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 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 Cc: arnold@dartmouth.coordinate.com From: Nick Robinson Subject: Lalo & the Nice Samuel H Theiner 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" 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.." 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 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 To: "John Arnold" 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" 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" To: 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 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 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 To: ELP Digest 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 ------------------------------ 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 23 ] *************************************