DALLAS, TX. (Brooks & Dunn Fans Website) - As
Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks start their engines for what is guaranteed to be the high jinks on the highways Deuce's Wild Tour - with three pairs, no waiting - the men who've toured with everyone from
Dwight Yoakam to a fire breathing contortionist to
Toby Keith have once again reached across some pretty interesting fences to bring their live show to a new level. Always known for their over-the-top theatrics, the 4-time Entertainers of the Year brought Marcia (pronounced mar-SEE-ah) Kapustin (kahp-oo-stan) in to realign their visual presentation.
"The thing about Brooks & Dunn is that they've had major stage shows for so many years, it's kind of a challenge," says the woman whose Kosher Pixels has done content designing and related staging for Metallica, Paul McCartney, Elton John and U2's Pop Mart Tour. "But they wanted a whole new look, something that went in a whole other direction - and I think we got there."
Using a giant LED screen with high enough resolution to warrant shooting on film, Kapustin and partner Marcus Lyall set about realizing visuals that would bring an environmental overlay to what the music was - going so far as to using experimental techniques. As she says, "We used all kinds of film stocks, 16 millimeter, 32 millimeter - and shot anywhere from 30 frames a second to 60 frames, even 120 frames a second. And for one song, which has a sparkling look to it, we're shooting 1000 frames a second, which is something Marcus is in the process of developing right now."
Kapustin first met with the guys in February to discuss what the goals for their visual presentation were. After brain storming with the woman who designed last year's Aerosmith tour, in addition to serving as the technical design programmer for the upcoming Rolling Stones tour, Ronnie and Kix set her loose.
"When you get to work with someone like Marcia, you can't wait to see where she takes things," says Dunn. "She totally got what we're about, who we are… and she had some amazing ideas. You look at the people she's worked with, the things she's done with them… Her instincts are uncanny. You want to do what she suggests, because she's able to really get inside the music and bring it out in new ways."
"Over all these years, Brooks & Dunn are really good musicians and performers," Kapustin offers. "This isn't something done to cover up what's not there, it's about bringing what IS there into focus and letting it be as big as it really is. In this case, sometimes letting them be as big as they are is the answer… because THIS is a very big act when they're on the stage."
With Deuce's Wild slated to kick off this Friday, August 5 in Dallas, it won't be much longer until everyone else can see what the B&D inside circle has already enjoyed. Lean, clean, streamlined and ready to rock, the men who release Hillbilly Deluxe on Aug.30 are loaded for bear - and ready to hit the road running, LED screens poised for some amazing new visuals.
