concluded with a monumental show on Saturday night, marking the end of their “End of the Road” tour, which spanned an impressive 50 years of continuous touring. Madison Square Garden in New York served as the venue for this historic final concert, where founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, graced the stage with electrifying performances of timeless hits like “I Love It Loud” and “Beth.”
In a groundbreaking move, at the conclusion of the live performance, the musicians exited the stage, making way for their digital avatars to take over and deliver a stunning rendition of “God Gave Rock And Roll To You.” The band documented this unique transition in a video released on their official YouTube channel. The footage showcases the musicians donning motion-capture suits, the technology used to bring their digital counterparts to life, complete with dynamic performances and even breathing fire.
Kiss (Credits: The Independent)
Frontman Paul Stanley expressed the band’s perspective on this innovative step in the video, stating, “The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are.” This transformative endeavor, realized through a collaboration with Pophouse Entertainment Group, positions KISS as the first American band to embrace digital avatar technology. The Swedish company, Pophouse Entertainment Group, emphasized that this move ensures the band’s immortalization while pushing the boundaries of rock and roll performances—a tradition KISS has upheld throughout their illustrious career.
According to Pophouse’s news release, the avatars, crafted by Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by George Lucas, are a testament to KISS’s commitment to perpetual youth and iconic status. Gene Simmons, commenting on this technological leap, stated, “We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before. The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he’s ever done before.”
In following the footsteps of Swedish band ABBA, which incorporated digital avatars into their own concerts, KISS has once again positioned themselves at the forefront of innovation in the music industry. Pophouse Entertainment Group, having worked with ABBA, Avicii, and Swedish House Mafia, believes that KISS’s avatars will continue to captivate audiences digitally for decades to come, cementing their legacy in a groundbreaking intersection of music and technology.
