ELP Digest Friday, 20 September 1996
Volume 6 : Issue 23
The "No Compassion For Those Who Stay" Edition
Today's Topics:
Ideas for lodging in Japan during ELP tour?
GREG LAKE GUITAR
End of Show Music
Another Classical Quote...
ELP Disco
Lalo & the Nice
Upcoming stop at Concord Pavilion
SPOILERS
Sound Check
Tour-inspired thoughts
tarkus c-3 and the mix..
Re: tarkus c-3 and the mix..
ELP at Hershey
ELP's NYC (Jones Beach) concert
Great Woods 08/26
Columbus OH ELP Concert
Darien Lake
Live at Jones Beach
ELP/Tull at Camden E-Center on 8/31/96
ELP at Sony Blockbuster Entertament Center
ELP at Camden E centre - 8/31
9/2 Pittsburgh show, possible spoilers (!?)
Prelude
=======
Hello again. Sorry for the delay between issues. The backlog is piling up as
more readers send their impressions of the tour. There's plenty to read
about of that in here.
Of special note in this issue is an announcement of the sale of an electric
guitar used by Greg Lake on "Black Moon" and "In the Hot Seat." Greg's
manager is taking bids. Details below.
Also, some UK-based readers are heading to Japan to see ELP and are looking
for advice on places to stay. If you can help, please do.
Till next time...
- John -
------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 04 Sep 1996 05:03:08 EDT
From: jacquie@uk.ibm.com
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: Ideas for lodging in Japan during ELP tour?
Dear John
This is the message I was asking about from Frank Askew which we would
be grateful if you could post on your next digest.
ELP CONCERTS - JAPAN
Myself and a friend Mark Burridge, will be travelling to Japan to attend
the five concerts in Tokyo from 12 - 18 October. We are hoping to arrive
in Japan on 11 October and should be leaving on or around the 19
October. We are wanting to contact anyone with a knowledge of cheap (or
free) accommodation for the duration. During this time I will be
interviewing Carl Palmer for the next issue of the Impressions magazine
as well as having various discussions regarding my book which Carl is
kindly taking a great interest in.
If you wish to contact Frank direct his address is 25 Woodrow, Denmead,
Hampshire, PO7 6YW, England or you can contact Jacquie on the Internet at
Jacquie@pobox.co.uk
Thanks
Jacquie
*********************** Jacquie Dutton ************************
Portsmouth Desktop and LAN Services
FGH North Harbour, 7-251352
*** Internet Address GBIB1XB8@IBMMAIL or jacquie@uk.ibm.com ***
------------------------------
From: BRUCETUNE@aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 21:01:39 -0400
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: GREG LAKE GUITAR
John:
I am trying to sell one of Greg's handmade guitars....
One of only two handmade "Tom Anderson" Stratocaster original TEST MODEL
guitars, presently owned by Greg Lake is available for auction. This guitar
(Circa 1990), is in immaculate condition and has an electric blue finish. It
was used by Lake on the recording of BLACK MOON and IN THE HOT SEAT. The
buyer will also receive a certificate of authenticity signed by Greg Lake,
himself. Bids start at $2,000 and must be submitted in writing via fax as
soon as possible, to:
Camille Boughtan-Laing,
c/o: PILATO ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Fax: 716-454-7897.
Bids can also be E-mailed to BRUCETUNE @ AOL. com. All bids should contain
complete name, address and phone information. Thank you.
* * *
Thanks, as always, for your help.
Bruce
------------------------------
From: efore@ctonline.net
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 22:21:54 +0000
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: End of Show Music
Can anyone give me any information on the canned music that is played
at the very end of ELP's live shows? They have been using this since
at least the mid 70's, and I can't seem to get any info on it. I suppose it
could be an Emerson original.
P.S. The Hartford show on 8.25 was great, with ELP putting in a very
muscular performance. Greg's voice was especially good. It was
a shame seeing these guys relegated to opening act status, with sound
and lights not being up to par. I also missed the modular moog, but
that's just me. These guys will always be in a class by themselves. Thanks.
