Kiss in VR: Rocking the Virtual Stage
Kiss takes a final bow with their fans and transitions into virtual reality. Assuring digital immortality, the rock legends will continue to perform through their digital avatars.
With this move, Kiss pioneers a new era, becoming the first American band to fully shift their concert experiences into the virtual world.
During the final act, as they came out for the encore, the real Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer, and drummer Eric Singer made their exit from the stage, ceding the spotlight to their digital avatars. And so, VR-Kiss launched into a performance of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You."
Per Sundin, the CEO of Pophouse Entertainment, speaks about the potential of new technologies to extend the touring life of Kiss, now in their senior years. “Kiss could have a concert in three cities in the same night across three different continents,” he highlighted.
Previously, we've also discussed how artificial intelligence aided Paul McCartney in creating a song with the late John Lennon.
In early December 2023, the group wrapped up their final "The End of the Road" tour with a concert at Madison Square Garden, New York. The choice of this venue for their parting performance seems particularly meaningful. It's widely held that Kiss originated in the Big Apple (New York's nickname) in 1973 – marking half a century before their farewell tour.
The Final Concert of Kiss Source: AP
We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before,Gene Simmons commented.
The digital counterparts of the rock musicians were crafted by George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic, with assistance from Pophouse Entertainment Group. This is the same Lucas renowned for his work on the "Star Wars" series and the "Indiana Jones" films. Pophouse Entertainment Group has its own notable experience, having previously created a splash with the digital "ABBA Voyage" show in London, where avatars of the celebrated Swedish band debuted new songs.
What we’ve accomplished has been amazing, but it’s not enough. The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are,Paul Stanley said.
