Went to see Carl Palmer last night

N

notCardio

I walk the line
Awesome. He's only got one more stop on his American tour - Grinell, Iowa - and I think it's tonight or maybe tomorrow.

Drummers - if you ever get the chance, do it.

Forget James Brown. Carl has gotta truly be the hardest working man in show business.
 
I thought about you, but I figured

that was probably a little before your time. It was sort of a last minute thing and my wife actually wanted to go more than I did (she always had a thing for Carl). I might not have gone had I known what it was going to be like, but I'm glad I did. It was ELP music, only certain instrumental pieces, no vocals, and NO KEYBOARDS! All of the keyboard parts were played on guitar by a (relatively) young shredder. I felt sorry for them because the audience was tiny, old, and what I considered not appropriately enthusiastic enough.

Got signed sticks and a drumhead signed at the merch. table though. Almost everybody who was there stayed and bought something and he signed it all. Heckuva nice guy, I thought. They let you take pictures as long as it wasn't flash. I only got one good one that wasn't blurry.
 
Cardioidpotent said:
that was probably a little before your time.
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I had the triple ELP album. I graduated from HS in 1978!

But I know what you mean, sometimes you just feel way older than everybody else!
 
You know what sucks - I want to love Carl Palmer - but I just never found him to be anything exceptional. Isn't that awful?!?! I mean, I listened to Karn Evil #9 one night, and thought - big deal I could do all that when I was 15.
I thought he had a cool drumkit, but I have yet to hear anything he did that really impressed me - and I've seen him in concert three times.

My bassplayer is a big ELP fan, so we always have this debate.


I preferred Emerson, Lake an POWELL. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUVI6VRMNyA )



Now, THIS solo he does impresses the hell out of me.
This is in 1971.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfSe6s1OjnI

I have a DVD of ELP, and he just didn't do anything on it that impressed me. I wish this solo was on it. I would have appreciated him much earlier than right now.

Tim
 
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i saw him at a clinic with danny Carey a few years ago. Palmer was doing some ridiculous and very entertaining stuff.
 
ELP was my first exposure to the original Progressive/Physchadelic rock way back when. I owe Palmer a big hug! :D
 
I got a chance to see him from real good side stage seats when he played with Asia around 1983 or '84 .

Plus I still have permanent damage from seeing "Tank" done at the Laserium Light show at the Hayden Planetarium back in the '70's !!! :D

He had a fresh clean style that was rare back in those days if you know what I mean . That's why I always liked him .
 
Carl Palmer is an incredible musician and a master percussionist, but I never liked his style. That's just a personal take and has no reference to his abilities and talent. He seems to be too busy (in not a good way) and puts his accents in places that really annoy me. I wish I had his chops, but his alternating between an incredibly jam packed sea of black notes contrasting with dead open space and little in between irritates the hell out of me.
 
Rimshot said:
Carl Palmer is an incredible musician and a master percussionist, but I never liked his style.
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I'm with you on that. I even hear timing/tempo issues often. I went through a "progressive" stage for a few months in the late 70's, and TRIED to like his drumming, but just couldn't. I feel the same way about Neil Peart.
 
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