KISS is not done yet. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have confirmed that the highly anticipated KISS avatar show in Las Vegas will feature brand new songs — written by the band themselves. Speaking to Pollstar alongside manager Doc McGhee and Pophouse CEO Jessica Koravos, both legends offered the most detailed update yet on the project. Furthermore, they made it clear that this show will be unlike anything fans have ever seen.

What the KISS Avatar Show Will Look Like

The KISS avatar show Las Vegas experience is currently slated to premiere in 2028. Simmons described what fans can expect when the holograms take the stage. His words painted a vivid and exciting picture.

Transcribed by Pollstar:

“The iconic face personas, The Demon, the Starchild, and so on. Who you want to place into that lineup is up to you.”

This is a fascinating detail. The show will not simply recreate a fixed version of KISS. Instead, it will give audiences the ability to shape their own experience. Additionally, Simmons confirmed that the show will go well beyond the band’s classic catalogue.

“You’re gonna get all that stuff, and also new songs. Written by us. We have songs done.”

This is genuinely exciting news. New KISS music — performed by avatar versions of the band — is something that nobody saw coming. Consequently, the KISS avatar show Las Vegas event is shaping up to be far more than a nostalgia trip. It is, by all accounts, a genuine creative event.

Paul Stanley on the Technology Behind the Show

Stanley was equally enthusiastic about the project. He was particularly keen to distance the KISS avatar show from earlier, less successful attempts at hologram technology. His message was direct and confident.

“It’s very different from anything else that’s been out there. It has really no connection to some of the experimental holograms that were tried in the past, which were really very primitive. This will be virtually seeing us. My avatar looks just like me, not a cartoon or an artist rendition.”

This is a crucial distinction. Previous hologram performances — including some high-profile examples from the past decade — have drawn criticism for looking artificial or unconvincing. Stanley is promising something on a completely different level. Moreover, his description of his own avatar looking “just like me” suggests a level of realism that could genuinely blur the line between performance and reality.

The Pophouse Partnership

The KISS avatar show Las Vegas project is being developed in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment — the same company behind ABBA‘s enormously successful Voyage hologram show in London. That connection alone adds significant credibility to the project. ABBA‘s Voyage set a new benchmark for what hologram entertainment could achieve. Consequently, having the same team involved with KISS raises expectations considerably.

Koravos revealed that the avatar show is just one part of a much larger creative partnership between Pophouse and KISS.

“[W]e have various tentpole projects that we mapped out alongside the KISS team at the point of signing — including the avatar show, a biopic, a documentary, and other projects.”

This is a significant revelation. KISS is not simply licensing their image for a one-off show. They are building a comprehensive entertainment universe around their legacy. Furthermore, a biopic and documentary suggest that the full story of KISS — from their early days in New York to their iconic farewell tour — will soon be told in compelling new ways.

Simmons Delivers an Unforgettable Closing Statement

Gene Simmons is never short of a memorable quote. However, his closing remarks in the Pollstar interview were something genuinely special. He reached for a powerful and poetic metaphor to capture what the KISS avatar show Las Vegas project represents.

“This is the phoenix rising out of the ashes. As a form of life, caterpillars aren’t very impressive, but they survive, and then it looks like they’re dying as they go into a cocoon. But then you get a beautiful butterfly that sprouts wings and goes to places and soars above that the caterpillar never imagined. This is not the end. This is the beginning.”

These words deserve to be read slowly. Simmons is reframing the entire narrative around KISS‘s so-called farewell. The End of the Road Tour was not the finish line. Instead, it was the cocoon. What emerges in Las Vegas in 2028 will be something entirely new — and, if Simmons is to be believed, something far more extraordinary than what came before.

Why This Matters for Rock Music

The KISS avatar show Las Vegas project is bigger than one band. It represents a potential turning point for how legacy artists engage with their fanbases in the future. Technology has now advanced to the point where a band can continue — in a meaningful, creative, and visually stunning way — beyond the physical limitations of aging and retirement.

KISS is ideally positioned to lead that charge. They have always been as much a visual spectacle as a musical act. Their iconic face paint, their pyrotechnics, and their theatrical performances have always pushed the boundaries of what a rock show can be. Consequently, embracing avatar technology feels less like a gimmick and more like a natural evolution.

Furthermore, the promise of new songs adds a layer of artistic legitimacy that separates this project from simple nostalgia. Simmons and Stanley are not just preserving the past. They are actively adding to it.

A New Chapter for KISS

Ultimately, everything Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley shared about the KISS avatar show Las Vegas confirms one thing above all else. KISS is approaching this project with total commitment, genuine creativity, and the same larger-than-life ambition that has defined them since the very beginning.

The show does not arrive until 2028. Nevertheless, based on everything revealed so far, the wait will almost certainly be worth it.

As Simmons himself put it — this is not the end. This is the beginning.