KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer has shared details about the band’s plans for a virtual version of the band, which was revealed during their final End of the Road concert in New York City.
Thayer explained what fans can expect from the upcoming KISS avatar show and compared it to a major entertainment experience that has already found success.
“It is mind-boggling,” Thayer said. “I mean, I’ve been very much involved working on this. We’ve got some great surprises in store and it’s going to blow people away when this thing comes out. It’s basically a virtual Kiss show.”
“The closest thing you could compare it to is the ABBA Voyage experience, which has been a hit show in East London now for about four years,” he continued. “The same people produced it, and when you see this show in London, you think you’re seeing ABBA performing live in their heyday.”
Thayer added that he had seen the ABBA show himself and was impressed by what the technology could achieve. “I’ve seen a lot of things and I was blown away just like everybody else was, when we saw it. I’ve seen it a few times and that would be the closest [example] conceptually to get an idea what we’re doing. But technology has evolved so much in the last four or five years that us doing our show, it’s going to take it to a whole ‘nother level, more of a mind-boggling live experience.”
These comments came during a discussion about KISS’ new virtual project, which was announced at the band’s final End of the Road concert in New York City.
Thayer’s involvement in the avatar project runs deep. He is the lead guitarist and vocalist for KISS, a position he has held since 2002 and longer than any other KISS guitarist in the band’s history. His active participation in shaping the virtual show reflects the band’s commitment to continuing as avatars after their live performances ended.
The KISS virtual concert project was created by Industrial Light and Magic and Pophouse, the same companies behind ABBA Voyage. KISS sold their likeness, full music catalog, and brand name to Sweden’s Pophouse Entertainment in a significant deal that allows the band to continue performing through digital technology. Pophouse previously created the virtual Abba concert residency called ABBA Voyage, which began showing in London in May 2022 and has become one of the city’s most successful attractions, selling roughly 3.5 million tickets by late 2025.
The KISS avatar show is tentatively scheduled to launch in Las Vegas in 2028 and will be Pophouse’s first US-based show of this kind. According to the band’s announcement, the show will feature “all the classics through the years and some surprises”, including new songs that have been “written by us”. The project represents a new chapter for the legendary rock band following their final live concert at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023, where digital avatars of the four band members appeared on screen performing “God Gave Rock and Roll To You”.
Source: Ultimate Classic Rock
