Not Even Uppers, Downers Can Spoil SPAC Concert
by Bill Rice, The Troy Record, August 15, 1972
The concert of the highly-touted British Rock group, Emerson, Lake and Palmer at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Sunday evening, was ruined in part by the “uppers” and the “downers”—not the type you might think, however.
The “uppers” were those who worked themselves to the front of the stage and insisted on standing throughout the performance in spite of the shouts of the “downers,” those who paid top dollar for front seats and wanted to see, as well as hear, what they had paid for.
The arguments between the two factions went back and forth for almost the entire concert, and at one point caused the group to stop playing and ask what was going on. The disturbances were a shame, as EL&P is easily one of the finest rock groups to ever perform on the SPAC stage. An estimated 21,000 attended the concert, an estimate which may go up as gate receipts are finalized.
Delves Into Classics
Musically, this group is noted for delving into the realm of classical music, mainly because of their successful, “Pictures at an Exhibition” album, much of which was played Sunday evening.
Keith Emerson, the group’s central figure was heard on several piano solos which carried him through boogie woogie, some classical sounds, to some hard driving jazz which indicated the man has spent some time listening to jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. Like Brubeck, Emerson spices his solo work with rapidly changing, complex rhythmic patterns, and pursues fragmentary themes relentlessly until nearly all possibilities have been explored.
A major part of the group’s sound — and show — is Emerson’s use of the Moog synthesizer, a sort of electronic computer of sounds.
The Instrument sits on top of Emerson’s stage organ, and looks a bit like a telephone operator’s switchboard. All the player has to do is pull the right switches and let it go, and Emerson was often playing three instruments at once, the Moog, the organ and electric piano.
The Moog is capable of some surprising music, but EL&P, in concert, use it as much for psychedelic effects.
Fight For Control
At one point in “Pictures,” the Moog takes off on a “cadenza” of its own, while Emerson has a mock struggle with his other instruments, trying to bring the music under control.
As a concert closer, he even pulls a few daggers out of nowhere and plunges them into his keyboards. We had the feeling the group wasn’t getting through to all of the audience until this musical event happened.
Greg Lake is the group’s guitarist, and delivers some haunting vocals as well, as on “Take A Pebble” and “Lucky Man” from the group’s first album.
Drummer Carl Palmer certainly can play, but was featured on a solo at the end of the concert which was much too long.
Also heard was the collection called “Tarkus,” from the album of the same name.
We wish all of the rock groups we hear had the musicianship of this one from across the water, but we also wonder when music of this type will be able to stand on its own, without the theatrics.
When this happens, maybe lesser groups like Black Oak Arkansas, which opened the concert, will get the idea and concentrate on their music, rather than trying to put on a freak show for their audiences.
In spite of the differences between the standers and sitters, this was one of the most attentive audiences we have seen at such a large concert. There was more standing and handclapping for the first group than for EL&P, and there was no boarding of the stage as at the Humble Pie concert of several weeks ago, which we did not attend.
One lad did manage to fall off one of the ramps leading to the amphitheater’s second level, and at last report first aiders were still looking for him in the crowd.
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