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Keith Emerson Philadelphia Spectrum 08/21/74
Photo taken 1 hour before show while Keith was tuning his Moog System 55 Model IIIC. STORY #1- Part 1 I was 17 at the time this photo was taken and my 3 favorite bands were ELP, YES, and GENESIS. I was an accomplished drummer at the time, my idol being Carl Palmer, and I was just embarking on learning to play Keyboards as well.
I went to the Spectrum early with hopes of meeting my idols. Security was tight though and I had trouble getting backstage. I did notice however that the road crew were wearing the ELP tour shirts from that tour so I went back outside and purchased an ELP shirt. I put on the shirt, went back inside, and walked directly backstage without anyone checking for my backstage pass. <GRIN> I looked around the stage and noticed this big blue wrap around curtain in front of the keyboards. I soon found out what the curtain was for as a moment later Keith Emerson came on stage and proceeded to tune his keyboards and make some final adjustments for the show. The curtain was to prevent the audience from seeing Keith while he was checking his gear. While he was tuning his Moog IIIC he noticed me and smiled. He informed me that I wasn't supposed to be there and kind of laughed at the fact that I had made it that far. I asked him if I could take his picture and he said sure. So as I raised my camera he posed for me. That's when all hell broke loose. As soon as the flash went off stage security knew something wasn't right. They looked at me, looked at Keith, then figured it out and came after me. Keith just smiled as I took off into the audience to hide with my camera and memories of my first meeting with Keith Emerson. STORY #1- Part 2 The area in front of the stage for this show was general admission so it was standing room only. Me and my friend David Gaetani, the keyboardist for our band BRUTUS, were standing directly in front of Keith Emerson in the front row against the stage all night. Needless to say it was one of the greatest shows we have ever seen lasting for just shy of 4 hours including 3 encores. The last song of the main show was Karn Evil 9. Though we were very familiar with the song we had never seen it performed live yet so we were not sure what to expect. At the end of the 3rd Impression on the studio album there is a sequenced riff that loops and gets faster and faster until it becomes a sonic blur and then stops. So it was reasonable for us to expect this to happen live as well. So the end of the 3rd Impression comes, the band stops, the lights go out, all you can hear is this sequenced Moog line starting super slow and dancing around the Spectrum in quadraphonic sound. As our eyes adjusted to the abrupt darkness we noticed a glow coming from the large Moog behind the Hammond C-3. Then we realized that the moog was moving all by itself! Yes moving! It started to spin away from the keyboard rig and was turning to face us. At the same time it was glowing brighter, lights and controls were flashing faster and faster as the sequence started to speed up too. Then these two wing like panels opened up and started to expand wider and higher while smoke started to billow out of the bottom and sides of the Moog. It looked to me like a runaway power plant about to explode and I yelled to Dave as loud as I could hoping to be heard over the din "It's going to explode!" He looked back at me and yelled back "No! It Can't" Just as we both looked back at the run amok Moog there was this blinding flash, followed by a deafening roar and bang, and then a shockwave that literally threw the first few rows of people back 5 feet and on our collective asses! We were in a state of shock! We were flash blinded, couldn't hear a thing other than the ringing in our ears, and we smelled this horrible burning smell. Once we were finally able to see again we noticed the Moog folding itself back up as we looked at each other and started to laugh because the burning smell was coming from us! It seems that the flash was so strong that it singed our eyebrows and hair! ELP came out for 3 encores after that. They performed Pictures At An Exhibition in it's entirety for the first one. Then they did Nutrocker for the second and they closed with Blue Rondo Al A Turk / America for the third and final encore. As I recall the concert ran nonstop for 3 hours and 53 minutes, what an amazing show this was. I also went to the second show on the following night but having lost enough hair that weekend I decided to sit in section H row 11 where it was much safer. <SMILE> Emerson, Lake, & Palmer Montgomery, Pa.
Photo of me with ELP taken right after speaking to the band and getting their autographs. STORY #2 Well after several failed attempts to meet my heroes over the years I finally succeeded about 20 years after meeting Keith Emerson for the first time. One morning I was reading the entertainment section of my newspaper when I saw the headline "MEET ELP TODAY!". I couldn't believe it, after all these years I would finally get my chance! ELP were having an autograph session at the Circuit City in Montgomery, Pa. to kick off the release of The Return To Manticore Box Set. Well I got dressed and hopped in the car and drove to the listed address. When I arrived I found a line 3 blocks long already waiting. I entered the store to purchase my own copy of the ELP/TRTM Box Set and then went to the end of the line. Everyone was ecstatic to be finally meeting ELP. Some had photos and albums to be autographed and everyone had at least one story to tell about the band or their personal adventures at the ELP shows. This made the 3 hour wait pass by very quickly indeed. It was like a party or a reunion. It was really great to see so many fans turn out to support these rock legends. When my turn arrived I talked to Carl Palmer first. It was my first chance to tell him how great I thought he was. I told him that I was a drummer too and have been playing since the age of 3. I told him that I had learned every ELP and Asia song he ever recorded and that it was an honor to finally meet him in person. After getting Carl's signature on three different items I moved next to Keith Emerson. Keith smiled and said hello as he started to sign his autograph. He must of heard me speaking to Carl because he said "So you are a drummer?" I replied "Yes, and I am also a keyboardist too." I told him how great I thought he was and that I had learned to play most everything ELP had recorded." He said " Well that's fantastic" as he and Carl looked at me a little skeptically at this point. Next I moved on to Greg Lake. As I walked up to Greg he said hello as I proceeded to tell him how great I thought he was. As he started to sign his autograph, and with Keith and Carl listening in, he looked up at me and said "Now don't tell me you know all the bass and vocal parts too?" To which I replied "Are you kidding me? It took a lifetime just to learn all the drum and keyboard parts!" then all four of us erupted in laughter. I thanked them and asked if I could have a picture with them and they said of course. After getting behind the security ropes they posed for 3 pictures with me. In closing I would like to say that ELP are great musicians and songwriters and that they are very gracious and down to earth to talk too. I hope that they get together again in the future to create more music for us to enjoy. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer Montgomery, Pa.
ELP at Circuit City Autograph Signing. I actually have some more ELP stories to tell but I will save them for another time.
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Last modified: June 25, 2001 |