------------------------------
From: KYBDS@aol.com
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 04:29:23 -0400
To: Arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: Another Classical Quote...
I'm been editing a piece of music for a client, and lo and behold another
unusual segment popped out, and hit me:
An interesting riff/arrpegio from Liszt's Mephisto Waltz grabbed my ear;
it's in the middle of the work, and it's copied into some of the KE9 Second
Impression middle section, the moodier piano section. Wonder if it was
uncoscious lift or not; I'd guess Keith heard it, liked it, and reworked it
a tad for his piece. It's unmistakeable.
Joe (KYBDS@aol.com
------------------------------
From: Bjorn-Are.Davidsen@s.prosjekt98.telenor.no
Date: 29 Aug 1996 07:21:36 Z
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com (Receipt notification requested)
Subject: ELP Disco
And here's a great one from the Gentle Giant mailing list (which
always contains a wide variety of subjects, almost as unexpected as
the shiftings within GG's music).
Bjo/rn Are
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Petri.Heinonen@tele.telebox.fi
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 96 13:26:51 +0300
Subject: Disco (was Re: gg: Lots o' stuff, etc.)
Item Subject: Sanoman teksti
Patrick Little <pjl@MATH.AMS.ORG> wrote,
>ON DISCO - others said:
>
>>>> Dan wasn't talking about disco, he was talking about music.
>>>>Disco is not music.
Chris Hill wrote:
Who's officiating? And did not the great George Clinton himself
declare that the entire disco genre was inspired (begotten?) by
Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express?"
In a recent TV-interview Clinton also said that the he heard synths
first time in the E.L.P. gig! He added that he was himself the first
who used them as a rhytm base..(I disagree - it was Stevie Wonder
who used them first.(A genius.)) .Well , if a funk artist dares to
say that he's found something new from prog, what makes us to say
that for example disco is not music? Hell, it made me so angry...
There is music everywhere, just listen!
All the best, anyway:
- -Petri
-----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 21:20:20 +0100
To: Samuel H Theiner <shtst1+@pitt.edu>
Cc: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
From: Nick Robinson <nick@homelink.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Lalo & the Nice
Samuel H Theiner <shtst1+@pitt.edu> sez
>arrangement of The Nice's Diary of an Empty Day is (not derived from, but
>IS) the fifth movement of Eduard Lalo's Symphonie Espaniole in D Minor.
>
Not a great secret, since Keith declares this on the sleeve notes of the
third Nice album....
all the best,
Nick Robinson
email nick@homelink.demon.co.uk
homepage http://www.rpmrecords.co.uk/nick
BOS homepage http://www.rpmrecords.co.uk/bos/
RPM homepage http://www.rpmrecords.co.uk
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 06:25:06 -0700
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
From: "Jeffrey Henager" <jhenager@tomatoweb.com>
Subject: Upcoming stop at Concord Pavilion
I got a video last night of the Milan, Italy stop of the Black Moon tour. It
is about sixty minutes long, great, and has me really charged for this one.
The audio sounded pretty muddy. (Oh, like it probably be easy to balance
Greg's voice and that whomping synth.) There were mixing problems at the
show, and the audience seemed less familair with the tunes than a US crowd,
but it reminded me of the last time I saw them. Unfortunately, the tape
ends before Kieth attacks his 'beater'.
I only saw him throw the daggers once, at the first concert at Winterland
(S.F. @1972 with Mahavishnu Orchestra and John McGlaughlin warming up). He
stuck the first one in the fabric of a speaker, but the next one appeared to
go through the faceplate of a pre-amp, whereupon it started to smoke. A
couple of tech people scurried around replacing the unit, hunched down so as
not to detract from the show. If it was for effect, it was good. One
thing about the tape (the pyrotechnics) reminded me of the Brain Salad
Surgery tour (San Francisco Civic) where his theremin blew off one of his
thumbnails. Keith, be careful! He continued to play the rest of the night,
but bloodied up all his keyboards. I caught them last time at Great Woods,
but now I am back in my native land and have two tickets to see them again
(maybe for the eighth time?) at the Concord Pavilion. If there is an
attractive single lady reader (or friend) of the newsgroup that would like
to accompany me??? I could use an experienced guide to the Pavilion. Email
me back directly.
