Some entertainers, like Ozzy Osbourne and Phil Collins, don’t want old age to keep them from performing. Others, like KISS, though, are ready to step away from it all.
Like 50 Cent’s The Final Lap Tour, KISS’ The End Of The Road Tour is the closing of a professional chapter. So, is KISS formerly retired from touring? Based on the group’s website journal, the answer is yes, in the traditional sense. But according to AP, fans can still see them live in concert — but as digital avatars.
During a video special, the band sat down to discuss the decision. “We want to go out on top with people talking about it in mythical, legendary terms,” said frontman Paul Stanley. “What we’ve accomplished has been amazing, but it’s not enough. The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are… It’s exciting for us to go the next step and see Kiss immortalized.”
Bassist Gene Simmons added, “We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamed of before. The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he’s ever done before.”
The technological advancement is courtesy of a partnership with Pophouse Entertainment Group and George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic.