after 50 years of Kiss, the band is now interested in a kind of digital immortality.
...This feels like a punishment..
this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2023
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I saw KISS a few years ago. Paul Stanley led the crowd in the pledge of allegiance because “patriotism is cool”. I want to know if they incorporate that into their avatar show.
Sooo... They are right wing dickbags? TIL
Not necessarily, but probably
Wow fuck kiss
Wow fuck kiss
Stanley seems like a real tool. A quick trip searching his name and controversy nets some interesting info.
Regarding him being a right wing dbag, it certainly seems possible.
Lol. This is the most "Kiss" thing they could do. Of anyone who would try to make a band of avatars to take over, kiss would be my most ex0ected to do so.
I was already confused for the Abba digital concert and with Kiss I'm still confused. What do they mean by avatar and why would I go to a "concert" of a prerendered game sequence instead of watching a video of the original band on YouTube at home?
Edit: the headline is sort of misleading. It seems like the band will still perform in motion-capturing suits, and their avatars will be displayed in multiple concert venues simultaneously. Eh, not my jam. If I go to a live show, it's to see the actual artists with my very own eyes.
Oh, so it would be just a 3D animated movie?
The only way I maaaay consider watching such a concert is if I knew that the actual band is still playing and interacting with the audience behind the avatars. They could be playing sitting down, in their pajamas if they want. But the sound must be live to be okay in my book.
Otherwise, no thanks.
No. I think they created the avatars from them wearing motion capture suits. I don't believe they will be using them any longer.
It specifies this in a roundabout way in the article by mentioning how kiss did not show back up on stage when the avatars were sent out because "that's the point".
They didn't go ran into the backstage area and put on motion capture to send out their fake avatars. Plus, why would they?
*I watched a video of the concert at Madison Square garden. It's definitely not them behind stage in motion capture suits. Also, it's lame. Starts at 2 hours and 14 minutes:
Got it. Thanks.
Because the audio quality would be really good?
There's already tons of concerts that are done virtual.....
I mean to be fair, if it's been 50 years it's probably becoming a lot more difficult for them to do concerts anyway
Sorry but if you actually want audio quality you don't get it at live shows with people screaming all around you. What you meant is "loud" and you can also do that at home but you quickly realise it's not that fun to have tinnitus.
~~It wouldn't necessarily be prerendered; they could do gigs in VRChat for an example. It would take some effort and money, but they've got money and they could pay someone else to put in the effort so that all they have to do is strap on some fbt trackers and grab a guitar that's been modified with fret sensors and then play concerts from their living rooms.~~
Edit: I should have finished reading the article first and gave them more credit than I should have. It sounds like it's the whole """hologram""" thing but at a distance?
Nope. It's actually terrible. CGI on a big screen. Here's the concert. CGI starts at 2:14:00
Damn, managed to suck more than I was expecting. I would be cool with VR/green screened stuff. I'd be cool with "holograms" that let them play live from a studio 1000mi away. Not that prerendered shit though. Not that I like Kiss or have a lot of respect for them to begin with, but man, talk about missing the point.
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You go to a virtual concert for the same reason you go to the movies. Or the same reason you don't.
Ah, that makes total sense, I agree.
I’ve heard enough interviews and stories about the members of this band that I can’t listen to their music. They’re just real assholes.
I guess now they are virtual assholes too.
Kiss about to become Vtubers.
I remember when I saw them on their farewell tour on September 12th 2000 in pine knob.
Dudes have been retiring for decades.
Here is the official announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl5PGoy5X6g
If anyone had asked me which rock band would be the first to come out with this kind of crap, I would have said KISS anyway.
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Looks like a dodgy modded version of Guitar Hero.
Yeah sounds right up their alley
Kiss. Pretending to be a real band and becoming more of a joke every year after year since the 70s. Still, an impressive new low for them.
Kiss... coming soon to a Chuck E. Cheese near you!
Not if Big Makeup has anything to say about it…
sorry but KISS has always been a virtual band
I saw Kiss live twice in the 1970’s. They were fantastic. If they do this well, like the investment of time, artisanship, and materials, I think it could be fantastic! Just like ABBA’s production. ABBA is the original ABBAtar band. They built an arena in London and are selling out concerts coming up on the third year. All movements are their movements, especially newly recorded with careful detailing of appearance, in costumes during their peak. Edit- Not sure why this is being downvoted?
The article says that ILM is involved in this, and they are also involved in the ABBA thing, so I think the KISS thing will end up very similar
I might be interested if they had Ace Frehley and Peter Criss avatars instead of their replacements.
deleted by creator
Starts at 2:14:00
I thought it would at least be some 3d hologram stuff. Instead it's just a cgi video on a big screen. Lame.
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Sounds about right for Kiss
Entering the "Part of Every Day" stage of their career. :)
Phoning it in - but in a way that sounds creative and cool - is 100.0% on-brand for KISS.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
On Saturday night, Kiss closed out the final performance of their “The End of the Road” farewell tour at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.
During their encore, the band’s current lineup — founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — left the stage to reveal digital avatars of themselves.
The avatars were created by George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment Group, the latter of which was co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus.
The two companies recently teamed up for the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, in which fans could attend a full concert by the Swedish band — as performed by their digital avatars.
In order to create their digital avatars, who are depicted as a kind of superhero version of the band, Kiss performed in motion capture suits.
And for those who couldn’t make the Madison Square Garden show — stay tuned, because a Kiss avatar concert may very well be on the way.
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