ELP Digest Friday, 30 August 1996 Volume 6 : Issue 22 The "Moved By the Word" Edition Today's Topics: Help to go from El Paso to Phoenix ELP in LA Mastermind live dates (including warm-up for ELP and Tull!) Cozy Powell How about "Welcome to the south my friends" SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! ELP Concert at Garden State Art Center ELP/TULL in N.J. = WOW ! ELP concert Scranton Pa. ELP concert ELP performance August 23rd ELP, of course ELP at Darien Lake Merriweather Concert ELP Aug 23 in Columbia,MD Re: ELP concert ELP in Maryland ELP/Tull at Meadows Music Theater August 25 ELP/Tull in Hartford (Sun 8/25) ELP concert ELP tonight at Great Woods ELP needs HELP ELP Show 8/26/96 Great Woods, Massachusetts Syracuse NY concert review ELP/Tull at Great Woods (8/26/96) ELP in Syracuse, NY (8/27/96) Prelude ======= Sorry about this being another long issue but I'm trying to keep up with the concert reports as they come in. To keep it a little shorter and to not delay it again, I'll save my own reflection of the Great Woods show for later (though, not surprisingly, I thought it was great). Till next time, - John - ------------------------------------------------------------ From: rbetanco@uachih.uachnet.mx Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 14:40:32 -0600 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: Help to go from El Paso to Phoenix I am a mexican ELP fan since 1975 and I never saw them alive. Please help me: I need a ride from El Paso,Texas, USA to Phoenix, Arizona USA to see the September 18th Jethro Tull/ELP concert. I need a contact with a ELP El Paso fan that can help me. My phone number is (14) 20.53.68. Please somebody contact me! [ Editor's Note: Please contact this person directly if you can help him Out. Since the timeliness of your response will matter, that will keep me from being a bottleneck in the whole thing. - John - ] ------------------------------ From: EJnel@aol.com Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 11:57:33 -0400 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: ELP in LA Attention all So Cal ELP Fans, who like me, were waiting to see if the tour was worth attending.... According to the digest reviews I've seen, it is!! So.... Is anyone interested in two Row H Section 17 seats for ELP/TULL at the Universal Amphitheatre in LA on September 22? The two were purchased within 45 seconds of seats going on sale -- and of course, they're face value... Anyone? Erik ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 00:42:40 -0400 To: bberends@mosquito.com From: Bill Berends Subject: Mastermind live dates Mastermind live dates: Saturday, Aug. 31 - SONY E-CENTER ELP/JETHRO TULL warmup - 2nd stage at 6:00 PM Camden, NJ / 609-365-1300 Sunday, Sept. 1 - PROGDAY '96 All ages w/ Ars Nova, Iluvatar, Discipline, Galadriel 207 South Elliott Road, Chapel Hill, NC 919-929-8987 Wednesday, Sept. 4 - ROCK & ROLL CAFE 8pm w/ Ars Nova & Deus ex Machina 149 Bleeker St, New York, NY 212-677-7630 Friday, Sept. 6 - THE MIDDLE EAST 8 pm w/ Ars Nova & Deus ex Machina 126 Chestnut St, Philadelphia. PA 215-922-1003 Saturday, Sept. 7 - ORION STUDIOS 8 pm w/ Ars Nova & Deus ex Machina 2903 Whittington Ave, Baltimore, MD 410-646-7334 For on line information: http://www.mosquito.com/~bberends/mastermind/ -- ================================================= Bill Berends http://www.mosquito.com/~bberends/mastermind/ ================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 Aug 1995 19:20:51 -0700 From: Dianne Noble To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com CC: noble@MNSi.Net Subject: Cozy Powell Question, What is Cozy Powell doing these days? I'm a huge fan and a reply would be greatly appreciatted. Scott ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 16:12:36 -0400 From: "Harry T. Stone" To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: How about "Welcome to the south my friends" I am about to die! The tour skipped all of the southern cities. I cannot beleive that did not book an Atlanta date, or Miami, or Orlando or... I have heard rumblings that a second US leg may be in the works for later or a Greg Lake solo tour next year. I live in Tennessee and am working in Florida, I thought sooner or later we would get to see "THE SHOW" H.T. ------------------------------ ************************************************** ************************************************** ********** SPOILERS AHEAD! ************* ********** Don't keep reading if you ************* ********** want the tour details ************* ********** (e.g., the set list) ************* ********** to be a surprise ************* ************************************************** ************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 17:03:30 -0400 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com From: Frank Sonnenberg Subject: ELP Concert at Garden State Art Center John, I got your latest issue of the ELP Digest today, so I realize that you've already heard a lot about the early concert dates. I had already composed this message, so I'll send it anyway. I saw ELP and Jethro Tull last night at the Garden State Art Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. They all played extremely well and Greg's voice sounded great. The only disappointment was that they played only a one hour set which went by all too quickly and didn't play an encore. Their play list was: Hoedown Touch & Go Knife Edge Bitches Crystal (Lake said it was their first performance of it in 25 years) A new song (keyboard solo, no title given) in honor of Kevin Gilbert Still You Turn Me On Tarkus (first half) / Pictures at an Exhibition (last half) Lucky Man Fanfare for the Common Man Rondo with long drum solo, thrown knives, Toccata and Fugue while lying on his back, etc. The big Moog was nowhere to be seen. Keith seemed to be using a grand piano with a MIDI keyboard. Also, according to Al Goff, the big Hammond organ he used was the original "Tarkus C3", newly rebuilt for this tour but with a traveling case. I have to agree with many of the previous observations that the playing was excellent, but the sound mix was terrible. E.g. the opening synth sweeps of Hoedown were barely audible. Jethro Tull was outstanding, a real surprise for me. I like them but I wouldn't have gone to see just them. I think next time I would. Ian Anderson's voice was very weak, but their playing was great. They played four songs from Aqualung (Aqualung, Cross-eyed Mary, My God, and Locomotive Breath) and two songs from Stand Up (Bouree and Nothing is Easy) However, most of their set was new stuff that was really incredible. No ELP/Tull jam which people were hoping for. Hope you have a chance to see them. -- Frank Sonnenberg ============================================================================= Frank A. Sonnenberg, MD Voice: 908-235-7112 Associate Professor