UNIVERSITY PROGRAM COUNCIL
EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER
Memorial Coliseum
January 25, 1974
The English progressive rock group was only about four years old when the UPC brought them to The University of Alabama. In the wake of their best-selling album “Bran Salad Surgery” in 1973, Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (bass, vocals, guitar) and Carl Palmer (drums) went on the road to play music from their hot new album and the others that came before it. Later in 1974, ELP would release, “Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends,” a multi-disc set of albums taken from music recorded live during the tour. Prog rock was nothing new as far as the UPC was concerned. Before ELP came to town bands including The Moody Blues, Yes, with keyboard whiz Rick Wakeman), plus Todd Rundgren and Utopia had already performed on campus. Former Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne rocker Jay Ferguson became a solo act and was scheduled to open the show in Memorial Coliseum. He had a minor hit with “Thunder Island,” and would later move into scoring TV shows and movies. The Tuscaloosa concert contained music from the ELP’s first album, as well as “Pictures at an Exhibition,” a live album, plus “Tarkus” and “Trilogy.” The show started with “Hoedown,” based on an Aaron Copland composition, as well as “Jerusalem,” and “Toccata.” By the middle of the show, Emerson took time for a lengthy improvisation while Lake and Palmer walked off the stage. The concert was a mammoth production with plenty of lights, intricate staging, and plenty of action. At one point Emerson’s piano took flight above the stage and rotated 360 degrees as he played away. The last part of the evening was devoted specifically to “Brain Salad Surgery,” with the trio performing the entire “Karn Evil 9” suite, which closed the show. It was glittery and glitzy, an evening of professional rock on the campus of The University of Alabama.
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