Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Location: Orpheum theater / Graz / Austria
Concert date: 04.05.2007
Attendance: 450
Ticket price: 27.00€
Despite the heavy downpours, which for our farmers must have come as a balm after the April drought, we set off for Graz and the Orpheum hall with sunny faces. In recent years it’s become pretty much our regular concert destination whenever an interesting name rolls up near the border. I was last here a little over a week ago, when the grand old man of jazz rock fusion guitar, AlDi Meola, blew me away with his supersonic, razor-sharp guitar mastery. This time the bill was Carl Palmer, the prog rock drum legend who is currently (once again) a member of the newly resurrected Asia, but has also been active as a solo musician for years. His show was supposed to happen back in February, but because of the weather trouble that hit Carl’s departure from a London airport, it was moved to a friendlier date. There’s really no need to introduce Carl’s body of work at length to prog rock fans, since he’s one of the most respected drummers in rock history, and most of us remember him best as the third member of the unforgettable trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who co-created the history of creative rock in the early ’70s and left an indelible mark with their witty mix of rock and classical music, which is still a frequent source of inspiration for countless musicians. Carl’s musical contribution and his drumming technique, which excels in outstanding dynamics and powerful strokes, are also appreciated by fans of the bands he played in before and after ELP, such as Atomic Rooster, The Crazy World Of Arhur Brown, Asia and Quango, even though he never played as important a role in them as he did in ELP, where he reached his greatest artistic and commercial success. Quite understandably, the great majority of his live repertoire rested on the ELP legacy, and it featured both plenty of classics and pieces that carry Carl’s distinct stamp. So another interesting evening was in store, but one that, somewhat ironically given the choice of material, was aimed more at fans of improvised jams and instrumental chops than at ELP fans. Since I knew what to expect even before the show, I wasn’t disappointed by the absence of the sound of the single most important element of the immortal trio’s music. Carl’s aim, you see, isn’t to recreate the authentic sound of ELP classics, but rather to treat himself to his own free-wheeling interpretations, often driven by an incredibly raw sound, which is the logical consequence of the drums being the center of attention, taking the central spot in the stage setup and bossing around the guitar and bass.
Unlike Keith Emerson’s band, which we had the chance to admire at last year’s festival in Wiesen, and where we witnessed a pretty much faithful revival of the authentic ELP spirit, something only Emerson’s keyboards can truly recreate, Carl chose a much harder and more “jammy” approach for his solo show. He fairly successfully made up for the absence of the rich sound of layered keyboards with bass and guitar (the latter more or less successfully standing in for the countless effects of the moog modular and synths) in a classic trio lineup. For help on guitar and bass, Carl picked two talented, well-trained musicians from the younger generation, Stuart Clayton on bass and Paul Bielatowicz on guitar. Paul in particular, who looks like a chick that has barely hatched out of its eggshell, yet glides across scales in a flash and tore through some seriously demanding solos, all while carrying the monstrously hard task of standing in for Emerson’s organs, synths and moog, caused a lot of raised eyebrows and dropped jaws. Despite his remarkable technical know-how and speed for his age, and the real potential of a future guitar hero, his heavily academic approach was far from the authentic ELP sound and a poor omen for anyone hoping for the real magic of the ’70s. The lads had to work pretty hard in some of the numbers just to get anywhere near what still resembled the originals. Carl could surely have picked a far more experienced guitarist if he’d wanted to create that real sound, but, as said, he plays more for his own fun and prefers to improvise, adapting to his own drum sound, so Paul got a big chance to prove himself, which leaves plenty of doors open for him in the future. Personally, I didn’t let it bother me during the show that Carl sacrificed the real ELP sound, because I knew what to expect, and Emerson had satisfied me on that front last year, so I could sit back and enjoy the show completely relaxed. Carl’s repertoire, quite logically, leaned almost exclusively on material from the ELP days, mostly instrumentals. The absence of a singer was further proof of his lack of interest in recreating the true ELP atmosphere.
