When it comes to rock and roll, few bands hold up to KISS and the power they brought to each performance. For the past 50 years, the band toured all over the world, entertaining fans with what some called “shock rock.” While the band received a mountain of criticism for their antics on stage, the group sold over 75 million albums and is considered one of the most influential rock bands of all time. On Saturday, KISS performed their final show at the famed Madison Square Garden. Although the group is finished traveling, it seems they have immortalized themselves thanks to technology turning them into avatars.
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Thanks to Industrial Light & Magic, founded by George Lucas, and Pophouse Entertainment Group, KISS will never stop performing. Using technology, the companies helped transform the iconic group into digital avatars. According to Pophouse Entertainment CEO, Per Sundin, the band will be able to perform for “eternity.” He added, “KISS could have a concert in three cities in the same night across three different continents. That’s what you could do with this.”
Using motion capture suits, the members of KISS performed their set, allowing artists to bring them into the digital age. Excited about the idea of immortality, the group shared a video of the process on X, writing, “Today, A New Era Begins. #KISSARMY, the end is only the beginning! KISS have been immortalized and reborn as avatars to rock forever.”
Not All Are Loving Digital KISS
While members of the band, like Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, praised the finished product, fans of KISS had other opinions. Filling the comment sections, fans shared, “Scrap this plan and have Tommy and Eric lead a new band. This is…weird.” Another person wrote, “You can rock forever, but the core fan base will be dead in 10-15 years. Get a hold of yourselves.”
[RELATED: KISS Reveal New Era of Band as Avatars During Final New York City Show]
Although some fans voiced their concerns for the idea, others praised KISS. “Hats off to one of the greatest rock bands ever. Take a bow, gentlemen. Congratulations on a 50-year career. There never was a band like KISS before, and there will never be another band like KISS again. You have given us memories that will last forever.“
As for members of KISS, Simmons said, “We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before.”
(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)
