Concert Review: Carl Palmer’s Emerson, Lake & Palmer Tribute Defies Skepticism
By Jason M. Rubin
Joined by the ELP Legacy band and archival footage of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, the drummer delivered a technically astonishing and emotionally respectful evening at the Cabot Theatre.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the Cabot Theatre, Beverly, on September 12
Carl Palmer in performance. Photo: Steve Belmonte
I’ll be honest: from the get-go, I thought this was a bad idea. Carl Palmer, the lone surviving member of progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer, playing a concert accompanied by films of his deceased former partners. I know there have been concerts featuring holograms of performers such as Elvis Presley and Ronnie James Dio, seemingly rising from the dead — which I think is a much worse idea — in a sort of AI spectacle for people who don’t care about authenticity (but apparently believe in life after death). But the music Palmer made with keyboardist Keith Emerson and bassist/guitarist/vocalist Greg Lake is complex and aggressive, requiring extraordinary virtuosity, and the idea of drummer Palmer (the P in the group, which also stands for precision, passion, and percussion) using his erstwhile colleagues as a sort of click track felt to me like a money grab at worst and, at best, a well-intentioned failure of good taste and good sense.
I’m happy to say that I was proven wrong. In the first case, few drummers could pull off such a thing convincingly, and Palmer is one. His playing was nothing short of electrifying. A devotee of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Palmer, at age 76, has incredible technique and stamina. Second, the show wasn’t exactly as billed. It wasn’t just one live musician and two reels of celluloid; Palmer, for at least half the night, played directly with his ELP Legacy band, featuring guitarist/vocalist Paul Bielatowicz and bassist/Chapman Stick player Simon Fitzpatrick, who also accompanied the filmed pieces. Bielatowicz had the unenviable task of replicating both Emerson’s keyboards and Lake’s guitar and vocals. He acquitted himself surprisingly well with the former, but he wasn’t close to acceptable taking on Lake’s stentorian baritone. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick blew all minds by deftly tackling a survey of ELP’s Mussorgsky suite, Pictures at an Exhibition, solo on the Stick.
To be honest, I would have been just as happy seeing the concert films Palmer played to in their entirety and seeing the ELP Legacy band on its own, but despite a few minor glitches in timing it all went off remarkably well, even though the juxtaposition of live musicians on stage and filmed musicians on screens was rather distracting at times.
The set list, of course, was driven in large part by the vintage of the filmed performances, and with the passage of time, one sees that the knocks about ELP being bombastic were true. The side-long epic “Tarkus” from 1971 is nothing less than an assault on the audience. Yet Emerson and Lake, both of whom died in 2016, were each featured individually in calmer offerings: Emerson with an extensive piano solo and Lake with his acoustic balladry. To that end, making the thing much more palatable to me was knowing that the show was presented respectfully and with the full cooperation of the Emerson and Lake estates. So it wasn’t a money grab — though at the merch table you could buy an autographed snare drum for $450 — as much as a lone survivor’s tribute to his fallen comrades on the 10th anniversary of their passing. In that way, it was not only an exciting concert but a moving one as well, especially when Lake was featured doing his signature song, “From the Beginning.”
The show featured material from all their studio albums, with the merciful exception of 1978’s much-maligned Love Beach. The band played two sets, finishing with “Fanfare for the Common Man,” an unsuspenseful choice salvaged only by the antics of Emerson on film, shoving, striding, and stabbing his Hammond organ. Without leaving the stage, they finished with another dull choice, the theme from Peter Gunn. But really, how much more of this multifaceted wall of sound could I take? Probably not much more.
Still, all in all, I’m glad I went, and I would recommend this show to any prog fan. Interestingly, another prog power trio was also playing in Boston that night: Rush, whose drummer, Neil Peart, is the one deceased member, replaced not by film but by the impressive Anika Nilles.
Jason M. Rubin has been a professional writer for 40 years. He has written for The Arts Fuse since 2012. His books include SHORTS: A Sizable Collection of Short Fiction (2025); Villainy Ever After (2022), a collection of classic fairy tales told from the villains’ point of view; and Ancient Tales Newly Told (2019), a pairing of two historical romances, one set in 17th-century England and the other in Biblical Jerusalem and Sheba. Jason also teaches journaling workshops. He holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Learn more here.