of Medicine Fax: 908-235-7144 Division of General Internal Medicine UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Internet: sonnenbe@umdnj.edu Clinical Academic Building, Rm 2312 125 Paterson Street New Brunswick, NJ 08903 ============================================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 17:29:50 -0500 To: John Arnold From: thefront@interport.net (TONE) Subject: ELP/TULL in N.J. = WOW ! Hello: I had a chance to catch the ELP/TULL show in N.J. at the Garden State Arts Center WOW ! ! ! Keith was burnin ! Thanks to the closed circuit TV in the place we were able to see close up shots of what his hands were doing. This man has been blessed. Great set list ! They even did "Bitches Crystal" from "Tarkus". Greg's voice sounds as good as the first time I heard them. Strong, Smooth, Full of Character (dare I say it) LIKE FINE WINE ! Carl was in the pocket ! Carl's playing even seemed "Funky" at times. Amazing to watch (As Always). From were I was sitting, it seemed like the guys were very relaxed and having a great time. TWO THUMBS UP ! Tony D. ______________________________________________ E-mail us at... thefront@interport.net ______________________________________________ F r o n t R o o m P r o d u c t i o n s Sound Developers For Kurzweil Synthesizers. ______________________________________________ P l e a s e V i s i t T h e F r o n t R o o m. http://www.interport.net/~thefront/index.html ______________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 18:14:17 -0400 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com From: tpk1@psu.edu (Thomas Krivak) Subject: ELP concert Scranton Pa. Welcome back my friends! ELP concert at Montage Mt. in Scranton Pa. was just GREAT! Sitting 11 rows back and center stage, was a night to remember. ELP played the same line-up in Scranton as in Canada and New York . Keith wasn't as wild as years ago but boy he can still play. Greg's voice and Bass was the best I ever heard from him. Carl can still play and play it seemed none stop. The sound was GREAT and the guys were joking and talking to one another on stage. Only problem was they only played one hour, but what a hour it was. Most of the people were ELP fans. Tull was good. Wish Greg would play electric guitar. Next time! Thomas Krivak ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 22:08:16 -0700 From: video3@ix.netcom.com (Brian K. Glock ) Subject: ELP concert To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Hi John and fellow Digesters. Just got home from the Merriwether post Pavilion show in Maryland. ELP was nothing but fantastic regardless of a poor audio mix. For most of their set Keith's synths were way too soft, and Carl's bass drums were a thunderous roar. Not the guys fault though. Maybe the person doing the sound mix has a thing for bass drums(?) While the Tull set was good I feel that, ELP put on a better show musically. As always with ELP live there is that certain chemistry of musicians working together as a fine tuned machine, each listening , interacting, and playing off the other to create a well gelled sound. Don't get me wrong as I said the Tull set was good and I enjoyed it, but it just seemed to me that ELP had more variety. Hopefully the guys will do a head line tour of their own in the near future. For the Keyboard gear heads Keith had a Goff Professional (B3) with what looked like an Alesis keyboard of some model towards his right and to the left a MIDI Grand Piano with what looked like an 88 note controller(could be an Alesis) . I couldn't get close enough for a good peek. The ribbon controller was there but no Modular Moog on stage. I don't know what was in the off stage racks. ELP's set was: Hoedown (short bit with ribbon controller but no pyrotechnics at this show) Touch and Go Knifes Edge (Intro by Greg for Piano solo, Keith said something about no not yet let's play) Bitches Crystal ( Greg announced that this is the first time in 25 years they have played it live) Piano Solo ( Keith said this was a new piece he had just written in memory of a friend. As always Keith's piano pieces are powerful, but unfortunately the person mixing the sound couldn't seem to get a proper mix of the Piano and MIDIed strings.) Still You Turn Me On( Greg Lake Solo) Tarkus/Pictures Lucky Man Fanfare/Rondo (Drum Solo/ L100 or maybe L101) You can tell that there was a time schedule to keep since a lot of the solos, including Carl's Drum solo, were very short. But seeing ELP live for just 60 minutes beats not seeing them live any day of the week. Hope everyone who are going to future concerts enjoy it as much as I did. Brian ------------------------------ From: tmb@access.digex.net Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 01:20:12 -0400 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: ELP performance August 23rd ELP played a nostalgic set tonight at Merriweather Post pavillion in Maryland. The crowd was enthusiastic but the band appeared ill at ease for much of their brief time on stage, perhaps unaccustomed to playing second fiddle to Jethro Tull. The set was one hour exactly, and time pressure may explain why the playing in the first half seemed rushed. There were some noticeable sound glitches too, with voices unaccountably missing, or so it seemed from my seat. The set was: Hoedown, Touch and Go, Knife Edge, Bitches Crystal, a keyboard solo dedicated to KE's friend Kevin Gilbertson (didn't catch the title), Still You Turn Me On, Tarkus, Pictures, Lucky Man, then Fanfare for the Common Man segueing into Rondo 69. No time for an encore. The band have changed their stage positioning: Carl was stage left, and Greg stood center stage. I liked this: I could see Carl's playing better than I ever have before. Hoedown, an old opener, got going well enough, but Touch and Go was hurried and Knife Edge lacked the sense of drama it needed. There were sound problems and a general lack of togetherness in Bitches Crystal. Keith's keyboard solo piece was over almost before it began: either he was unconfident about it and cut it short, or it needs more development (he said it was newly written). Greg warmed up a degree or two in Still You Turn Me On, but Tarkus was glossed over and the band didn't work it hard enough for me. Pictures was closer to what I and the rest of crowd were hoping for, and that was the first time all three seemed to be really connected emotionally. Lucky Man went down as well as it always does and Fanfare benefitted from the guys by now having hit their stride: this was starting to be fun. But it was too late: a spirited, not to say violent, Rondo, complete with knife attacks on the old Hammond, wound things up too soon. In short: it was great to see them again, but I hope I get to see a more compelling performance next time. Tim Beardsley ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 17:48:09 -0400 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com, boettchers.pad@sni.de, bjorn-are.davidsen@s.prosjekt98.telenor.no, marciafialho@ax.ibase.org.br, nige@unet.ibm.com, brucetune@aol.com, plotczyk@fssi.mhs.compuserve.com, rigoli@uninetcom.it, whetmore@intonet.co.uk From: karen1@chelsea.ios.com (KarenStober) Subject: ELP, of course Hi!! Incredible, and not just the shows! I had the incredible good luck to be invited by a friend of the band to talk with Greg Lake after the Scranton, PA show. My friend, her daughter, Greg and I spent two hours together. I showed Greg a photograph of the ELP drawing I did for Liv Whetmore's Impressions Magazine. He was blown away, and had to get up and look at it in better light. After a while we wondered where he went. Having been totally enthralled by Greg for hours we never noticed who else had joined us. Greg was showing my art work to Keith and his girlfriend!!! So we joined them. Can you imagine, Keith, his girlfriend (forgive me if I misspelled this) Neela, Greg, my friend and her daughter, and I, Karen E. Stober, at a little table, all discussing my ELP drawing! Keith told me I should get into airbrushing, like the 1996 BSS tour shirt I had on. He was very impressed by the two works I showed him. I had another photo of another work with me and we spoke about it for a while. I thought I died and went to heaven!!! I got Greg's, Will A's, and Keith's autograph that night. Keith wrote, "Start 'Em Up, Karen", Keith Emerson. What an incredible feeling, of oneness, of creative energy, of magic, and of love that was at that table that evening. I am writing it all down as part of the concert review, and, with ELP's and Liv Whetmore's permission, will have it published, along with my ELP drawing, in the third issue of Impressions. Bye for now, Karen E. Stober ------------------------------ From: Klemmre@aol.com Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 17:50:01 -0400 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com cc: Klemmre@aol.com Subject: ELP at Darien Lake Greetings... I read all the postings of ELP concert reviews that you sent me. Are you interested in another one? This would be for the opening tour date at Darien Lake. Please post if it you wish. From: Michael D. Klemm Editor/art director Metro Weekend (an alternative entertainment weekly newspaper in Buffalo, New York) JETHRO TULL/ELP CONCERT AT DARIEN LAKE AMPITHEATRE Both bands are two of my all-time favorites. How exciting to have seen them both in one show! I was pysched for this concert all week because I had the extreme thrill of being able to arrange a phone interview for my excellent music critic, Jeff Miers, with Ian Anderson of Tull for our cover story. (If anyone is interested, you can find it on our webpage at http://www.vanpersonals.com/metro/ It was quite a good (and long) interview. It would be archived in the back issues. August 15 issue.) But, now, ELP... I was VERY inpressed with their show. Even after all these years, they remain one of the tightest live bands that I have ever seen. (Your previous reviewer of this concert failed to mention "Knife's Edge" in his playlist.) It was very exciting to hear them begin the concert with "Hoedown" just like the old days. They followed this with "Touch and Go" which is one of favorite ELP songs of all time even if Palmer was wasting his time with Asia at the time it was originally recorded. The synthesizer solos in that song are Emerson at his BEST! I found the concert to be a very satisfying and interesting set of music from throughout their career. "Bitch's Crystal" was a big surprise. There was much disappointment from my companion that "Karn Evil 9 first impression" wasn't played, but that didn't ruin it for me. There was a good mix of the standards that I expected as well as a few surprises. The mix of "Tarkus" and "Pictures at an Exhibition" was much enjoyed by me. And I was very surprised to see that Keith Emerson was still doing his Hammond organ "schtick". Though it was a crowd pleaser and brought back many memories. But all in all, their playing was TIGHT, Greg Lake's vocals were much better than I thought they would be (after hearing their last couple of albums.) But despite Emerson's hand problems of past years, he still played remarkably well. Carl Palmer can still athletically play the drums like he also has too. I was overjoyed that they played nothing from their last album "In The Hot Seat" which I consider to be a extremely substandard ELP. All, in all, it was a great show. A little too short, there were loud boos when the roadies began taking away the equipment when we all wanted an encore but I am sure this was due to time restraints. For everyone that is whining that they didn't play long enough, they WERE the opening act!!!!! And considering all the abuse that ELP has received from the rock press over the years (and some of it deserved... Works II, Love Beach...) it was great to see them on the road touring again and not languishing in an old-rock-musicians home. Great show. All the energy of an ELP show from the 70s tempered with the wisdom of age. Tull played brilliantly too. My only complaint was Ian Anderson's voice with was dreadful beyond words. The man sounded like he was suffering and from all the times that he was putting his hand to his ear I think that he couldn't hear the mix as well as he should. But musically, the band was superb! Tight playing and lots of that medeival-style music that I loved over the years from that band. I'm sure that there would be people who would call this show the "concert of the has-beens" and lump it in the same category of other nostalgia "Happy Together" tours, but this writer isn't one of them. ELP and Jethro Tull are both two giants of the much-mocked field of progressive rock and it was good to see both bands up and touring again. And seeing people come out to see them too. I will admit that most of the audience was in my age group (late 30s to early 40s) and some brought their kids, which I thought was cool. But anyway, if they are coming to your town on this tour, prepare to be entertained. And expect ELP's show to be only around an hour long. Mike Klemm editor/art director Metro Weekend e-mail address: klemmre@aol.com ------------------------------ To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com From: Douglas Otte Subject: Merriweather Concert Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 02:17:20 +0000 I just saw th' boys last night at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. Many things noted by previous posters were in evidence here as well: -They started early. I had a tough decision about staying in line to get my beer or running to my seat. I got my beer. -They only played about an hour. -The mix was horrible; I usually couldn't hear GL's bass at all; KE's keys were all at different levels; CP's drums were too loud. -KE had trouble in some points. He sounded great at times, but sloppy in others. I noticed this in the '92 tour, too (when, during "America," he seemed to unconsciously modulate to another key that the rest of the band). During the intro to "Bitches Crystal," he got tied up & actually stopped playing for a moment. Despite these complaints, I had a great time. GL's voice was in great shape, better than in '92 or '94. I had chills during Still... & PaaE. ELP as a whole approached the old moments, but with a more compact, rough, R'n'R effect. Tull was OK, but rather ...safe... OK? However, their sound & arrangements were thoughtful, crisp & well-rehearsed. Comparing Tull to ELP made me wonder, did ELP really put a lot of effort into this tour? Changing subjects: is "Refugee" available on CD? You may e-mail me privately if you wish. Thanks. