Keith Emerson and Greg Lake -- two-thirds of the classic progressive-rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- will be performing an intimate concert of music from the ELP catalog, along with songs from Lake's previous band King Crimson and Emerson's early group The Nice.
The E and L duo are performing sans the P, as third member Carl Palmer is currently our touring with his other famous band, Asia. Though Lake confirmed that a few select ELP concert dates in London were in the works and a "possible" new ELP album might be forthcoming.
In the meantime, he and Emerson will spend most of this year doing a unique kind of tour wherein they set up their stage like a mock recording studio and recreate the making of their most famous hits.
"This is not ELP nor is it ELP Light," mused Lake. "This is about the creative process that Keith and I have as songwriters. And that is why we're including some material from The Nice and King Crimson as well. The sense will be that we're in the recording studio creating the songs. There will be a slight theatrical aspect to it as well, but in a very intimate way. This is not a high-powered rock ‘n' roll show by any means."
Fans expecting to hear a bunch of hit songs the way they sound on the record may be disappointed, but if they care to experience what it would have been like to be a fly on the wall during the making of those classic songs and albums, then Saturday's show will surely be a special treat.
"This whole show idea all came about after Keith and I spent some time together in my home studio in London doing some writing together," Lake said. "As we were working on new material, we would go back and play through some of the older material and as we did, we realized how different the songs sounded in their most basic form, their writing form and started talking about how doing them this way on stage for the fans might make for a rather interesting show."
Along with showing fans how various songs came about, the duo will share stories and behind some of the songs. For instance, Lake told of how he wrote ELP's biggest hit single, "Lucky Man," when he was only 12 years old.
"When we were making our first album, we needed just a few more minutes to music to fill it up because back then on vinyl albums you had to have so much music on each side," he explained. "I pulled out this little melody I had written when I was 12, the first song I had written actually, and we put some words to it and it became ‘Lucky Man.'"
Being able to see Keith Emerson perform is something most ELP fans do not take for granted. After the ELP reformed following a long hiatus from 1978-1991, and released their 1992 comeback album, "Black Moon," and the 1994 follow-up, "In The Hot Seat," Emerson suffered debilitating nerve problems in his left hand that for a while threatened to halt his career as one of rock music's most respected and talented keyboardists. Fans feared ELP might never perform again.
After some years of down time, some surgery and some therapy, Emerson is again able to play for his fans.
While Emerson and Lake have been writing some new songs -- which led to this current project -- don't expect to be treated to any of those at Saturday's show. Those will be saved for a later project.
Whether the select London dates by ELP this summer will lead to a full on ELP world tour of any kind, Lake was reluctant to say.
"I don't know, it's possible. We'll all have to wait I see I suppose," he teased.
Until then, ELP fans have two of the three members on the road performing for the first time in years and THAT is close enough for rock ‘n' roll!
'An Intimate Evening with Keith Emerson & Greg Lake,' 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 & U.S. 30, Merrillville
COST: $45 & $65 (all-ages show)
FYI: (219) 769-6600, (800) 745-3000, STARPLAZA.COM
