Even though KISS wrapped up their legendary touring career in 2023, the band’s future onstage may be just beginning — in digital form.
In a recent interview with Pollstar, KISS founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons revealed that an ambitious avatar-based KISS concert experience is currently being developed, with plans to launch in Las Vegas in 2028.
The project is being created with the Swedish entertainment company Pophouse Entertainment — the same company behind the hugely successful digital concert production ABBA Voyage. Pophouse reportedly acquired KISS’s music catalog, brand, image, and likeness rights in a deal worth more than $300 million, giving the company the ability to develop large-scale projects built around the band’s legacy.
A New Era for KISS
Rather than simply recreating a traditional concert, the show will present digital avatars of the band’s iconic characters, including the Demon and the Starchild.
According to Simmons, the idea is to celebrate the characters that defined the band’s identity.
“It’s going to be the iconic face personas — the Demon, the Starchild and so on,” Simmons explained, noting that the lineup of characters could represent different eras of the band’s history.
Fans can expect the show to include the band’s biggest hits, but there will also be some unexpected additions.
Stanley hinted that the performance will feature the classic KISS catalog along with a few surprises:
“We will have all the classics through the years and some surprises.”
Simmons then revealed that the band has new material prepared specifically for the project.
“You’re gonna get all that stuff, and also new songs,” he said. When asked what he meant by “new songs,” Simmons clarified that they are original tracks written by the band.
A Spectacle Designed to Overwhelm the Senses
The digital performance is being developed as a massive multimedia experience rather than a typical concert.
Pophouse CEO Jessica Koravos described the production as a “crazy 4D roller-coaster ride” through the world of KISS — combining their music, comic-book imagery and larger-than-life characters.
The creative team behind the project includes Thierry Coup, known for major theme-park and spectacle productions. Engineers and designers are already testing advanced LED screens, pyrotechnics and special effects to recreate KISS’s signature fire-breathing stage theatrics.
Early versions of the avatars were previewed at the band’s final concert at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023, where fans got their first look at the digital versions of the band appearing as larger-than-life superhero-style figures towering above the stage.
“This Is Going to Blow People Away”
Stanley has previously expressed huge confidence in the project, insisting it will be far more immersive than typical hologram shows.
He explained that the technology is designed to recreate the band in a way that feels almost real to audiences.
“This is seeing us. This is as real as I am, and I think it’s gonna just blow people away,” Stanley said.
Simmons went even further, promising the experience will surpass other high-tech shows currently running in Las Vegas.
“We’re gonna blow your socks off… it’s gonna be mind-blowing,” he said, adding that the show will “attack the senses” with heat, fire, and environmental effects.
Not Just Vegas
While the initial production is planned for Las Vegas, Simmons suggested that the avatar concept could eventually expand to other locations around the world.
The digital technology would allow KISS to continue performing indefinitely — long after the band members themselves have retired from touring.
For a band that built its reputation on spectacle, theatrical costumes and explosive stage shows, the avatar project represents the next evolution of the KISS brand — proving that even after their farewell tour ended, the band’s larger-than-life legacy is far from finished.