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Music is a dream without the isolation of sleep." - Klaus Schulze ------------------------------ Date: 25 Aug 1996 18:53:51 -0700 From: "Brian OSullivan" Subject: ELP Aug 23 in Columbia,MD To: "John Arnold ELP Digest" ELP Aug 23 in Columbia,MD Good show last night at Merriwether Post Pavilion in my hometown of Columbia,MD. I haven't contributed to the digest in a while, so I'm making up for it with a lenthy review :-) At 5 minutes to 8pm (scheduled showtime) an announcement was made that ELP would be on stage in exactly 5 minutes. The guys walked on stage to a standing ovation & a classical piece I didn't recognize. Here's the set list: Hoedown Touch & Go Knife Edge Bitches Crystal Keith Emerson solo Still...You Turn Me On (Greg Lake solo) Tarkus/Pictures medley Lucky Man Fanfare for the Common Man/Rondo/Carl Palmer solo/Hammond abuse :-) Being a 2nd generation fan, this was only the 2nd time I got to "come and see the show", and I was _thrilled_ to hear "Hoedown"! (They didn't play "Hoedown" at MPP on the Black Moon tour.) Keith brought out his Moog ribbon controller for a solo & a bit of fun with Greg. "Touch & Go" also sounded good, another one they didn't do last time at MPP. About half way through the song Keith repeated the modulation of the synth-horn medley from cm to G -- different from the original ELPowell version, but I can't remember if that's how ELPalmer re-recorded it for ROTM. "Knife Edge" was one of the best sounding performances of the night. The crowd really got into the first verse (a little coaching from Carl didn't hurt!). Keith's solos sounded great! I never would have guessed he had recently had arm surgery if I didn't already know. There was a little bit of a mix-up on stage during one of the few times the band stopped to talk with the audience. Greg started to introduce Keith for his solo, to which Keith responded "I can do that, but I wasn't ready for it yet!". Greg then introduced "Bitches Crystal" -- which he said came off the "Trilogy" album (oops!) -- and commented that they hadn't played it in 25 years. The band was tight, but Keith's honky-tonk-ish synth piano was mostly lost in the mix. Then Greg re-introduced "a grand pianist, Mr. Keith Emerson". Keith mentioned that he had recently written the piece he was about to play in memory of Kevin Gilbert (he didn't mention a title). It was hard to tell from where I was sitting (near the back, on Keith's side of the stage), but it looked like Keith had a few pages of music propped up on the piano. The piece was similar in style to "Ballade/Close to Home" - slower & more introspective than most of Emo's piano solos. The ending could only be described as "Emersonic", really cool! The only thing I didn't like was the MIDI'd string ensemble backing up the piano. Pedaled sections just sound to muddled with all of the string voices piling up (IMHO). Keith then introduced Greg, who played "Still..." much to the crowd's approval. His voice sounded great. His voice seemed to crack only once, when singing softly (every day a little sadder), but on the next line (& the rest of the show) he sounded stronger than ever! The "Tarkus"/"Pictures" medley was cool, just too short! Keith used a different synth arrangement for "Stones of Years", but still ended the solo with the bit he started playing during the GX-1 era. Right after Carl's last drum fill in "Mass", they broke into an abbreviated version of "Baba Yaga" & finished up with "Gates". Greg improvised a little on his acoustic guitar before strumming into "Lucky Man" -- another big crowd-pleaser. Keith pretty much covered the guitar solo on keys when I saw them on the Black Moon tour; this time he jammed out on piano! Then Keith played the intro to "Fanfare" on his synth & the band rocked through an excellent rendition. Keith started the solo on his Hammond B-3 sticking to the melody from the record before improvising a bit. He played "Flight of the Bumblebee" & something which sounded like a classical quote before segueing into "Rondo". Keith went back to the B-3 for "Rondo" & appeared to have no trouble with the glissandi! Keith then introduced Carl's drum solo. Say what you will about Carl's studio work in the last 15 years, the man can still play in concert! Probably the most technically gifted drummer I have ever seen -- he has the most controlled & perfectly executed drum rolls I've ever heard. The solo was shorter than it was on the Black Moon tour, but included Carl's trademark tricks: fancy stick-work on the cymbals, fade-in drum rolls, taking off his shirt while going all-out on the double-bass, hitting the gongs a few times, and getting the audience into the act. Back came Greg & Keith for some Hammond L-100 abuse. Nothing really new here, but it was still fun to watch! I don't know what's more impressive -- Keith's ability to pull off the same tricks, or the fact that the organ is still playable after years of abuse! Keith did the "train" imitation, sunk a couple of knives into the keyboard & played Bach's "Tocatta & Fugue in dm" upside down with the organ on top of him. The latter feat was even more impressive because I thought I saw a bunch of keys pop off earlier when Keith jumped on top of the organ! The band finished "Rondo", Keith using synth voices instead of the B-3, this time playing left-hand cross-over chords instead of the glissandi. When they finished playing, Keith, Greg & Carl came to the front of the stage & waved goodnight, shaking several hands in the front row. The lights came up right after they left the stage which prompted several "boos" from the crowd! I'm not a Jethro Tull fan, but they sounded good. Appropriately enough, a couple of "park benches" were on stage, which Ian Anderson rested on a few times during the show. Ian has to be one of the oddest performers I've ever seen. He twitched and grabbed his jaw (or maybe it was his wireless mic) frequently while singing. I couldn't tell if he was in pain or he is normally so quirky during performances. He roamed all over the stage so his leg is apparently back in good shape. Back to ELP... Keith's hair is much longer than it was last tour & Greg looks to be in good shape; Carl always looks like the picture of perfect health. Keith was to the audience's left, Carl to the right & Greg in the middle. Greg set up on a large greenish rug. Keith had a MIDI controller on top of his grand piano & it looked like another keyboard sat on top of his B-3. There appeared to be a bunch of rack-mounted stuff hidden behind Greg's amplifiers. Keith motioned for help with his MIDI controller from the stage crew once or twice, and some of his keyboard voices were lost in this mix. All in all a good performance, but the band seemed rushed trying to fit everything into their 1 hour time slot. Here's hoping for a new album & an ELP-headlining tour in 97! