Maynard James Keenan said it would have been nearly impossible to create a concert for his band Puscifer, which is also the name of the mascot, 15 years ago.
"In general there are some ideas in the past that weren't really possible," Keenan said during a telephone call from Las Vegas. "The way we're approaching the entire project, it would have cost millions of dollars.
"Now with technology catching up with itself, it's much easier to record tracks, mix tracks, do video, do film, do animation, do set design. There's just so much more at your fingertips."
Keenan said Puscifer, unlike his band Tool or A Perfect Circle, is not something he designed with widespread appeal in mind.
"This is not a project we're looking to go to some big record label and go on a world tour and pose for photos," he said. "It's not that thing.
"This is theater. This isn't a major movie release. It's off- off-Broadway."
That's the reason the show, an abstract rock-operalike performance, which could have easily sold out the E Center or EnergySolutions Arena, was booked at the smaller, more atmospheric Capitol Theatre.
"I've heard good things," Keenan said about the venue.
Throughout the show, Keenan and his crew will perform music, skits, show film and interact with the audience.
Furthermore, each performance on the tour is different, but all the music and skits and montages surround a character named Puscifer.
"She is the creative force," Keenan said.
There are other characters that Keenan will personify during the skits and music, as well.
Keenan and crew took advantage of today's technology while preparing the show.
"With the digital age, now we can put some stuff together and edit it together within a couple of days and go, 'It's not working.' 'Let's reshoot it' or 'Let's go a different way with it,' " he said. "There is some stuff we shot for the first run that we haven't used since, because we didn't feel it worked."
Getting a show like this up and running was no easy feat.
"(It took) time letting ideas develop and not rushing it," he said.
"Once again you have to have the right crew of people to really pull it off. Otherwise it gets off the track.
"We do sow some possible tragedies and train wrecks in there just to make it more exciting for us, but there has to be mistakes along the way. If there are no mistakes you don't learn anything."
Puscifer has released three CDs to date, and the band is prepared to play all the songs and all the different versions of those songs.
"We can play all the songs, but not all of them every night," Keenan said. "That's not really the point of the show, but even the songs we do play each night we do them differently. There are different versions of each song.
"Just (the song) 'Undertaker,' alone, has five versions."
Keenan said it's easier to hear what he's trying to do with Puscifer within the band's music.
"You can hear what's on a release," he said. "You can hear a mix of that track and then you can hear live how the same track evolved. It's something you have to experience."
If you go ...
What: Puscifer, Neil Hamburger
Where: Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South
When: Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $46
Phone: 801-467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
e-mail: scott@desnews.com