An Emerson, Lake & Palmer live tour was just announced. Yes, you read that right. Though two of the three members have passed away, they will be part of the shows through the magic of modern technology.
Entitled Welcome Back My Friends: The Return of Emerson Lake & Palmer, the 10-date U.S. arena tour will see Carl Palmer, the sole surviving member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunited with his bandmates via giant video screens displaying live footage of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. Lake’s vocals and instrumentation and Emerson’s keyboard wizardry will be mixed with the live, onstage performance audio to “magically reunite ELP once again,” according to the tour announcement.
A stop at the Arcada Theatre near Chicago is planned for Dec. 1 followed by a gig at the Goodyear Theatre in Akron, Ohio, on Dec. 3.
Emerson died in March 2016, and just nine months later in December, Lake passed away following a long battle with cancer. The tour has been arranged with the full cooperation of Emerson’s and Lake’s estates and will coincide with the new release box set of classic ELP hit singles pressed on vinyl.
Machine Head get creative
Machine Head will bring the Electric Happy Hour tour, which will see them performing solo for two-three hours per night in smaller venues this fall.
The San Francisco thrashers have been busy writing material for the forthcoming album Of Kingdom and Crown, and a few of those songs may be played as the set lists on this tour are unscripted, meaning they may play new songs, old songs, deep cuts, cover songs, or maybe even read some poetry. Probably not the last one, but you get the idea.
“We are carving our own path here, playing by our own rules, and, as an artist, it’s the best feeling in the world, so come down and rage,” frontman Fobb Flynn said in a press release.
Check them out Nov. 23 at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, Nov. 25 at The Forge in the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois, Nov. 27 at A&R Music Bar in Columbus, Ohio, or Nov. 28 at Legends Bar & Venue in Cincinnati.
Mercyful Fate sets US dates
Heavy metal icons Mercyful Fate have announced their first North American headlining tour in more than two decades.
The journey, which will feature support from Kreator and Midnight, will kick off Oct. 25 in Dallas and weave its way to the Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana in Gary on Nov. 3, the Brady Music Center in Cincinnati on Nov. 4, and the Masonic Theatre in Detroit on Nov. 5.
“These will be the first Mercyful Fate concerts in North American theaters in over 20 years,” vocalist Hing Diamond said. “Your special chance to see Mercyful Fate with the full European festival production, but up close and personal. You cannot miss this.”
