Sunday, February 14, 2010

ELP's Keith Emerson & Greg Lake To Undertake Unplugged U.S. Tour

Rock legends Keith Emerson and Greg Lake are to tour the U.S. starting on April 1, 2010 in an exclusive intimate evening of musical retrospective highlighting the iconic music of Emerson Lake and Palmer, the Nice and King Crimson.

The two man show with keyboard legend Keith Emerson and the famed voice and guitars of Greg Lake is an intimate "unplugged" prelude to the highly anticipated reunion of Emerson Lake and Palmer at the High Voltage Festival in July, 2010 in the UK.

For more info go to this location.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My first experience at the beautifully renovated Lynn Massachusetts Auditorium opened my eyes to an intimate venue with spectacular acoustics.

While Emerson & Lake sans Palmer provided a most interesting (and NOT unplugged) show which I excitedly anticipated and can now check off my Musical Bucket List, it was somewhat unfulfilling partially because I arrived a bit late due to travel challenges. The duo went on as scheduled at 6:45pm ("I mean really, who throws a shoe"...and who starts playing a concert at 6:45pm).

It was effectively Emerson as keyboard virtuoso and mad scientist dramatically waving arms and bashing the keys both from front and, amazingly, behind. He did not flip over the Hammond B-3 as he had during shows decades prior. Greg Lake, like much of the audience, has added pounds with middle age, exhibited the perfectly magnificent and amazingly compelling voice with which he dazzled us all during the 70's & 80's.

During very brief Q & A with the audience, Emerson explained his trademark patch panel (circa 1968) and oscillators, filters and other electronic madness that he uses for good and not evil in his banks of keyboards. While he pounded on many varieties, he was an early devotee of synthesizer inventor, the late Robert Moog.

Within two all-too-brief sets of less than 45 minutes each with a "ten minute intermission" that lasted over 30 minutes,
we got a set list that included "Take a Pebble," "Pirates," Leonard Bernstein's "America" and a simply gorgeous "C'est La Vie" mixed in with some interesting stories about Bernstein visiting their studio while were recording and mixing "Works Volume 1" and Lake toking up at the sound board welcoming the conductor as "How's it hanging Lenny...." "Lucky Man" closed the show, repleat with Emerson's quirky synth workout straight from their famous eponymous debut album.
Somewhat distracting was the older and primarily mature crowd except those who whooped and hollared like they were at the Lily Von Schtupp show in Blazing Saddles.

There were plenty of ELP t-shirts worn in the crowd. Please - at your next concert, don't be that guy.

I didn't receive the opportunity to ask a question during the Q & A stint but if I had, I would have mentioned their place in Boston pop culture (Bruins using "Nutrocker" and Cheers immortalizing them as Rebecca's fake employer, "the law firm of Emerson, Lake & Palmer") and asked them whet the heck it takes to get them into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

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