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 16:15:21 +0000 From: "Douglas S. Schwab" To: John Arnold Subject: Re: ELP concert John, I just saw the ELP concert this past Friday night. They were great!! It seems they only get better. Keith Emerson played an original piece solo. Carl played his normal percussion solo. (what a strong man) Greg Lake's voice seemed a little deeper but still sounded great as usual. Toward the end Keith Emerson got down on the ground and laid his old wooden frame organ back on his stomach and played the Keyboard upside down. What talent. After jumping around on the organ for a while he went back to his normal two hands on 4+ keyboards. The only problem was that they only played for one hour. No matter how much we clapped at the end they did not come on for an encore. Jethro Tull was.....well if Ian Anderson did not sing I would have said it was great too. His singing was really off. He does however, play a mean Flute. One of the best. The band was really good. I am thinking about going to see them again. Doug Schwab ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 09:03:40 -0400 From: bbyn8bf@is002677.bell-atl.com (Adamczyk) To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: ELP in Maryland John: Concert report from Columbia, Maryland - Fri August 23, 1996. Anybody wishing to attend an upccoming ELP show please be aware that the show starts promptly at the scheduled time, in my case 8 pm. ELP plays for a full hour, not much talking in between songs, I counted 10 songs. There were solo pieces, a minor drum solo; no encore. The show was a musical sprint. Keith and Greg wore earrings, Keith an expensive Rolex. The one hour show takes the pressure off of Keith's arms and Greg's vocals. Carl Palmer looks as if he could play all nite. My wife and 10 year-old daughter (an aspiring pianist) had never seen ELP before, were completely amazed by Emerson's performance. Likewise some friends who also attended because they were Tull fans told us after the show that Emerson's performance and the sych of the group was very impressive. There was a half-hour break for the Tull setup and ELP breakdown. I stayed for an hour of Tull, Ian Anderson's vocals have long since departed, his voice sounds helium-enhanced. I don't have to tell you who stole the show that nite... I saw the guys on the QVC, for the first time being interviewed together. About the only interesting thing they passed along was that when they first considering joining-up that they reviewed each other's record collections and musical backgrounds. They talked for 10 minutes, most of which was spent answering fawning questions. But it was great to see them anyway. After seeing the group again - I have to wonder how such talented, diverse and worldly talents seem forever trapped in their music of the 70s. Sure the tour is for their fans and the "blasts from the past" and obligatory, but the guys are cheating themselves and us from a try at new material. Here's hoping... Thanks and enjoy the show... ronald.l.adamczyk@bell-atl.com ------------------------------ From: "A. Radder" To: "'John Arnold'" Subject: ELP/Tull at Meadows Music Theater August 25 Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 12:58:03 -0400 Last night was possibly the best of my entire life. I'll clarify that by saying I'm only 20 years old :-) I had been waiting anxiously for August 25th since early June when I heard of the tour from the Digest. My dreams were fulfilled as ELP played a nonstop energetic set at Meadows Music Theater in Hartford CT last night. Here's what they played: Hoedown The mix was not perfect, I'm sure they were still scrambling to get it right. You couldn't hear the organ very well at the beginning, which was a shame, but the showmanship was definitely there. (I have never seen anyone play a synthesizer by rubbing a ribbon controller up and down their hindquarters, but it sure worked for Keith) Touch and Go Sounded like a mix between the original ELPowell version and the rerecording on RoTM. Knife Edge Not as searing an intro as could have been expected, but a good rendition nonetheless. An Emerson solo piano piece (He didn't name the piece) Keith dedicated this to someone whose name I have forgotten. Sorry :-) Still... You Turn Me on Greg's voice is still very good, but there were times when it was apparent that he was having trouble with the higher notes. The acoustic guitar/voice solo arrangement sounded very good (I was happy for a departure from the silly wah-wah guitar on the studio version of the song) Tarkus: Eruption/Stones of Years/Iconoclast -> last two (three?) movements of Pictures at an Exhibition This featured an awe-inspiring drum solo courtesy of Carl. The guy on QVC Saturday was absolutely right when he mentioned that Carl must be bionic. :-) Lucky Man I have never seen ELP live before, so I don't know if this is common for them, but I was happy to hear some piano arrangement put into the mix for this tune. There's also nothing like the low notes in Keith's mono-synth solo to blow your eardrums when played through a concert hall PA system. Out of sight. I gave them a standing ovation just for the heart palpitations this one caused. Bitches Crystal Great, nearly studio-perfect rendition. A real treat. Fanfare for the Common Man/Rondo The opening fanfare part was sort of cheesy, with a very wimpy sounding synth, but they really got it rockin' eventually. The segue to Rondo was seamless. I was groovin' right along with Fanfare, and then all of a sudden I noticed that they were playing a different song! Keith dragged out the sacrificial Hammond, and went to town on it, playing parts of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor UPSIDE DOWN underneath the organ. This was amazing. He then returned to his rack to add a snippet of "O Fortuna" from Orff's Carmina Burana on one of his synths. That piece has long been a favorite of mine and it was great to hear Keith play it. Altogether too soon, the show was over and