Rock ‘n roll, but make it digital

The legendary rock band Kiss closed the final performance of their “The End of the Road” farewell tour over the weekend by bringing out some unexpected guests – themselves.

During the show’s encore, the band debuted digital avatars of its current lineup: founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. The avatars then performed a song live, and left the stage to the quote: “A NEW ERA BEGINS.”

That new era, of course, involves the band making money from their avatars, who really can rock ‘n roll all night and party every day. According to the CEO of one of the companies behind the digital replicas: ”Kiss could have a concert in three cities in the same night across three different continents. That’s what you could do with this.”

Behind the tech: ​​In order to create their digital avatars, Kiss performed in motion capture suits. The avatars were then built by Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas’ special-effects company, in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment Group.

This isn’t the companies’ first go-round. ILM and Pophouse have already launched “ABBA Voyage” in London, where fans can attend a full concert performed by the Swedish band’s digital avatars.

And, so far, it’s going well enough to make you say “Mamma Mia!”. The London show has been watched by 1.9 million visitors since its debut in 2022, and reportedly grosses $2 million/week.