As long as they tour, I'll be there,
Jeff
------------------------------
**************************************************
**************************************************
********** SPOILERS AHEAD! *************
********** Don't keep reading if you *************
********** want the tour details *************
********** (e.g., the set list) *************
********** to be a surprise *************
**************************************************
**************************************************
------------------------------
From: robert.henderson@ICDC.COM
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 04:04:04 -0500
Subject: Sound Check
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Just came back from the ELP/Tull concert at the Hershey Park Arena
(Hershey, PA), and boy are my arms tired... But, seriously, folks...
E-e-e-nyway, I arrived very early, and got to hear the majority of the
soundcheck. Was it just me, or were bits of Karn Evil 9 played? All of
the other soundcheck songs were played during the (all-too-brief)
concert, aside from Karn-o, assuming, of course, that I actually heard
the song even played in soundcheck in the first place (auditory
hallucinations - what's a boy to do? beyond psychotherapy...). Any
info on this, or a set-list for the Hershey gig (definitely different
than the ones listed in previous Digests - "Hoedown" was not the opener,
for instance) would be appreciated. Thanks, all.
Brian Henderson, Cyberburlap
"It's like a mishmash of assorted mush." -- Conan O'Brien
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 18:57:02 -0400
From: krout@Federal.Unisys.COM (John Krout - Unisys)
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: Tour-inspired thoughts
Just finished reading V6 #22. I have these thoughts.
First, I seem to recall that most warmup acts rely on the
headliner's engineer for audio mixing. Can it be that ELP is suffering
bad mixes simply because the Tull audio engineer did not rehearse
with ELP, and is learning to mix ELP on the job?
Second, I think it is very good news indeed that ELP are
obviously enjoying each other's work. One major reason why bands
break up is that they no longer enjoy working with each other.
Let's hope their good spirits last through the tour and beyond!
John Krout
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 21:49:20 -0400
From: "bri.." <fender@ccs.neu.edu>
Subject: tarkus c-3 and the mix..
> 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.
actually, the only thing from the tarkus c-3 was the case - the guts were
from an a-100 that al had acquired the first week of this month (august)..
al's wife was disassembling the a-100 for insertion on the 10th of
august, as al was modifying the preamp.. not to get technical or anything,
you know.. the original tarkus c-3 guts reside in many boxes at al's house,
years of touring took it's toll on it..
> Hope you have a chance to see them.
i did, it was incredible, even though the mix sucked at great woods, too..
seems to be a prevalent theme.. maybe the sound guy is for tull, and he's
intentionally screwing with things? :)
some notes: greg forgot the lyrics to lucky man at the great woods show..
i mean, i'm sure he didn't actually forget, (by now ya'd think he'd know
them :) but he got flustered and left out `his blood ran [...] so he
laid down'.. i felt really bad for him.. he didn't look happy..
also, that `organ' that the keyboardist/pianist for tull was playing was
really 2 roland d-70's in a wooden b-3 (sorta) style case.. pretty lame,
but i wonder how many people were fooled.. his organ sample was a little
weak, as well, but other than that tull put on a great show, too..
bri..
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 08:57:43 -0400
From: John Arnold <arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com>
To: fender@ccs.neu.edu
CC: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: Re: tarkus c-3 and the mix..
>>> some notes: greg forgot the lyrics to lucky man at the great woods show..
>>> i mean, i'm sure he didn't actually forget, (by now ya'd think he'd know
>>> them :) but he got flustered and left out `his blood ran [...] so he
>>> laid down'.. i felt really bad for him.. he didn't look happy..
I'm pretty sure that he started getting feedback or that something went
wrong with the monitor mix at that point. It was quite clear that something
happened and he intentionally stopped singing while making a few gestures to
the crew. From my vantage point, it definitely looked like some kind of
technical problem, not that he forgot the words (which I know from
experience is easier to do than you'd think, even for a song you've sung a
million times).