Tagged: Carl Palmer, Emerson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Lake & Palmer
It would be ‘nice’ to see Keith’s grandson Ethan feature in the future; he has the extraordinary talent of his grandfather and can play the Nice and ELP keyboard parts with real flair.
I would recommend “America” pre ELP when Keith was a member of The Nice. The live performance at the Fillmore East April 1969 on their ‘Elegy’ album is remarkable One can find this composer Leonard Bernstein composition on YouTube rather incred IMHO
I saw this show near Milwaukee last September, 2025. Not knowing what to expect, I was thoroughly impressed. Not only was a lot of care taken to create the medley of film and live performance, Carl Palmer blew me away. His playing reminded me very much of Neil Peart.
Typically. Emerson would include “America” in his rendition of Fanfare when performing with ELP.
I love ELP and still listen to them often. I would have no doubt I would have seen this show, but I was in Boston to see Rush. I have no regrets because the Rush show was absolutely outstanding in every way. If Carl Palmer brings this show back to area I will definitely try to be there.
As a teenager ELP was my first concert. At the end of “Knife’s Edge” they put a knife through a speaker.
As the keyboardist in Manticore – the tribute to Emerson Lake & Palmer, and a diehard ELP fan from back in the day, I for one appreciate that Carl is still out there doing his thing and is representing his brand in a way that is impactful and respectful of his departed bandmates and the music. Nothing would be more tragic than to have this magnificent music disappear into the void, lost to future generations.
ELP’s version of “Peter Gunn” will get more attention when David Fincher/Quentin Tarantino’s The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth is released Thanksgiving weekend.
Going to see Carl my 4th time in Hopewell, Va this Thursday. That he’s still playing, and at this level, is a treasure and a gift from God.
We went to the Hopewell show !!!! As a long time fan and who saw them live 5 times, I was really impressed and happy !!! My wife who only knew a few songs was blown away !!!!!! As for making money, we bought a beautiful photo autographed by Carl for $20 , and a the Tarkus album autographed for $50 ( it normally sells for $35 at stores ) hardly a money scheme …. I would drive 3 hrs to see it again !!! Carl at 76 is still the best drummer on the Planet !!!!
I’ve seen this lineup three times. First Cruise To The Edge back in 2012. Then twice more in the last ten years. Simon Fitzpatrick did Bohemian Rhapsody in its entirety on his stick as his bass solo. It was fantastic ! Paul Beilatowicz is an incredible guitar player. He was Neal Morse’ touring guitarist before this so I’d seen him play before. Carl still has it. If they come around, go !
I was a friend of Susan Schmidt, also from Dallas
Funny, the first paragraph of this review was so positive, and then the reviewer took apart the show, and parts of ELP’S catalogue bit by bit, then summed it up saying it was good, not sure why he bothered at all, but anyone who would be interested in this show really would not care what he says anyway.
It’s been forgotten, but during the 70’s Palmer was rated one of the best drummers in the world and Keith Emerson was rated the #1 keyboardist. Modern lists seem to have forgotten these highly talented musicians. The music they created was variable and complex. Loved their music then and still do.
I saw him with those other two incredible musicians in 2017 I believe. It was an amazing show. They also did songs from Asia and King Crimson. They did 21st Century Schizoid Man. It blew everyone away.
I saw him live 12 years ago and it was amazing, best concert I have ever been to. It was full of energy.
I saw this show a few days ago and was blown away. See it if you can
Saw them in Cincinnati in 79. Awesome saw Keith solo at Mario where their post in Maryland, in 96. He was amazing. I would love to see this show. I’ll have to see where the tour is running.
I saw ELP in St Pete, Fl in 1970. Uriah Heep opened the show. They were so good. I saw them again 20 years later in Kansas City. They looked like they hadn’t aged at all. They sounded even better.
I have no doubt this concert was good. Just the idea of a tribute to Keith and Greg has long over due. Carl was and is a talent like no other. I have my doubts about a music critic that forgets about how subjective music is. Your ears tell you everything.