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Prog rock is dead... has been for years, right? It had its time. Back in the mid-to-late '70s, prog ruled. You had Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -- anyone with a Moog synthesizer qualified. Hell, even Switched On Bach was part of the trend. But soon, the genre started to feel outdated, and its bands either evolved to keep up with the times or just disappeared into thin air.
Funny how times have changed. Although the bombast is still frowned upon, prog is slowly inching its way back into the public mainstream. Bands like Tool and the Flaming Lips use elements of prog -- not to mention the (ugly) platform shoes -- and the genre has started to become fashionable again. This is not to say that "Karn Evil 9 (First Impression, Part II)" is going to make a comeback anytime soon, but for those who keep tabs on concerts, two of the three members of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer have returned to the road. (Lake is the absent one.)
When Carl Palmer decided to return to North America to perform before some of his former band's greatest fans, the response was phenomenal. What started out as a four- or five-show "what the hell" kind of tour has expanded to 32 shows across the United States and Canada.
The IMAC is a hidden gem amongst Long Island concert halls -- a former movie theater converted into a concert hall with top-notch sight lines and acoustics. On a rainy Friday night, it was quite a sight (and a rarity) to see the sidewalk in front of the theater crowded with both scalpers and those searching/begging/pleading for tickets to see Carl Palmer.
Coming out to a canned intro of the "Can-Can Song" (can do?), the first sign that this is not the same ol' ELP came after Palmer sat behind his kit and bassist Stuart Clayton strapped in. So far, nothing unusual...until the third member of the troika came out: guitarist Paul Bielatowicz. That's right -- not a single synthesizer or piano to be seen. Not only that, there was one microphone at center stage, and it wasn't there for singing. It was there so Palmer could banter with the crowd between songs.
Palmer was downright congenial, telling stories and promising any fan who bought or brought an item to be autographed that he would oblige after the show. (True to his word, Palmer managed to avoid writer's cramp even after signing everything from album covers to ticket stubs to drum heads and drumsticks for a solid 50 minutes after the show.)
After kicking things off with the theme from "Peter Gunn" and segueing into "The Barbarian", Palmer had the crowd in the palm of his hand. At the tender age of 56, he still plays like a 30-year old wunderkind. According to him, the reason for using a guitarist to play the keyboard parts is that: "Using a guitar is a younger, somewhat grittier approach. I think the songs reinterpret themselves well using a guitar." That statement could ring true only because Bielatowicz was able to work as fast and as frenetic as Emerson used to on keys. And he did. Clayton's bass work was also spot on.
"Hoedown" brought the house down, and it was only the third song in. Other songs of note included "The Enemy God Dances with the Black Spirits", "Trilogy", "L.A. Nights", "Romeo and Juliet", and the "Tarkus/Aquatarkus" combo. Palmer introduced "Toccata", by saying, "Sometimes, an album comes along that you can be very proud of making," referring to Brain Salad Surgery. Right after that, Palmer stepped to the mic and said, "And sometimes, there are albums you're not so proud of making," in reference to the stinkaroo titled Love Beach. From there, he played "Caniaro", and then fired off his best line of the night, saying, "You know, I still wonder how a prog album could be named Love Beach!''
Carl Palmer remains a wonder behind a drum kit. He chose to do his extended solo not with the expected "Tank", but at the conclusion of "Fanfare for the Common Man". In the current canon of known rock drummers, only two are worth watching solo: Carl Palmer and Neal Peart from Rush. To have Palmer as the focus while performing ELP songs with guitar substituting for keyboards is a mind-blowing experience. He may be a bit past his critical prime, but Palmer remains progressive indeed.
— 19 June 2006
