Kiss made a stunning revelation at the close of their final concert: The human version of the band is done, but a virtual Kiss will continue on.
The face-painted legends – made up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer – gave a rousing performance at Madison Square Garden to close their End of the Road tour. “This is the end of the road,” Stanley declared early in the set. “It seems sad, but tonight’s a night for joy. Tonight’s a night to celebrate what we did together.”
Over two hours, Kiss did just that, delivering hits from throughout their incredible career. Still, it’s the way things ended that will have fans talking.
After Kiss played "Rock and Roll All Nite," their final (human) song of night, Stanley told the crowd, "The end of this road is the beginning of another road." Moments later, the group exited that stage amid a flurry of fire. Then, as their tune “God Gave Rock n’ Roll to You” began to play, avatars of the Demon, Starchild, Catman and Spaceman characters appeared. Fast Company notes that the effects were created using “a combination of LED screen projection, lasers, and heavy metal smoke and pyrotechnics” helping the images appear “three dimensional and much larger than life.” Meanwhile, video screens displayed the message: "A new era begins."
George Lucas’ visual-effects company Industrial Light & Magic was tasked with creating the new virtual Kiss.