Avatar Show Director Details Next-Gen Concert: ‘This Is KISS, Not Just Animation Or Recreation’

The creative director behind the upcoming KISS avatar show has provided the most detailed look yet at the project, promising fans an experience that is “not just going to be animation or recreation” but a true, next-generation continuation of the band’s legacy.

Speaking at a presentation during the “KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas” event on November 15, Thierry Coup—co-founder of JOCOUP Creative—laid out the ambitious vision. Coup is partnering with Pophouse Entertainment (the Swedish company that purchased the KISS catalog) and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to bring the digital KISS to life.

Coup explained that the “avatar show,” which is currently in a two-year development phase, was always the intended next step. The brief digital tease fans saw at the final KISS concert in December 2023 was merely a statement of intent.

“When we did the MSG moment at the end, it was really to spark the idea of what was going to come in the future,” Coup said (via Blabbermouth). “And to really tell everyone that KISS is only done with the first chapter — the first 50 years. The next 50 years is about to start.”

Coup, whose background includes creating immersive attractions like the Harry Potter rides and “Mario Kart” experiences at Universal Studios, stressed that the goal is to digitally bottle the unique, life-changing energy of a KISS concert.

“Many, many years ago, what blew me away was when I went to my first KISS concert,” he shared. “It just changed my life. I knew KISS‘ music, but you don’t know KISS until you see them live.”

He insisted that the project’s goal is to go far beyond simple animation to capture the “DNA” of the band.

“The band is going to be as real as it ever was,” Coup stated. “They’re a little younger than they are today, but that’s all about really taking everything we know about KISS, about the band members, looking at archives, working with the band about who they really are and who they were, and bringing all that to life so when you see them, this is not just going to be animation or recreation. This is KISS, with all the love, the energy coming to life.”

Coup also confirmed that this technology will allow the band to return to touring in a new, more powerful form.

“KISS is going to be back on tour,” he said. “This is what we’re creating — the band is going to be back, but bigger. They were already bigger than life — they’re superheroes — and what we’re doing is bringing the stage to another dimension, being able to explore things that could not be possible… We’re working with Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons], so we know what their dreams were.”

Ultimately, Coup said the mission is to ensure the KISS experience is passed on. “This is kind of passing the torch to the next era, the next generation. I want to see every kid walk in this show and feel the same [way] I felt the first time you went to a KISS show — ‘Oh my God. This is incredible.'”

Longtime manager Doc McGhee, who was also on the panel, explained that this Pophouse venture, inspired by the success of ABBA Voyage, was the “perfect” solution to the band’s retirement, allowing them to become immortal.

“We always wanted to do the Marvel [Comics-like], going-into-the-future [ending], to keep them immortal,” McGhee said. “The best part is with KISS, it’s like, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing… We spend a lot of money doing this stuff — for the fans, and for us, because we want to be over-the-top. This technology can even do it further than what we did before.”