KISS’ Paul Stanley Teases Band’s Digital Future Is ‘Beyond Anything’ Anyone Else Has Contemplated
KISS’ Paul Stanley Teases Band’s Digital Future Is ‘Beyond Anything’ Anyone Else Has Contemplated
By Glenn Peoples / www.billboard.com
"The idea a simulated concert is not what we want to do," says the KISS frontman. "Frankly, I would find that boring."
KISS spent the majority of its five-decade career disguising their faces in makeup. Now, as the band plans the next phase for its music and iconic characters, KISS is still leaving its fans with mystery and intrigue.
After the culmination of The End of the Road Tour in December, KISS began the year with the sale of its name and likeness and plans to live eternally in the digital world. Details are scarce, but the band has said the virtual performance should launch in Las Vegas in 2027. In a conversation with Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast, frontman Paul Stanley won’t say exactly how the group will carry its legacy into the future. But in typical KISS fashion, Stanley has ambitious goals.
“It’s a must-see, go-to experience,” Stanley boasts. “It’s beyond anything that anyone else has contemplated.”
Virtual artists are nothing new: a Tupac Shakur hologram appeared at Coachella in 2012, and avatars have resurrected deceased musicians such as Ronnie James Duo and Whitney Houston for live performances. Those earlier examples of digital likenesses pale in comparison to Abba Voyage, a high-budget, mixed virtual reality-live music concert in London that has won rave reviews.
