KISS have confirmed that their first shows using avatars will take place in 2027.
The band played their final show as humans at Madison Square Garden on December 2, bringing their ‘End Of The Road’ world tour to its conclusion. There, they announced that they will continue in the future as virtual avatars, reportedly becoming the first US band to do so.
Now, they have shared a teaser clip revealing when fans will be able to see their avatars perform. “50 years is a long time, and what the future holds is in the making,” reads the caption, while the video includes the wording: “2027 a show is coming.”
Bassist Gene Simmons recently said that the avatars will “get better”, revealing that “about 200 million” dollars is being invested in the technology. He had previously insisted the farewell tour is the “end of the road for the band, not the brand”.
The avatars were reportedly made by George Lucas’ SFX company, Industrial Light & Magic and in collaboration with Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was co-founded by ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus and is behind the Swedish pop band’s Voyage avatar show.
However, the KISS avatars are reportedly not likely to appear as realistic as the ABBA ones.
“We’re going to figure it out after the tour,” Pophouse CEO Per Sundin explained (via BBC). “Is it a Kiss concert in the future? Is it a rock opera? Is it a musical? A story, an adventure?”
Meanwhile, Paul Stanley recently responded to rumours that KISS could be the next band to have a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
“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 told Ultimate Classic Rock. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re done.”