My take on that situation,
- John -
------------------------------
From: CRosing@aol.com
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 00:38:09 -0400
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: ELP at Hershey
Hi!
This is my first experience witht the ELP digest. I have been an ELP fan
since High School in the 70's. I think I saw them about 5 times back then
with and without the orchestra during the works tours. I also caught them in
a small bar in providence in the late 80's I think it was Emerson, Lake and
Powell then. Anyway I haven't listened or thought about ELP for a long time
but when I heard they were to play Hershey which is right near where I live,
I couldn't pass it up. Boy am I glad I went.
They were great! The sound was excellent unlike many postings complaining of
a muddy mix, this show was crisp and great. They really kicked it out. The
set list was similar to what has been posted except the started with Touch
and Go and then went into Hoedown. Also Greg did From the Beginning instead
of Still you turn me on.
They rocked the house people were on their feet after every song. They
sounded better then I remember them ofcourse this was the first time I saw
them while not being under the influence of some mind altering chemical,
haven given that up a while ago.
My only complaint is that it was too short and no encore. I would love to
see them headline and do a 2 - 3 hour show.
Tull was good as posted I found Ians voice lacking. I think he was having
trouble hearing the mix it seemed that he had an earphone in and he kept
holding it. His voice was kind of lost in the mix. They did a great Hunting
Girl and Locomotive Breath. I really enjoyed the new stuff especially Bombay
Valentine. Though the crowd seemed to want the old stuff. As we were
leaving they began doing an interesting version of War Child, kind of wished
we had stayed for it but the wife had to work the next day.
My 17 year old son went. He is a big Tull fan but ELP converted him. Kind
of neat being able to share the music that meant so much to me when I was his
age.
If anyone has any doubts DO IT, GO see the show that never ends.....
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 01:31:07 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: ELP's NYC (Jones Beach) concert
From: Steve Brant <trimtab@walrus.com>
To: "John Arnold" <arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com>
Hi, John -
ELP's performance tonight followed the same set described in previous
concert reports. The crowd was a little less enthusiastic then some of
the other reports - not giving them a standing ovation after each song.
Although, for my money, they ran through their set so quickly that it was
hard for the audience to give each song its due. (At least I had the
impression ELP was racing the clock.)
What struck me most about the music this time (compared with 1992) was
the different arrangements for Tarkus and Lucky Man. While in '92 less
of Tarkus was played, the arrangement used was new - compared to the
original recording. I remember Keith's sound being even more powerful
then the original. This year, much more of Tarkus is played, and it it
sounds just like the original recording. I wonder why they chose to
revert back to the old arangement?
Lucky Man, on the other hand, was all new this year. Keith accompanied
Greg during the entire song, as well as adding a new intro that had me
guessing what song was about to start.
One last comment. The grand piano Keith played, possibly because it was
also designed to have other sound settings, did not produce a true grand
piano sound when Keith played his solo. I was quite disappointed in
this, as I always love Keith's solos when produced in the studio. And,
given the way Greg introduced the song by saying "And now Keith Emerson
on grand piano," I think Keith (and the audience) deserved a better
sound. Perhaps someone can give me a technical explanation as to what
kind of equipment he's using that causes this effect.
Otherwise,the setting was beautiful. The harvest Moon was out. The
sound system was relatively together. And ELP really looked like they
were having fun, even if they were limited in how much time they had to
play for us.
Oh yes, Jethro Tull played well too.
Cheers!
Steve Brant
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 96 06:22:44 EST
From: "Hazlett, James" <JHAZLETT@thl-usa.com>
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: Great Woods 08/26
I too attended the show on 08/26 at Great Woods. Unfortunately,
I left work late. Surprisingly enough, I made good time leaving
the airport at approx 6:50 and arriving at the entrance at 7:30.