They hit the stage right on time, at 8:00 PM sharp, and played for exactly two hours. The whole show had an extremely sharp, hard rock sound, with the drums often drowning out the guitar and bass. Carl showed he’s still in excellent shape, never running out of breath as he dictated the rhythm to the two youngsters in an authoritative way throughout. Between pieces he also strolled up to the mic several times. They opened with a bang on “Peter Gunn Theme” (Works Vol. I, 1977), which blew the heads off anyone who happened to expect a mellow, jazzy approach. “The Barbarian” from the debut “Emerson, Lake & Palmer” (1970) followed in the same red-hot spirit, putting even more wind in the sails of their electrified approach, with Paul’s electric guitar slicing through the traditional organ sound. Carl then took his time for the first of the evening’s jokes and announced a song from the album “Trilogy” (1972), whose cover shows the profiles of all three members of the band, with his being “the most beautiful one”. Before he sat back down on his drum stool, he almost went flying off it. His response was the realization that, well, that’s what you get with goods “made in Italy”, which got a hearty laugh from the crowd. Next came another fast, high-energy filler, “Hoedown”, where Emerson’s organ usually takes the lion’s share of the composition, but this time the electric guitar got its moment, and we got a perfect display of impeccably schooled technique. Even with an interesting, “metalized” take on “Enemy God Dances With Black Spirits” (Works Vol. 1, 1977), originally a classical piece by Prokofiev, they didn’t give themselves a moment’s rest, and they showed very good chemistry with each other. One of the highlights of the show was also an interesting rendition of “Trilogy” from the album of the same name. Then Carl told an anecdote about “the times when he lived in California, of which he doesn’t have all that fond memories. One of the more colorful episodes from that time was his friendship with Joe Walsh, the singer of Eagles, who was “famous” as a tireless drinker, and with whom he made the rounds of numerous bars. Carl condensed those events into “LA Nights” (Works Vol. 1, 1977), an interesting blend of jazz and blues, which finally cooled down the heated atmosphere a bit and brought a touch of nostalgia. Then Carl went off for a few minutes’ break and left the initiative to the two youngsters, who each had a solo spot. Stuart showed a good grasp of the bass as a multi-purpose instrument, while Paul threw himself fully into playing the main melody from the film The Wizard of Oz and Flight of the Bumblebee, topped off with some solos that confirmed his unsuspected potential. Still, it was clear all along who the main “star” of the evening was and who were the apprentices who still have a lot to learn before they can stick their names on T-shirts. When Carl sat back down at his drum stool, he decided it was time to stop joking around and served up another highlight of the night with an excellent rendition of the classic “Tank” (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970), his first and probably best-known “solo” piece (just like on both “The Works” albums, ELP had some separate individual pieces on their debut too, clearly showing off each player’s traits and skills). Although Carl admitted he isn’t particularly proud of either “The Works” release, after which the band ran into financial trouble thanks to an insanely expensive tour with an orchestra and began rapidly losing popularity, he announced “Bullfrog”, his favorite piece from “Works Vol. 2” (1977). Once again we got to enjoy another superb performance of this Carl classic. Carl then said a few words about the album he’s proudest of and which, in his opinion, is the best album of his career, “Brain Salad Surgery” (1973), and from it they picked their version of Ginastera’s classic “Toccata” for the night, which they played in a rather schizoid and raw way, and I can say it was one of the few performances of the night that even managed to top the original in energy. After the album he’s proudest of, Carl said a few words about “Love Beach” (1978), his worst album, “which he’s still ashamed of today, and whose cover has the ELP members posing in unbuttoned shirts in front of palm trees in a cloying, Bee Gees kind of way, while the title alone is a real mockery for a prog rock band”. After the laughter and approval of most of the crowd, he continued that “even though it’s a complete disaster, it contains one of the few bright moments in the song “Canario”. They kicked right in with the Caribbean beats and carried on until the first entry, when Paul suddenly messed up badly (he’d already had some trouble earlier, but had somehow managed to cover it up well enough). But enough was enough, and Carl stood up, apologized to the audience and said he “absolutely doesn’t intend to play crap for them”. With those words he called on both youngsters