Kiss, the band that made glam rock’s penchant for face painting and art, is going virtual. 50 years after it all started, the band’s current quartet of members hung up their thick-soled boots with a farewell performance at Madison Square Garden. The phrase “gone but not forgotten” can certainly be used when discussing Kiss and their influence on music. However, as it transpired, we’re not quite at that stage yet. Yes, the members of Kiss physically left the stage for the last time in December 2023, but that’s not the end. Such is the band’s iconic status and enduring appeal that future Kiss concerts will involve virtual avatars.

Much like Abba did with their virtual show in London, Kiss will continue entertaining audiences around the world without having to be on stage. The Kiss avatars made their debut at the farewell concert in New York. After Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer left the stage, the avatars emerged. The virtual versions of all four members performed God Gave Rock ’n’ Roll to You, and with that, a new era was born (see video below). As the Guardian’s Michael Sun described it, we’re now witnessing the “afterlife” of Kiss.

From Long Kiss Goodbye and Virtual Hello

What’s interesting about this transition is that it’s been happening for more than a decade. The members morphed into mechanical and digital beings back in 2012 when the Kiss slot game debuted in Las Vegas. The band had been featured in movies, magazines, and more a long time before they were the focus of slot game developers. However, the live slot game was the first step towards the band’s transition into virtual reality. Indeed, the popularity of the original Kiss slot game has inspired countless spinoffs.

Fans can play KISS in some of the most popular slots online, with Play’n Go’s Kiss: Reel of Rocks rocking Canadian casino gamers since 2021 with its 50,000x jackpots. Spinning alongside more than 2,000 other slots at one of Canada’s online casinos has kept Kiss in the limelight and inspired the virtual avatars we see today. Of course, the band’s legacy doesn’t live and die with its virtual personas, Kiss has influenced artists around the world for generations.

Kiss Will Live On Forever

Nirvana and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has said Kiss “inspired” him to become a “rock’n’roll musician.” In fact, Esquire contributor  James S. Murphy went so far as to argue that Kiss created Indie rock. His 2014 came out on the eve of Kiss being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In it, he argues that Kiss inspired a “whole lot of boys” born “outside of big cities.” In his opinion, people like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain weren’t inspired by Iggy Pop or Velvet Underground but by Kiss and their “spirit of rebellion.”

Some might agree with Murphy, others may have a different view. What can’t be denied, however, is that Kiss is an iconic band that’s stood the test of time. Even in the wake of countless line-up changes and two farewell tours, the band still has a place in modern culture. Whether or not the virtual era will be as successful as the previous remains to be seen. One thing that’s for sure is that famous black and white face paint will be forever immortalized in the virtual world.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame annual classes always elicits passionate reactions, but we here at Notinhalloffame.com have been open on our belief that they are trending in the right direction. Gene Simmons, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, and founding member of KISS slammed the Class of 2021, citing the snubs of nominees, Rage Against the Machine and Iron Maiden.

Sadly, Rage Against The Machine shut out of RR Hall of Fame. The Hall should be ashamed of themselves….

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) May 13, 2021

Simmons has been critical about the Hall before, first regarding the long wait that his band endured, and then when they did get in, that they only inducted the original four members. RATM member, Tom Morello, was KISS’s inductor, and is a member of the Rock Hall committee, who pushed hard for KISS’s induction.

In an interview with 95.7 (The Hog in Daytona, Florida), Kiss frontman, Paul Stanley recalled his experiences in entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Stanley had this to say: “It was validation for our fans, who it meant the world to. It was vindication in the sense that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame kept us out for 17 years, and were really left with no choice but to begrudgingly let us in.” They treated us like crap, even that night. We had trouble – how about this? – getting into the arena. We had no idea about the rundown of the show or when we were getting on stage. It was disgraceful what they did, but we won. It’s the story of Kiss from the beginning – that people who believed in themselves and who were told that what they were doing wasn’t worth anything and wouldn’t succeed came out on top.” There is a lot of validity to what Stanley had said. Considering the profile of the band, whether you think they are talented are not, this was one of the most popular bands for nearly a decade and sold out hundreds of arenas around the world. Jann Wenner, who was the co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said at one point that they would never get in as long as “he had something to say about it”. The 2014 induction on Kiss’ part was not exactly smooth from their part either. Stanley and Simmons lobbied for the current members (Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer) to be part of the induction and they were not open to performing with former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Something tells us that we have not heard the last of members of Kiss, both past and present, in regards to their experience and thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Christine Sixteen
Highest Billboard Position:
#25 in 1977

You can always count on Slipknot’s Corey Taylor for speaking his mind, so when Loudwire asked him his thoughts on the Gene Simmons/N.W.A. controversy, you have to know that he would not skirt the issue.

He had the following to say:

“I see what Gene's saying, and, you know, I'm old-school guy as well; I get it. But at the same time, the more I look at what N.W.A. did, man, I mean, they influenced me, and I'm a rock and roll guy. So how do they not deserve to be in there? To me, bands like that, bands like RUN–D.M.C., it's a different type of band, but it's a band, man. I mean, that's straight up. So I can see both sides of it."



"I have bigger problems with the Hall Of Fame than some of the people who have gone in. Mine has more to do with the fact that until this year, CHEAP TRICK and DEEP PURPLE weren't in. That, to me, is disrespectful on a whole other level. Does N.W.A. deserve to be in. You're goddamn right they do. But did CHEAP TRICK and DEEP PURPLE deserve to be in years before they got in? You're damn right they did. So that whole organization needs to figure out who they're gonna honor and when, because there are still bands right now who aren't in that should be."



Simmons had previously criticized the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for inducting N.W.A. and other hip-hop acts as they were not “Rock and Roll”.

Now are we done talking about this?

Probably not.

In the over the top decade of the 70’s KISS were among the flashiest and you could not turn around without seeing their painted faces everywhere. Opinions on whether this theatrical band should be in the Hall are very strong on both the pro and con. Their fervent supporters will point to their massive record sales, vibrant concerts and thirty years plus of longevity as vital reasons for their cause. Their detractors will point to their lack music’s lack of depth and that they were little more than a gimmick band. Fact is; both camps are right. Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons will never be confused for John Lennon & Paul McCartney or Keith Richards & Mick Jagger but to their millions of fans their music is pure escapism and their definition of what Rock music is all about. And while yes, their kabuki style make up was a gimmick…well, it was one hell of a gimmick!