the roadies cleared away the gear. Jethro Tull put on a tremendous show, and even though I've never been a huge Tull fan, I was really impressed with a couple of the new songs. The older songs didn't sound quite as good though. Perhaps because there's only one member (I think) of the original band still with Ian. I had a great night, and bought the obligatory T-shirt, one with "World Tour 1996" and the Brain Salad Surgery Giger painting on the front. I hope ELP decides to do a headline tour again sometime, since I'm too young to have gone to their concerts in "the old days" :-) -Aaron ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 14:25:11 -0500 To: John Arnold From: reason29@nfi.com (Brian P. Reasoner) Subject: ELP/Tull in Hartford (Sun 8/25) Hi everyone-- Caught the show in Hartford -- great seats (8th row center). I have to say, having seen ELP 10 times since 1977, this was one of their best shows, both musically and in terms of the band having a good time. There was a great commeraderie and great respect from one member to the other (*many* smiles and laughs). Make no mistake about it: Keith Emerson is back, smiling and in good form, as the undisputed Godfather of rock keyboards. ELP went on right at 7:30 for their hour-long set, all dressed in black leather pants and vests (Emerson had a white shirt on underneath, the others with no shirts under vests). Emerson's rig was positioned as always on the left (audience left, that is), and it consisted of the Al Goff C-3 on the left with an unidentified MIDI controller on top of it. Facing it to the right was his Yamaha MIDI-ed grand, also with an unspecified MIDI controller keboard on top. No towering Moog in back of Emerson facing the audience. No muss, no fuss. Greg and Carl had similar setups to the Black Moon tour. The set list was the same as Holmdel, NJ (although I'm not sure whether the solo piano piece, which Emerson wrote and dedicated to the memory of Kevin Gilbert, can be "Hammer It On", as Gilbert only died this past Spring, and "Hammer It On" was released in late 1993 on the Japanese In the Hot Seat). Perhaps the most striking aspect of the show was how *great* Greg Lake sounded -- easily his best singing since the Works tours of '77-78 (perhaps he's been reading a lot of people's postings, quit smoking, and went for some vocal rehab?) He sang with great range and accuracy, never seeming to strain as much as he did during the '92'93 shows. Of the setlist, the standouts were "Bitches Crystal" (Emerson played the out-of-tune piano part on the MIDI controller on top of the piano) and the Tarkus (Eruption-Stones of Years-Iconoclast-Mass) / Pictures (Hut of Baba Yaga-Great Gates) medley. In past years I've particularly grown weary of hearing yet another condensed suite from Pictures, but this one *really* moved me for the first time in years. Also, Lucky Man was slightly different with a slow introductory instrumental duet between Emerson on piano and Lake on lead acoustic guitar. Also different than last time around, Emerson predominantly played piano accompaniment with the obligatory screamin' Moog lead at the end. (BTW, through the Trilogy tour, they did Lucky Man with piano and guitar, minus the Moog solo, and sometimes without drums). After the set closing "Fanfare", the Respighi music kicked in. And then something rather remarkable happened. Rather than booing as the fans at the earlier shows had when no encore followed, the audience remained standing and cheering at least for 5 minutes after the lights had come up and ELP's roadies had started clearing their gear. It was, I thought, a far nobler tribute to cheer the band like this rather than boo the roadies or Tull management for forcing such a short set. Tull's set featured absolutely nothing remarkable (and I'm a Tull fan), aside from the always stunning guitar work of Martin Barre and drums of Doane Perry. Ian's voice *is* extremely fragile, and in the opening "Aqualung", it was utterly shocking to see how feeble he is vocally. My overriding sentiment about this version of Tull is that the endlessly-mugging Andrew Giddings needs to be sacked and John Evans and/or David Palmer brought back. Also, Ian should choose a set of tunes which don't try to highlight the individual members of the band so much. However, I was pleased in general with many choices, such as more obscure live tunes as "Hunting Girl" and "Nothing is Easy". Just like the majority of other posts about the ELP/Tull shows, a higher percentage of fans were there for ELP (at least based on crowd reception). It really is a shame that the two bands don't at least share top billing, with ELP given at least the 90 minutes that Tull was allowed last night in Hartford. Brian Reasoner ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 18:56:54 -0500 To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com From: emayat@pop.nidcd.nih.gov (Ebrahim Mayat) Subject: ELP concert Dear Mr Arnold Having seen the ELP concert last Friday at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, I must say that I was absolutely delighted to see Keith Emerson playing again. I came away from the concert with a lot of inspiration and some interesting thoughts: Would it be possible for Keith to write a solo on the new Korg Prophecy ? Could you imagine Keith and Carl (Palmer) playing with say Geddy Lee (Rush) or Jeff Berlin to explore not only virtuosic interactions between the various musicians but also to explore new keyboard voicings using sampled pads ? This I feel could be easily accomplished with Keith's extensive knowledge on orchestration (cf. Piano Concerto No.1 from the Works Vol. 1 album). As a long time admirer of Keith Emerson's work (twenty years to be precise), I would appreciate it if you could forward this message to him. Sincerely yours. Ebrahim Mayat ------------------------------ From: "Sullivan, Steve" To: John Arnold Subject: Re: ELP tonight at Great Woods Date: Tue, 27 Aug 96 09:33:00 PDT I was real happy with the show. Great to see the three of them playing together again. They even looked like they were having fun up on-stage! Outrageous! Did I see Lake give Palmer a high five or was my mind playing tricks on me again? The digest previews were quite accurate so I knew what was coming up. However, the mix, at least where I was sitting, was just plain horrible. Much to much bass drum and bass guitar. Just overpowering! I think I heard most of what Emerson was playing in my head from memory, not from hearing him play. Really too bad, because I love to listen to Lake play that Alembic. Taught myself how to play bass guitar by listening to him, but this was just way too overpowering, even for a guy who listens to the bass line before the melody. Why is it these sound people have to constantly try to impress us with their speaker systems that they have to crank up the bass so loud that it drowns