Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 14:46:43 EDT
To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Subject: [Puptcrit] Puppets on Tour with Beck


We just saw the Beck Tour in Tucson with puppets made and operated by some  
of the people involved in Team America.  If they come near you (and they  are 
going to Europe for a tour soon), go see it!  It is totally cool.  
 
The puppets are rod marionette duplicates of the band members.  Their  
miniature stage is upstage of the performers and the puppet images are projected  on 
the large screen behind the main stage.  So Beck is singing downstage  and 
you may see his puppet image in a close-up behind him, lip-synching away or  one 
of the band members dancing around while the puppet does the same.   This 
description does not begin to do justice to how fun and creative this show  is.  
The camera work and video editing is key.  At one  point, a rod marionette of 
one of the cameramen mixes among the musicians with  his own tiny video camera 
and you see everything on his Puppetcam up on the  screen.  
 
Right before the encore they show a Puppetron tour of the  city starring 
Puppet Beck and company.  The puppeteers told us that  they spend 1-2 hours in the 
afternoon in highly recognizable parts of the city  where they're playing and 
try to tell a little story with it.  All this is  taped, the band members put 
in their own voices (and lines), and it all gets  edited by showtime that 
night.  Really fun and creative and the audience  loved it.
 
So find out if the show is coming anywhere near you and go see it.   Tickets 
were sold out when we found out about it going to Tucson, but Rob  Saunders 
(Puppet Beck) got us passes.  Thank you, Rob!
 
Nancy Smith
 
_______________________________________________
List address: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Admin interface: http://lists.driftline.org/listinfo.cgi/puptcrit-driftline.org
Archives: http://www.driftline.org