From: reaume@bmerh962.bnr.ca (Andy Reaume)
Subject: ELP at Ottawa, Canada
Keywords: ELP Ottawa Canada
Organization: Bell Northern Research, Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 23:30:33 GMT

	I won't repeat the same sort of thing that has been posted 
from other locations about this tour to date. I will mention a few 
interesting highlights.

	Concert was awesome/excellent/outstanding/superb/... take
your pick, they all apply. Hey, ELP fans expect the best. 
	
	Twice Keith Emmerson's keyboards blew a fuse or a breaker or 
whatever and the show came to a instant halt on the first occasion. 
Emerson simply said, ``Ever had your organ cut out on you in the middle
of a concert.'' The band laughed it off and Lake and Palmer broke out 
into a rendition of ``Peter Gun'' while the stage crew ran around like
chickens with their heads cutoff trying to get the power back on. The
second time was during Emerson's famous Hammond organ wrestling match. 
The stage was unusually small and he did have enough space to do the
``playing while the organ is on top of you backwards'' so he tossed it
backstage and finished off the instrumental with the MIDI keyboards 
(from behind it mind you). Well, no sound. After a few stares and a 
chuckle, he picked up his stool, walked around to the other stack of 
keyboards and finished off. Improvising on improv I guess. Funny, when
Emerson first tried to ull the Hammond across the stage, it got stuck
because he didn't have much room and a few people who had run up to the 
stage took the oppourtunity to reach and play with keys. Got a lot of
laughs. 

	Other memorables include being showered with ash from Emerson's
pyrotechnic gun (or whatever you call it). Price you pay for sitting in
the first two rows I guess. 

	Greg Lake was interviewed shortly before the show on a local 
radio station. Great comment on why ELP is back on tour even though
they are not as big as they used to be:

	``There are still people out there who appreciate the music
we produce.''

	On the question of how music has changed and where they fit in
today.

	``Music industry is completely different today. Everything is
market driven and packaged. In our day, you could listen to the radio
and within 5 seconds you would know who you are listening to. Today, 
you could listen to the whole song and not know who was playing.''

	Right on Greg! Also explains why _Black Moon_ is more commercial
oriented than their 70's releases.

	A local newpaper ran an article on ELP, mostly lauding them for
their achievements and contributions to rock music. Thenit finished off
by calling it ``dinosaur rock''. I no longer read the _Ottawa Citizen_.

	All in all, I must say that these guys must really love touring
and seeing the fans. They were laughing and smiling while they played
and it appeared to be genuine. At the end of the concert they hung 
around the stage to sign autographs and shake hands. I guess they really
missed doing something that people really appreciated them for. Either
way, they aren't making money playing in front of a crowd less than
5,000. Bickering and personality clashes don't appear to be there 
anymore since this isn't as grandiose a tour as the one they had before
they broke up. No stress anymore, they've proven themselves and are
having a great time bringing back to the fans. Crowd loved every minute 
of it.


Andy Reaume               |  Any opinion expressed is not that of 
Bell-Northern Research    |  BNR, myself or anyone else. it's my 
Ottawa, Canada            |  evil twin brother's!
Newsgroups: alt.music.progressive