I would have done better had stupid me not went off two exits
to early. I was not 100% sure I could get there that way so I
doubled back to the right exit. I found out on the way home that
I could have stayed on that road. Live and learn. Anyway, my
luck ran out when I reached the entrance to Great Woods. Traffic
into the parking lot was backed up and it took me almost 20-25 minutes
to park the car. Needless to say, I was quite BULL****. You would
think after 5-6 years or whatever Great Woods as been opened that
they would do something about the parking lot traffic. Anyway, I
left my windows open hoping to a least hear the beginning of their
show but I could hear nothing but crowd noise. I got inside during
"Still You Turn Me On" and did not get seated until way into "Tarkus/
Pictures". From what I heard the show was great but to short. I
agree with all the others that posted, that the sound was terrible.
The drums were way to loud although E & L could still be heard.
Hopefully, next time through they can do a full set and get someone
to work the soundboard a little better. Tull was better than I
expected having been away from them for awhile. The one and only
time I saw them was back in '75. All in all it was worth the trip,
although I wish I had been there on time.
Jim Hazlett
jhazlett@thl-usa.atlanta.com
------------------------------
From: "S. D. Baker" <sbaker@iwaynet.net>
To: <arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com>
Subject: Columbus OH ELP Concert
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 07:25:08 -0400
Here's how the Columbus Dispatch (in its 08/29/96 Weekender supplement)
announced the upcoming ELP concert at Polaris on 09/04/96:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome back, friends, to the show that never ends
Concert Evil 9
Welcome back my friends to the greed that never ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come and spend! Come and spend!
There upon the stage
Are three rockers of advanced age
Make us rich! Make us rich!
Come to the Polaris show
Guaranteed to seperate you from your dough
Rest assured they'll make a mint
Fund Emerson, Lake & Palmer's retirement
You've got to see the show, it's a '70s art rock dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's nostalgia rock 'n' roll
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing was said about the "other" act.
I've got my tickets AND I"M GOING!
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 07:48:47 -0500
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
From: azmy@axess.com (azmy)
Subject: Darien Lake
I'm one of the fortunate few who had the chance to see the -*Show That
Never Ends*- in Darien Lake on Aug 18 (The first night of the 1996 TLP/JT
tour). I took some pictures with my APS camera but (probably due to my
excitement) couldn't get all the shots to be nice. But there's a couple
that were of outstanding quality. Since they were taken with an APS, they
were in the panoramic (4X12) and HDTV (4X7) formats.
I do not have a scanner, else I would have sent them via e-mail to
ELP page or something. So if anybody is interested in these 2 photos, I can
gladly send them to you for just the price of the reprinting, special
envelope for the panoramic and postage (I don't know---5 dollars maybe? Or
in exchange with any ELP memorabilia, drawings [Karen Stober, are you
listening?] or anything at all connected with ELP).
Please e-mail me if you're interested. (I also have one panoramic JT).
azmy
------------------------------
Date: 31 Aug 96 14:03:23 EDT
From: TED SELINSKY <71623.3245@CompuServe.COM>
To: John Arnold <arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com>
Subject: Live at Jones Beach
Content-Type: text
Content-Length: 4046
I was just at the Jones Beach concert last night, and saw our three
heroes perform. For a twenty year old college student who's never seen ELP
live, it was pretty entertaining. I left to Jones beach at the last minute
to see if I could perhaps grab a ticket (it was sold out). I was lucky to
find a few honest guys who sold me a 10th row orchestra seat ticket face
value. After getting in and buying myself the required ELP tour t-shirt
(which cost $25), I changed into it and went to sit down.
At eight promptly, Keith, Greg, and Carl showed up on stage to a
standing audience, and Keith tore into Hoedown. It was a bit hard to hear
the organ notes, the reverb was way up. But the synth Keith was using had a
lot of bite. They were full of energy, all looked in shape and
excited. Keith was playing an organ, and a Korg Trident Synthesizer on one
end, and a Grand with a midi controller on the other. He also had a covered
L100 sitting there, for later. During hoedown, Keith grabbed the controller,
and started playing with it (no fireworks, though). He also rubbed it
against his but, which was a bit silly, but nevertheless, they were
good. Touch and go followed, which was OK.
Afterwards came Bitches Chrystal. Here, one could see Keith's hand was
having a bad day. His playing was very segmented, and he seemed to be
struggling. Good improvs, though, and Greg's voice has gotten better, although
he can't sustain notes well anymore. Carl seemed to be doing well.