to clear their heads and approach the performance more seriously. The second go was noticeably better and more energetic, even though Paul slipped up a couple more times in certain passages he obviously hasn’t learned properly yet. Maybe his “confusion” was partly down to the fact that the most demanding part of the concert was coming up next. I’m talking about the legendary post-apocalyptic epic “Tarkus” from the album of the same name from 1971, which holds a very special place in the hearts of all ELP fans and progressive rock fans in general, since the original is one of the most majestic works in the story of rock music. Anyone who was hoping for a faithful rendition of this classic was terribly disappointed, since it was robbed of the real sound that only Emerson’s keyboards can create and trimmed of nearly all its sections except the opening “Eruption” and the closing “Aquatarkus”, which they stretched out quite a bit. Still, Carl and his sidekicks showed how a guitar can successfully recreate some of the demanding keyboard parts, as far as the available means allow. Personally, I was quite happy with this “hard rock jam”. Compared to last year’s thoroughly Emerson-style version, which had real magic and was truly a “fairy tale” for ELP fans, this one was like the “ugly duckling”, and it clearly demonstrated all the weaknesses of the guitar “wonder boy”. For the finale they decided to serve up one more classic, “Fanfare For The Common Man” (Works Vol. I, 1977), with the opening fanfare sound taped in. This was another highlight of the night and one of the better interpretations, though once again they allowed themselves some improvisation. Midway through, both youngsters left the stage and Carl’s solo spot followed, a real demonstration of volcanic energy and flexibility that he still hasn’t run out of. Amid a menu of assorted drumming elements that delighted even those who may have been sour until then about the alternative versions of ELP classics, at one point a stick fell out of his hands, which he replaced with another in an instant. He apparently hit one of the drums and hurt his finger (we noticed after the show, when he didn’t want to shake hands because of the risk of infection). After that Paul and Stuart joined him on stage again, and together they brought the piece to its end, which also marked the end of the regular part of the show.
We didn’t have to wait long before they showed up on stage again, thanked everyone for the unforgettable atmosphere and great cooperation, and launched into another Prokofiev arrangement, “Romeo & Juliet” (Black Moon, 1992). Personally, I’d rather have seen some section from “Pictures At An Exhibition” (1971), and an interesting take on some of Asia’s AOR numbers would have been no bigger surprise, though Carl surely has his head full of those after the extensive tour with the band. To close the concert, though, there was still a grand surprise in the form of Carl Orff’s legendary classic “Carmina Burana”, which ELP never performed, but which is Carl’s own interpretation, released on the solo live recording “Working Live, Vol. 2” (2004). Despite the absence of keyboard instruments, his version came off excellently, created just the right magic and won a thunderous applause that echoed long after all three had left the stage.
The concert was a fantastic experience for all drum lovers and guitar fans too (even though the promising youngster still has plenty of work ahead before he combines the academic approach with feel), as well as for fans of improvisation. Personally, I can say I was happy with what I saw in the end, since I became convinced that the drum legend is still very much alive today and grinding away at undiminished power, visibly enjoying his own, often interesting interpretation of his rich legacy. Everyone who had accepted before the show that Carl, unlike Emerson, doesn’t want to create an ELP atmosphere had to admit the concert was an interesting experience of rearranging more or less familiar works into a new sonic look. In that, Carl truly succeeded completely. Even though he and Emerson have a completely different approach to live shows, both are still in excellent shape and hungry for challenges. If Greg Lake, whom we’ll apparently only be able to see live if we head to London, showed up in such a light too, got over his reservations about training his voice before shows and moved away from the loaded table, the picture would be complete and everything ready for the big reunion, which now, when it has become a general trend, doesn’t seem nearly as impossible as it did just a few years ago.
Setlist
1. Peter Gunn Theme
2. The Barbarian
3. Hoedown
4. Enemy God Dances With Black Spirits
5. Trilogy
6. LA Nights
7. Paul & Stuart solo (including The Wizard Of Oz, Flight Of The Bumblebee)
8. Tank
9. Bullfrog
10. Tocatta
11. Canario
12. Tarkus
13. Fanfare For The Common Man (including Carl solo)
—encore—
14. Romeo & Juliet
15. Carmina Burana
