Friday, March 21, 2025

Queen to receive Polar Music Prize 2025

Queen will be bestowed with the Polar Music Prize for 2025. The rock icons - behind mega-hits including 'Bohemian...

Latest Posts

Bastille announce From All Sides 2025 arena tour

Bastille have announced the 2025 ‘From All Sides’ arena tour. Dan Smith and co will perform songs from the...

Selena Gomez thanks Benny Blanco for ‘pouring unconditional love’ into their joint album

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have released their joint album, 'I Said I Love You First'. The smitten couple...

Guns N’ Roses unveil Frank Ferrer’s replacement

Guns N' Roses have unveiled AWOLNATION sticksman Isaac Carpenter as Frank Ferrer's replacement. The 58-year-old drummer amicably parted...

Bobby Weir hasn’t ruled out a Grateful Dead reunion as a trio

Bobby Weir has suggested it's possible for the Grateful Dead to reunite as a trio following the passing of bass player Phil...

Gene Simmons vows KISS avatars will ‘get better’

Gene Simmons has reassured fans that the KISS avatars will “get better”.

The veteran rockers hung up their platform boots after performing their final concert at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 2, but they surprised fans at the end of the gig by debuting digital versions of themselves created by the teams behind the lucrative ‘ABBA Voyage’ hologram show.

And during a Q+A at Electric Lady Studios in New York, co-vocalist and bass player Gene, 74, claimed millions of dollars are being pumped into the project.

He told one fan: “There’s so much being planned, even beyond my comprehension. But they’re spending, oh, about 200 million [dollars] to take it to the next level.”

He said of ABBA’s first-of-its-kind show, he added: “You can’t tell if they’re there, right there, like that.”

It comes after former KISS member Ace Frehley slammed the ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ group’s avatars.

The 72-year-old guitarist told Rock Antenne: “I don’t get this avatar thing that they’re gonna do.”

He continued: “I mean, I saw some of it on a video on YouTube last night. It kind of looked like it, you know, was geared towards children. And it’s not rock and roll. I get up on stage without backing tracks, plug my guitar into a Marshall and go. That’s it. It’s always been that way and always will be.”

KISS declared the avatars the start of a “new era” in a video posted online after their final concert.

Gene said: “We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamt of before. The technology is going to make [rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist] Paul [Stanley] jump higher than he’s ever done before … If you think you are going to get rid of us then that’s not going to happen.”

The band has yet to confirm their exact plans for the avatars, but Paul said it’s a very exciting project.

He explained: “I think we’ve transcended over the years being human beings and here we are becoming immortal and it’s very exciting for us … We can’t maintain this [band] indefinitely but you [avatar-makers] can.”

The KISS avatars were made by George Lucas’ special effects company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and financed by Swedish conglomerate Pophouse Entertainment – the organisations which put together ABBA’s digital stage show.

Grady Cofer, visual effects supervisor at ILM, insisted debuting the KISS avatars at their final show is just a glimpse of exciting things to come.

He told Fast Company: ” “This is the sneak peek as the band [KISS] crosses over from the physical world to the digital.”

Pophouse CEO Per Sundin added: “Is it a KISS concert in the future? Is it a rock opera? Is it a musical? A story, an adventure? These four individuals already have superpowers. We want to be as open as possible.”

Latest Posts

Bastille announce From All Sides 2025 arena tour

Bastille have announced the 2025 ‘From All Sides’ arena tour. Dan Smith and co will perform songs from the...

Selena Gomez thanks Benny Blanco for ‘pouring unconditional love’ into their joint album

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have released their joint album, 'I Said I Love You First'. The smitten couple...

Guns N’ Roses unveil Frank Ferrer’s replacement

Guns N' Roses have unveiled AWOLNATION sticksman Isaac Carpenter as Frank Ferrer's replacement. The 58-year-old drummer amicably parted...

Bobby Weir hasn’t ruled out a Grateful Dead reunion as a trio

Bobby Weir has suggested it's possible for the Grateful Dead to reunite as a trio following the passing of bass player Phil...

Don't Miss

Chappell Roan wanted to ‘honour’ herself by writing a country song

Chappell Roan wanted to "honour" herself by writing a country song. The 27-year-old singer is known for pop hits...

Lily Allen is ‘surprised’ that Charli XCX is not headlining Glastonbury: ‘I don’t understand…’

Lily Allen is "surprised" that Charli XCX is not headlining Glastonbury, The 39-year-old singer is delighted that US pop...

Kim Wilde wants Glastonbury legends slot

Kim Wilde says it is one of her dreams to perform at Glastonbury. The 64-year-old pop legend admits she...

Yungblud to release nine-minute single next week

Yungblud will release a nine-minute single next week. The 27-year-old star's latest song 'Hello Heaven, Hello’ clocks in at...

Iron Maiden to release new documentary celebrating 50 years

Iron Maiden will release a new documentary film featuring the final interview from former frontman Paul Di’Anno. The new...

Stay in touch

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.