Following that, Keith announced that he was playing "Hammer it Out", a
piece that he said was released in Japan, but not here. He proceeded to play it
aggressivley, and it sounded pretty good. Following that, Greg did an acoustic
solo of You Turn me On. Greg sounded and played well on this, and the audience
loved it. Then came the opening chords of Tarkus.
Keith arranged it very nicely, and they played through Iconoclast, and
then, changed over to The Curse of Baba Yaga through the Gates of Kiev. The
audience loved it. Afterwards came Knife Edge, which went over incredibly well
with segments from classical pieces (although he didn't play the solo from the
record). Next came Lucky Man. The sound of the lead solo was amazing, it
penetrated the crowd with unprecidented bass and clarity.
The last piece was Fanfare, where Keith did his usual business with the
"Blues Variations" improv, and plugged in a few more ideas. Then came Carl's
drum solo, which was pretty astounding, although a bit short. Afterwards, Keith
grabbed the L100 that all this time was sitting there, and started to drag it
about. Then, he ran up it, and started planting daggers between the keys, with
the usual cosmic space noise that makes. He then ran back and jumped the organ,
standing on top. He waved, then got down under the organ and started to play an
a la Bach organ piece. However, his hand seemed to be giving him trouble,
and he was waving to Greg and Carl that he couldn't do it, to go back to
another note. Finally he played through a bit of it, returned to his stack,
and they finished the piece off. They got a standing ovation, and left. No
encore, unfortunately, but no one booed them.
Tull was on next, and they did pretty well. After the intro, Ian
mentioned that he was glad to be touring with ELP, "one of the last bands with
any hair left on their heads, those bastards!". Apparently Ian's leg was
doing a bit better than Keith's hand. Ian was hopping about and moving,
although not as vigorously as before, of course. Ian's voice, though, is
starting to sound a bit like Popeye. They played some Aqualung, some new
stuff, and some older stuff.
Not bad. Tull was, of course, allowed an encore, of Cross Eyed Mary. I'd say
both bands played equally well. Perhaps it wasn't the ELP of Isle of Wight, but
it definately was good to hear their stuff again. I'm also glad that ELP didn't
tout their new stuff like Tull did. WBAB's after concert program only played
Lucky Man, and must have played most of the Tull catalog - so some things never
change. Enjoy. -George.
------------------------------
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: ELP/Tull at Camden E-Center on 8/31/96
From: schack@juno.com (Eric J Schachter)
Date: Sun, 01 Sep 1996 10:28:00 EDT
Since the early 70'so, I've probably seen ELP at least 15-20 times in
concert. Last night's show in the Philly area was the best I have seen
them play since the Works Tour in 1977-78. Maybe the band has been
reading ELP digest of late because we were told at 8 pm that the show
would start in 10 minutes, so no one was really caught off guard when
they began with HOEDOWN. The play list was very similar to earlier
show's on the tour. What amazed me was:
1. Keith's playing was sharp, crisp and loony as ever. He showed little
effect of the Ulna surgery he had last year. It was heartwarming not
only to see him playing well but he also played a new piano piece that
showed all the dexterity and veracity which I have grown accustomed to.
It's hard to find the words to describe his playing, just go watch and
listen. It just reaffirm's the belief that he is one of a kind, the
master of the keyboard, whether it be piano, organ or synthesizer.
2. Even more spectacular was the return of Greg Lake's voice. On the
last ELP tour, his voice cracked often especially in his ballads. This
time around it was strong, on key and had the strength and sound we heard
in the 70's. Throughout the entire set, he was the Greg Lake of old.
He was a little weak in part of STILL... YOU TURN ME ON, however this
appeared to be due to losing his breath more than anything else. And he
had the composure to work it out, regain his strength and finish strong.
3. Carl Palmer also played with the sheer brilliance I have not seen in
awhile from him. The carpal tunnel surgery seemed to give him back the
strength, dexterity and crispness he used to have. Need I say more.
