BRITNEY TOURS U.S. WITH YAMAHA GRANTOUCH

LAS VEGAS (November 18, 2001)—Millions of fans saw Britney Spears light up the MGM Grand in Las Vegas during her live HBO concert special on November 18. The same scene is playing out at sold-out arenas around the country, as the pop superstar's tour continues through 2002.

Spears rehearses with the Yamaha DGT7 Disklavier GranTouch Digital Grand Piano

One of the anchors of Spears' show, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," relies upon a DGT7 Disklavier GranTouch Digital Grand Piano furnished by Yamaha for its emotional impact. Accompanied by the beautiful look and sound of the digital piano, Spears—who gave up her teen status when she turned 20 in December—uses the single from her third album, Britney, to explore a personal and artistic crossroads.

The DGT7, a fully digital piano in the shell of a traditional acoustic, offers several advantages to a touring company like the mammoth Spears operation. On stage, it offers the appearance and performance of a top acoustic, but as a digital instrument, it doesn't have to be tuned and won't be affected by changes in temperature or humidity. The latter quality is especially important given the water effects that deluge Spears and the set late in her show.

That's why production manager Rob Brenner approached Yamaha to request the use of the piano for the duration of the tour. Spears owns several other Yamaha instruments as well.

"Its obvious touring benefits made it a good match for what they wanted to do," says Yamaha Corporate Director of Artist Affairs Chris Gero. "There's no denying the results have been spectacular."