Rock and roll by no means dies, and neither does the band KISS.
On the conclusion of their farewell live performance at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York on Saturday evening, the rock band debuted their new digital avatars — ones that may guarantee KISS can proceed to tour, lengthy after the celebrities have retired.
The avatars, made by the identical individuals who designed the digitized ABBA live performance sequence, took over the band’s encore efficiency of God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You. After the precise KISS band members exited the stage, their large, better-than-holographic counterparts continued to rock on, flying on demon wings, respiration hearth and taking pictures lightning bolts from their fingers.
KISS’ present line-up options unique members Gene Simmons, 74, and Paul Stanley, 71, in addition to late joiners Eric Singer, 65, and Tommy Thayer, 63.
The KISS avatars have been created utilizing knowledge from motion-capture fits worn by the band members earlier this 12 months.
The avatars are three-dimensional and roughly eight ft tall. Utilizing pyrotechnics, lasers and different particular results, the avatars are dramatic and made to resemble the rockers of their youthful years. Regardless of being digital, the avatars play devices and sing, in addition to dance a little bit extra nimbly than the real-life members.
In a promotional video shared after the band’s last live performance Saturday evening, Gene Simmons stated the avatars would enable KISS to be “without end younger and without end iconic.”
For Simmons, KISS transcends age. He stated three completely different generations of followers can typically be noticed on the band’s concert events.
Frontman Paul Stanley championed the avatars as a “end result of fifty years” of the band’s historical past. He stated the avatars will fuse “actuality and a created actuality to play with individuals’s notion of what’s actual and what’s not actual.”
“I believe we’ve transcended over time being human beings, and right here we have gotten immortal,” Stanley stated of KISS. “It couldn’t be extra thrilling.”
Stanley famous that he and his bandmates can’t keep their success on stage indefinitely, however their avatars can. The band members hoped, with their avatars, they might proceed to carry KISS to new generations of rock and roll followers.
“The know-how goes to make Paul bounce larger than he’s ever executed earlier than,” Simmons described.
“And it received’t harm!” Stanley quipped.
“What we’ve achieved has been superb, however it’s not sufficient,” Stanley continued. “The band deserves to stay on as a result of the band is greater than we’re.”
The avatars have been designed by George Lucas’ particular results firm Industrial Gentle & Magic in partnership with the Swedish group Pophouse Leisure. Their digitized live performance sequence starring ABBA’s avatars in London earlier this 12 months reportedly made greater than US$2 million (about C$2.7 million) every week.
It’s not but clear how the KISS avatars might be used, or if like ABBA, they may have their very own live performance sequence. The BBC reported it’s not but recognized if former KISS members like Peter Criss and Ace Frehley might be included among the many avatars.
KISS’ last tour started 4 years in the past, however solely concluded final week after delays to do with COVID-19 restrictions and Stanley’s well being. This was KISS’ second farewell tour, with the primary in 2001.
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