Grandiose supergroup rejuvenated by Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Long before and after Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s one-off reunion in 2010, Carl Palmer was fervently flying the band’s flag throughout his solo career. But when longtime collaborators Keith Emerson (The Nice) and Greg Lake (King Crimson) both passed away unexpectedly in 2016, Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy became that much more significant as the only official chance to catch any aspect of these progressive art rockers in concert.

Throughout it all, there was a multi-media component with vintage footage and specially-themed graphics scrolling across a screen, though all eyes were firmly locked on Carl Palmer for his jaw-dropping coda to “Fanfare For The Common Man.”

For the 2019 edition of the “Emerson, Lake & Palmer Lives On!” Tour through Reggies Chicago, the renown beat-keeper (known almost as much for the same role in Asia) commemorated the trio’s 50th anniversary with extra emphasis on their golden era of selling out stadiums, setting off cannons and spinning drum kits.

Along with guitarist/vocalist Paul Bielatowicz and bassist Simon Fitzpatrick, Palmer didn’t try to merely rehash ELP’s ambitious catalogue as heard on grandiose albums such as “Tarkus,” “Trilogy” and “Brain Salad Surgery,” but rather, reinterpret the material without keyboards, and obviously, sans orchestras.

Given the fact that there’s no replacing either departed member and the scaled back club setting, it was an understandable decision and one that had its own rewards of rediscovery, especially throughout the show welcomer “Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Part 2,” the searing “Knife-Edge” and the streamlined breakthrough “Lucky Man.”

Palmer and company also stretched beyond the ELP catalogue to give a nod to Lake’s role in Crimson with a heroic take on “21st Century Schizoid Man,” plus Emerson’s reconstituted classical composition “Carmina Burana.”

Throughout it all, there was a multi-media component with vintage footage and specially-themed graphics scrolling across a screen, though all eyes were firmly locked on Palmer for his jaw-dropping coda to “Fanfare For The Common Man.” Not only is the 69-year-old lifer right towards the top of his musical game, but this latest group’s ability to uphold the ELP lineage is positively unparalleled.

Click here for more photos of Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy at Reggies Chicago.

For additional information on Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy, visit CarlPalmer.com.

For a list of upcoming shows at Reggies Chicago, visit ReggiesLive.com.