4. The emphasis on the band as a team was back. They were all dressed
in black leather and really seemed to be having a helluva good time
playing together. They were tight, precise and a bit daring. BITCHES
CRYSTAL and TARKUS/PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION were especially noteworthy.
The band also improvised their play list by walking off the stage after
Keith's wild RONDO/ KNIFE THE OLD ORGAN ESCAPADE COMPLETE WITH UPSIDE
DOWN PLAYING. We thought the show was over, (previous reviews noted no
encores). However after 2-3 minutes they came back and played a rousing
rendition of LUCKY MAN with Keith adding a few piano touches. When they
left stage there were no boos, the audience had gotten it's encore.
The sound mix left a lot to be desired as it was often soft and bassy.
We sat right behind the sound booth so we should have had the best sound
in the arena. Even more peculiar was that the pickups and sound for
Jethro Tull were much better. I do not know much about the technical
aspects of sound projection, etc. so maybe there would be a difference in
plugging in ELP's instruments and microphones to a TULL sound system.
However, the same guy ran both group's sound. Maybe someone should
straighten him out. I was thinking of asking him why there was such a
difference and tell him I'm an IRS agent who'll audit him if he doesn't
fix ELP's sound mix. However, sensibility prevailed and nothing was
said. Besides the key thing was that the band played together very, very
well. The sound only put a little damper on an otherwise perfect ELP
evening.
The TULL show really was quite impressive. I had never seen them before.
Ian Anderson is quite a showman and although it was obvious that he was
still in lot of pain from whatever leg/knee problem he has, he championed
through the evening with a sense of humor and bravado which was an
excellent complement to ELP. Their sound was sharp but it also revealed
that instrumentally on all fronts ELP is light years ahead in technical
playing ability. No criticism of Tull here, but even Ian Anderson
remarked about ELP's technical prowess.
SO PLEASE EVERYONE GO AND SEE THE SHOW. THEY HAVE THRILLS AND SHOCKS,
... ..., LEAVE YOUR HAMMERS AT THE BOX, SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR!!
Regards,
Eric
------------------------------
From: CTS1231@aol.com
Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 13:48:16 -0400
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Subject: ELP at Sony Blockbuster Entertament Center
John,
I have been reading ELP Deigest for a few months and find it very
informative. I became an ELP fan in 1972 (age 11) when I heard Hoedown
playing in my older brother's bedroom, but I have only seen them 4 times
(including ELPowell).
Now about the concert on Sat. Aug. 31 in Camden N.J.. I sat in the 3rd row
right in front of Mr. Keith Emerson (his arm seems to be healing fine). The
show started at 8:10, ten minutes late! I was hoping it would not shorten the
set list and thankfully it did not. The set list was the same as other
reports with one exception - they played Lucky Man as an encore. The crowd
seemed fine with this, because at the end of the show there was no booing
when the lights came on, just load cheers for the band.
Greg's voice sounded great especially on The Great Gates of Kiev. Carl's
druming has not slowed down one second. His drum solo was proof of that.
Sitting right in front of Keith (The "King" of keyboard players) and seeing
how fast his fingers tickled the ivorys makes me appreciate his playing
even more. The mix was not as bad as earlier reports, but could be improved.
I had a great time at "The Show that Never Ends" and Jethro Tull was also
very good! Hopefully ELP will swing back to the U.S. and headline.
Keep up the great work !
Greg Klink
------------------------------
From: Richard Eckman <eckman@eos1.larc.nasa.gov>
Subject: ELP at Camden E centre - 8/31
To: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com
Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 18:08:22 -0400 (EDT)
I saw the ELP/Jethro Tull concert at the Camden
E Centre on 8/31. This was my sixth ELP concert
over the years and while I enjoyed the concert overall,
I came away from it a bit disappointed.
The group seemed to be in good form this evening,
although Keith was a bit sloppy at times and the
sound mix, as others have commented, seemed pretty
shabby. The play list was very similar to what
others have already reported with the exception that
"Lucky Man" was moved to the end of the show as
an encore. I guess that this easily solved the problem
of appearing to give an encore without actually
playing any music. The program lasted just over
60 minutes.
It's always nice to see ELP in action. Of the
three, Carl seemed to be in particularly good form.