everything else out? Most unfortunate. Haven't they ever heard of mid-range or even, heaven forbid, treble? I've never been to Great Woods before so I don't know what the acoustics are like, but I suspect it can accommodate a much better mix. Tull was OK. Never saw them before. Excellent musicians in both bands. After ELP walked off stage to that thunderous standing ovation, I was thinking that, whoa...Tull has to follow this? No way. But, Tull wowed 'em just like ELP did. Just a great night of music and musicianship. To me, the mix sounded better in the last half hour of the Tull set, but I can't decide between whether they fixed it or I was just finely getting used to it. It also seemed Anderson was a bit uncomfortable with that headset mike. In between his bobbing and weaving, it sounded to me like he was constantly trying to hold back so he wouldn't scream into the mike and be too overpowering himself. I'd love to know what the musicians up on-stage were hearing. Were they hearing their own instruments from their monitors or were they hearing that hideous mix, as well? Ouch! Saw someone in the digest asking about merchandise. T-shirts ranged from $25 to $50(?). I think I saw three or four ELP shirts, five or six Tull shirts, and one Tull/ELP combo shirt. Didn't see any paraphernalia there regarding mail order. If anyone else sees anything, let me know. On second thought, maybe 25 bucks for a T-shirt isn't so bad after all. Steve ssullivan@powersoft.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Aug 96 12:34:21 EST From: "LYONSRM1" To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: ELP needs HELP Greetings Digest, Just thought I'd drop in to give a little concert report... Went to see ELP and Jethro Tull Friday night at Merriwether Post Pavillion. I've seen ELP about six times in my life and it was the first time I've ever been disappointed. ELP needs HELP. I know they were the "opening group" ( semi-sad thing ) for Tull, but my complaint is, 'THE MIX SUCKED'. I'm trying to be nice here. To fix it I think CP's drums, particularly the BD, was too loud and boomy. KE kept pointing up, he couldn't even hear himself play. His equipment man moved his monitor closer and it seemed to help. Most of Keiths riffs from mid board on down got lost. I know the age old problem of getting keys to cut through but a simple "TURN IT UP A LITTLE!" probably would have worked. From a diehard fan of KE, don't use the ribbon controller unless you're really gonna play something. Instead of molesting the "Little Hammond", leave it home. Spend that time on stage to sit at the piano and just play something, anything, NO MIDI, just piano. I would have spent $30 bucks just to see Keith play the piano for an hour, one day I hope to. Sorry to rant and rave so much. I did attend to see ELP more than JT. GL seemed to need to warm up his voice but was in perfect form for Still You Turn Me On.. and Lucky Man. CP, impeccable as always. BTW, JT was very good, no mix problem whatsoever, made me wish I could play rock 'n roll flute. Russ L russell_lyons@jhuapl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Aug 96 11:36:07 EDT To: From: (Brian Podesta) Subject: ELP Show 8/26/96 Great Woods, Massachusetts My friend and I arrived at Great Woods to a long traffic backup. We had no tix, and proceeded to the box office. We elected to get 2 single seats - These were great seats 10 and 12 rows back, center stage!! ELP was very tight, and showed great energy. Carl frequently acknowledged fans pointing to him, as did Keith. I thought the best song was Bitches Crystal - Greg did a great job belting out the lyrics. As Keith walked offstage, as he looked to the sky, he clasped his hands together and said 'Thank You'. Tull was very impressive. I would not have considered seeing Tull, but I will plan to see them again if the opportunity exists. Ian Anderson is outstanding. Great Woods security estimated the crowd at 15,000. They anticipated about 10,000 and were quite surprised at the heavy turnout. ____________________________________________________ Brian J. Podesta brian.podesta@ummed.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 22:56:30 -0400 (EDT) From: GERALD BERNARDI To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Subject: Syracuse NY concert review Greetings: Here is a quick review of the August 27 ELP show in Syracuse NY at the state fair. ELP is definitely back 100% !!! It seems as though they are getting stronger as the tour progresses. I have read some of the earlier reviews and I can tell you that they surpassed my expectations. Keith was phenomenal. He seems to be himself again (as far as I could tell). Yeah, his hair is quite long these days as others have pointed out. Greg's voice was back to its former glory. I did not think this would be possible but it is true ! Carl outdid himself. He also seemed to be his old self again with a more flashy style. I'm not sure but I think he is using different drums than those he used in the Black Moon tour. Check out the drums on "Live at the Albert Hall" - they sound sort of like the electronic variety and not all that satisfying. His sound in Syracuse was like the sounds he produced in the 70's - muscular. I should also note that they all wore black cloths with black leather vests. Could this be a further indication of unity and commitment ? The set list is as others have noted in previous reviews. Hoedown was well done with Keith pulling out the ribbon controller for a bit. It sounded great. I always loved that thing! Especially when he makes it sound like laser blasts. He even rubbed it on his butt (a la the Pictures video). Touch and Go was played by Keith on the synths (rather than Hammond as he did on the box set). Carl's playing on this piece was better than on either of the studio tracks. Very nice!! The solos were well done. Tarkus sounded awesome and was played more closely to the "Welcome Back My Friends" live album version. Pictures sounded great. Lucky Man seemed to go over the best. There were a surprising number of young people at the show mixed in with us old farts. They seemed to appreciate all the music but I suspect that Lucky Man is what most of them knew. Keith blew the place apart with his synth solo at the end. He hit some low notes that shook the place like an earthquake. The finale was well executed with Keith playing Rondo and sliding his hands on the Hammond. In a previous show, it was reported that he did not do the slides - perhaps to save wear and tear on his hands. Perhaps he is finding that his hand is back to normal. It sounds as though they are each getting stronger as the tour rolls on ! Carl did a magnificent drum solo. It was absolutely ferocious. I think it was the fastest that I have ever seen him play. Keith had the old L-100 off to the side and covered up through the show. After Carl's solo, he uncovered