KISS performed their final show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden this past weekend, but this won’t mark the end of their journey. The legendary rock band will kick off a new era as a virtual band after deciding to say goodbye to touring.
During the encore of their final show at Madison Square Garden, KISS co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons returned to the stage as digital avatars alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, announcing the new, digital era of KISS.
Created by Industrial Light and Magic and Pophouse, the band’s digital avatars will live on and continue the band’s legacy. These two companies previously collaborated on the ABBA Voyage show in London, which also saw the members of the iconic Swedish band perform as digital avatars.
The band’s frontman Paul Stanley said they decided to have KISS immortalized this way because what they’ve accomplished has been amazing, but it’s not enough. The bassist Gene Simmons echoed his statement, adding they can “be forever young and forever iconic” with the use of technology that will take them to places they’ve never dreamed of before.
KISS performed their final concert at Madison Square Garden on December 2, and they said “this tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand” long before unveiling their digital avatars.