The play list was good, particlarly the inclusion
of "Bitches Crystal" and "Touch and Go". My only
real source of disappointment was that I came away
with the feeling that I've seen it all before. For
example, is it really necessary to see Keith do the
organ wrestling stuff during "Rondo". Do the fans
really demand this sort of stuff of him? I guess that
maybe I'm just getting old, but I'd love to see a
somewhat more "intimate" show; maybe a sort of ELP
unplugged. It needn't be wholly acoustic, but I
think that it would be neat to see the boys playing
some of their material in different ways. For
example, on the "Welcome Back" video, there was
a fascinating snippet of Keith doing an acoustic
version of "Tarkus". I think that this could really
work as a three-piece. What do others think?
In summary, it was great to see ELP again. I hope
that they may do a headlining tour sometime soon as
well as maybe record and release some new material.
Richard Eckman
Hampton, VA
r.s.eckman@larc.nasa.gov
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 19:41:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: Samuel H Theiner <shtst1+@pitt.edu>
To: ELP Digest <arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com>
Subject: 9/2 Pittsburgh show, possible spoilers (!?)
A quick review of the Pittsburgh show on September 2:
A nice birthday present (just turned 21 on 8/30!), but also somewhat of a
disappointment. I'll give the good news and the bad news right after the
requisite setlist:
Hoedown
Touch & Go
Bitches Crystal
Hammer Me (?)("piano" solo)
Still You Turn Me On
Tarkus (through Mass)/Pictures (from Baba Yaga on)
Fanfare/Rondo
encore:
Lucky Man
(I THINK that's every song. I feel like I'm fogetting one, but it WAS a
short set.)
That's right! Lucky Man has been plucked right from the set to become the
encore, and that's where the good news comes in. If they were indeed
pressed for time by being the opening act, making LM the encore was a
great move, for one simple reason: GREG LAKE. Lake was in superb form.
His voice sounded much better than on the Black Moon tour and *lightyears*
better than any recent recording; easy, powerful, good range. It seems to
me almost as though he took voice lessons, or at least gave some deep
thought to his singing, in the last year or so. He sang with notably less
"nasal" sound, putting much more of his body into his voice. His bass
playing was also very tight, especially in Tarkus, for example when he
broke out with the opening riff of Mass with just drum accompanying.
Anyway, like everyone has already said, the acrobatics of Rondo had the
audience screaming for more; Lake had the audience in the palm of his hand
as he sang LM.
Unfortunately, the stupid layout of the Riverplex venue caused a major
traffic snarl coming in, so I missed most of Hoedown (heard it over the
fence!). Bitches Crystal was a good choice as a set addition; besides the
delight of hearing it for the first time, it's a very bouncy sort of tune,
which really got the audience on their side (and well prepared them for
the orchestral bombast of Tarkus/Pictures!).
Palmer was pretty good, though he never seemed to expend any serious
energy.
Now for the bad news: Keith Emerson. What can I say? Everything he tried
to play with his right hand was a noticeable strain; he really seemed to
me to be reaching hard to accomplish what he could do without thinking
just as far back as the BM tour. It was really discouraging to hear him
at 50%; his piano solo was simply a disgrace. Of course, Emo's ability at
50% is about equal to most people's at 100%. But sadly, Keith's days as a
virtuouso player are gone. And since ELP is essentially a vehicle for
Emo+ Lake's songwriting, I don't feel left with much. It pains me to say
it, but ELP's days as a live performance band are over.
On the birght side, Jethro Tull put on an absolutely stunning show, with a
well paced set list and magnificent performances from everyone. They
played Hunting Girl, which they have not done for a long time, and the
songs from Roots to Branches really shined. Unfortunately, this all
relates to ELP in a bad way: Andy Giddings blew Emerson away. His
performance was at times virtuosic, other times orchestral, but his sense
of ease and flash of showmanship really contrasted with Emo's strained and
lacklustre performance. All IMHO, please no flames!
-Sam
------------------------------
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------------------------------
End of ELP Digest [Volume 6 Issue 23 ]
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