it, rode it across the stage, stabbed it with daggers, played it upside down, etc... Someone (I think it was a Tull fan) complained that it was the same stuff Keith was doing 25 years ago. However, I must admit that I would be somewhat disappointed if Keith did *NOT* do all that stuff. So Keith, please keep on doin' it forever !!! There was no encore as with previous shows. The lights came on and roadies came out and the boos were loud and long. They played for roughly an hour as expected. Sure, an hour is not nearly enough but it is much better than no tour at all. Some final notes... There was no tour book available. There were 3 or 4 t-shirt designs available - Tarkus, BSS, Albert Hall. There was a nice pin available with the Albert Hall logo on it. There were lots of younger fans at the show and many were ladies. (I think the lack of female fans has been discussed in the past). This could be a good sign for the band's future. I even overheard a younger fan say that she really liked Tarkus as the band was getting into it. Perhaps ELP's early 70's style will become fashionable again. Now they just have to record a new studio album that kicks some butt. Oh yeah, Tull was great too (my 4th Tull show). My previous ELP and related shows are: ELP - August 1992 ELPowell - September 1986 ASIA - with Carl, 2 times in early 80's Greg's solo tour - November 1981 In conclusion - see the show !!!! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 10:57:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Brian Reasoner To: John Arnold Subject: ELP/Tull at Great Woods (8/26/96) Hi John, The ELP/Tull show at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA continued to show ELP's strengths, and the improvements of physical rehabilitation in all three members. The setlist for Great Woods was: Hoedown Touch and Go Knife Edge Bitches Crystal Hammer It Out (Emerson solo) Still . . . You Turn Me On (Lake solo, no Emerson accordion) Tarkus Eruption->Stones of Years->Iconoclast->Mass-> Pictures Hut of Baba Yaga->Great Gates of Kiev Lucky Man Fanfare for the Common Man -one chorus of Blues Variation-> Rondo -Flight of the Bumble Bee -OrffUs Carmina Burana -Carl Palmer drum solo-> -Rondo (reprise) The one difference in the set was the choice of "Hammer It Out" instead of the short solo piano piece that Keith wrote in memory of Kevin Gilbert. While at the previous night's show in Hartford there were decidedly more ELP fans, at Great Woods there were more Tull fans. There were more than 13,000 at the show (according to the Boston Globe), and a tractor-trailer turnover on I-95 probably kept a few thousand from getting there on time for ELP. The band was in absolutely *top* form, and it seems as if these 60 minute sets are a good start for them. There were none of the ragged edges which usually show up in GregUs voice, EmersonUs accuracy was top notch, except for some timing problems in Eruption, and Palmer could not be faulted by anyone for Runsteady time-keepingS. Incidentally, when I spoke to Carl (at the next night's show in Syracuse), he mentioned that he had fallen victim to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both hands/arms, and had surgery recently. Pretty amazing that this has been kept pretty quiet in light of Emerson's ulnar nerve problems and surgery on his right arm. The band, again, obviously had a lot of fun onstage. After Greg finished "Still . . .', Carl came up from behind him mischievously and screamed "GREG LAKE!!!!", much to Greg's amusement. He laughed and said, "Thankyou, Mr. Palmer"with a huge grin. BTW, Jethro Tull were *much* better at Great Woods than in Hartford (perhaps it was my more receptive mood?) Although Ian Anderson's voice is obviously strained for the older tunes, he was more comfortable with the newer ones, and the "Roots to Branches" tunes came across stronger. On to Syracuse! Brian Reasoner ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 11:01:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Brian Reasoner To: John Arnold Subject: ELP in Syracuse, NY (8/27/96) Hi again John, For the third time in three days, I caught ELP, this time at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY. After fantastic shows in Hartford and at Great Woods, I decided it would be in my best interests to drive 330 miles from Boston to Syracuse (hey, aren't ELP always in all of our best interests? ;-) I had another great seat for this show -- 8th row center. The ELP contingency was very strong, but there seemed to be a lot of Tull people right in front of me who wouldn't shut up during ELP's set. Anyway, the show the previous two nights had opened with a taped announcement of, "Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends--ladies and gentlemen--Emerson, Lake & Palmer!", but in Syracuse one of the roadies said it into a mic. The setlist for this show was identical to the previous night's at Great Woods. The band was if anything even tighter this show, and Eruption clicked moreso than at Great Woods. My God, these guys are *really* having fun this tour, opening act status notwithstanding. I'm grateful that they haven't fallen by the wayside (or off the earth) like so many other musicians of their generation. Two other aspects should be applauded (for all three shows) -- the absolutely fabulous job Will Alexander does controlling all of Keith's patch changes from his Power Macintosh 7100 from the wings, and also the extremely approachable and wonderfully hospitable Mary Ann Burns, who has been raising her skull and crossbones Pirates flag in the parking lots of the shows, drawing ELP fans to a tail gate party. Everyone out there within driving distance of any of the shows absolutely *must* go! They appreciate our support more than you know. Cheers, Brian Reasoner ------------------------------ Digest, mailing address, and administrative stuff to: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com | +=> The same for now... ELP-related info that you | want to put in the digest to: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com Back issues are available from the World Wide Web ELP Home Page: URL: http://bliss.berkeley.edu/elp/ Note: The opinions, information, etc. contained in this digest are those of the original message sender listed in each message. They are not necessarily those of the mailing list/digest administrator or those of any institution through whose computers/networks this mail flows. Unless otherwise noted, the individual authors of each entry in the Digest are the copyright holders of that entry. Please respect that copyright and act accordingly. I especially ask that you not redistribute the ELP Digest in whole or in part without acknowledging the original source of the digest and each author. Thanks! ------------------------------ End of ELP Digest [Volume 6 Issue 22] *************************************