Rock and roll by no means dies, and neither does the band KISS.
At the conclusion of their farewell live performance at Madison Square Garden 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 collection, 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 big, better-than-holographic counterparts continued to rock on, flying on demon wings, respiration hearth and capturing lightning bolts from their fingers.
KISS’ present line-up options authentic 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 toes tall. Using pyrotechnics, lasers and different particular results, the avatars are dramatic and made to resemble the rockers of their youthful years. Despite being digital, the avatars play devices and sing, in addition to dance slightly extra nimbly than the real-life members.
In a promotional video shared after the band’s ultimate live performance Saturday evening, Gene Simmons mentioned the avatars would permit KISS to be “forever young and forever iconic.”
For Simmons, KISS transcends age. He mentioned three totally different generations of followers can usually be noticed on the band’s live shows.
Frontman Paul Stanley championed the avatars as a “culmination of 50 years” of the band’s historical past. He mentioned the avatars will fuse “reality and a created reality to play with people’s perception of what’s real and what’s not real.”
“I think we’ve transcended over the years being human beings, and here we are becoming immortal,” Stanley mentioned of KISS. “It couldn’t be more exciting.”
Stanley famous that he and his bandmates can not preserve their success on stage indefinitely, however their avatars can. The band members hoped, with their avatars, they may proceed to deliver KISS to new generations of rock and roll followers.
“The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he’s ever done before,” Simmons described.
“And it won’t hurt!” Stanley quipped.
“What we’ve accomplished has been amazing, but it’s not enough,” Stanley continued. “The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are.”
The avatars have been designed by George Lucas’ particular results firm Industrial Light & Magic in partnership with the Swedish group Pophouse Entertainment. Their digitized live performance collection starring ABBA’s avatars in London earlier this 12 months reportedly made greater than US$2 million (about C$2.7 million) per week.
It shouldn’t be but clear how the KISS avatars will likely be used, or if like ABBA, they are going to have their very own live performance collection. The BBC reported it’s not but recognized if former KISS members like Peter Criss and Ace Frehley will likely be included among the many avatars.
KISS’ ultimate 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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