Editorial: KISS Goes Virtual With Avatars—is this the future of music performance?

Editorial: KISS Goes Virtual With Avatars—is this the future of music performance?

By Martine Ehrenclou

I’m sure you heard the news in early December about the rock band KISS’ announcement that lifelike digital avatars will replace them as a band. No more human beings with adopted personas, leather costumes and heavy makeup to conceal their faces. The digital avatars will look like youthful KISS band members and perform concerts in place of the real thing.

KISS plans to become the first U.S. band to go fully virtual and live on as digital avatars with help from Industrial Light & Magic (George Lucas visual effects company). The KISS avatars could quite possibly be Gene Simmons’ and Paul Stanley’s digital twins, powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI.)

Stanley, co-founder, co-frontman and rhythm guitarist said this at the closing of the band’s final farewell concert in Madison Square Garden. “KISS Army, your love, your power, has made us immortal. The new KISS era starts now.”

Do we need more KISS performances, especially if they’re not the real thing? Obviously Simmons and Stanley do as they stand to make a lot of money from this new venture. And if you doubt that, ABBA has been raking in 2 million each week with its Avatar band called ABBA Voyage. According to Bloomberg,  the Swedish supergroup avatar band performs seven times a week, yet none of the four actual band members are actually on stage. Dance floor ticket prices start at 104.50 pounds and increase to 350.50 GBP, roughly $445 in US dollars.

ABBA has been raking in 2 million each week with its Avatar band called ABBA Voyage

It’s similar to holograms performing in place of the real artists done posthumously. Take the Tupac hologram at Coachella in 2012. Here’s the link here. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog (alive and well) performed on stage with the Tupac hologram.

I miss Tupac too, a brilliant songwriter and hip-hop artist. But I don’t want to see a hologram of him perform. I’d rather watch a performance video on YouTube. Bringing an artist back to life, so to speak, as a hologram is just creepy. And just like KISS and ABBA, it seems to be a money-grab.

Announced on January 4, 2024, we now have Elvis Evolution  an “immersive concert experience” using AI and holographic projection that will premiere in London in November of 2024, with shows scheduled in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Berlin. A life-size digital Elvis is created from thousands of photos and videos and the goal is to celebrate Elvis’ life and music legacy. The deal was made between Authentic Bands Group, The Elvis Presley Estate, and a UK company called Layered Reality. The show will also feature an after-party, Elvis-themed restaurant and bar with live DJs and performances.

There’s rumors about similar tributes to Roy Orbison and Frank Zappa. Would you pay money to go?

I must be behind the times as I happen to like the real thing, human beings that is. I wouldn’t pay to see digital avatars of KISS, Tupac, ABBA or anyone else. I don’t want Prince “resurrected” as a digital avatar either.

I have no desire to see artists or bands brought back to life (in theory) to give the illusion of immortality. And it’s that illusion that bugs me. It’s not real. Avatars and holograms aren’t real. They’re fake. Audiences buy into it for a couple of hours or more. I don’t understand the appeal.

I don’t want human beings replaced. I like our imperfections, our vulnerabilities. It’s what makes us…human. And that human connection is at the heart of all relationships. Accepting the death of a beloved artist or any kind of celebrity is not easy but I don’t want to fight reality and pretend that the artist is still with us, even if only for an hour or two.

Would you want to attend a concert made of digital avatars of The Allman Brothers Band?

Would you want to attend a concert made of digital avatars of The Allman Brothers Band or Stevie Ray Vaughan? Some might say “yes” because the loss is so great and they might think, “I just want to see them one more time.” I get that. I hesitated for a split second when I asked myself if I would see a Stevie Ray Vaughan avatar concert. But I came to my senses pretty quick. There’s plenty of SRV live performance videos on YouTube. That’s good enough for me. It’s video of the real thing.

Another hologram show, “An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour” began in in Europe on February 2020 and ended after a residency in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day 2023. A 2D image was projected onto plexiglass then reflected onto an LED screen. The intention of this holographic tour, according to the Estate of Whitney Houston, was to keep Whitney’s music alive forever. That’s quite the spin. Houston’s music is already alive forever and it’s available on streaming services, CDs, and vinyl.

What is this rapidly developing trend toward alternate reality? What does it say about us? It’s about money, right? KISS isn’t replicating themselves out of the goodness of their hearts. Neither is ABBA or the people behind the Elvis hologram show.

Is this really just about money or does it say more about us? Fans mourn the passing of music legends for a long time. Does that justify “resurrecting” deceased artists? Are there ethical questions here? I think there are.

Are there ethical questions to this?

It’s a similar principle to that of the “new” Beatles song (October 26, 2023) that features John Lennon’s voice, developed using AI. Called “Now And Then,” the song was promoted as the last Beatles song, incorporating parts by surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the late George Harrison. McCartney said in a statement, “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording.”

That didn’t sit well with me either. How would Lennon and Harrison have felt about it? They didn’t have a choice.

This brings to mind previously unreleased artists’ music catalogues that have been newly released by their estates. There’s an ick factor to it. But at the same time, it’s pretty cool to listen to “new” music from an artist who has passed on. I wonder if the artist would have approved of their unreleased songs, some not finished, now available to the public. I have to ask, were those songs unreleased because the artist wasn’t happy with the recordings, production or the songs themselves? Or were they just lying dormant because the artist hadn’t gotten to them yet? Did the artist give permission for this specifically in their wills?

What do you think of all this? I’m interested in your thoughts. Please comment in the comment section below.