KISS, digital avatars keep the band’s live legacy on tour
22.06.2026 - 00:44:03 | ad-hoc-news.de
KISS closed their touring career with two farewell nights at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 1 and 2, 2023. In a move announced around those shows, the band partnered with Pophouse Entertainment to launch a touring digital avatar production that will bring their stage personas back to arenas in the coming years.
How the KISS avatar tour works
During the final Garden concerts, KISS unveiled digital avatars developed with Industrial Light & Magic and Sweden’s Pophouse, the company behind the ABBA Voyage project in London. The plan is to send this high-tech show on a global arena run starting in 2027, with dates to be announced.
Per Pophouse’s announcement, the avatar shows are designed as a full-length concert experience, combining motion-captured performances with a live band and large-scale production. For U.S. fans, that means KISS can return to major markets without the physical strain that ended the band’s traditional touring.
What this means for U.S. and global fans
The avatar project effectively extends KISS’s End of the Road trajectory into a new phase, keeping the brand present in the touring market even after Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons stepped off the road. Pophouse indicated that the production is intended as a worldwide touring property, similar in ambition to ABBA Voyage.
While concrete dates and venues have not yet been released, the partners have signaled an arena-scale rollout that would logically target major U.S. cities, Europe, Latin America and Japan. For traditionalists, it also locks the classic makeup-era lineup into a permanent digital form, preserving the look of the band’s peak years.
More background and news on KISS
Fans who want to follow how KISS move from farewell tour to digital avatars can find further reports, chart facts and tour updates in the AD HOC NEWS archive and on the band’s official pages.
The musical core of KISS
KISS built their catalog on hard rock with pop hooks, from early albums like Destroyer and Rock and Roll Over to the 1979 crossover Dynasty. Their sound combines riff-heavy guitars, shout-along choruses and theatrical production, influencing generations of U.S. arena rock and metal acts.
Where the band stands now
KISS are retired from traditional touring after 2023, and currently concentrate on licensing, archival releases and development of the announced avatar concert production.
KISS at a glance
- Act: KISS
- Genre: Hard rock, arena rock
- Origin: New York City, United States
- Active since: 1973
- Lineup: Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar), Gene Simmons (bass, vocals), Tommy Thayer (guitar), Eric Singer (drums)
- Label: UMe / Universal Music Enterprises
- Key works: Destroyer (1976), Love Gun (1977), Dynasty (1979), Creatures of the Night (1982)
- Current album/single: Off the Soundboard: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1984, released April 7, 2023
- Charts / certifications: Destroyer certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in the U.S., May 26, 1992
- Next live date: currently with no announced live date
Frequently asked questions about KISS
When did KISS play their final traditional concert?
KISS played their final traditional tour shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 1 and 2, 2023, closing the End of the Road World Tour.
What is the KISS avatar project?
The KISS avatar project is a digital concert production created with Pophouse Entertainment and Industrial Light & Magic, designed to present KISS as high-tech avatars in arena-scale shows worldwide.
Is KISS still touring in person?
No, KISS ended their conventional touring career after the 2023 Madison Square Garden concerts and now focus on the avatar show concept, catalog releases and brand activities instead of physical world tours.
This article was created with AI assistance and editorially reviewed. All information without guarantee; dates, chart positions and certifications may change at short notice.
