On This Day (December 1)…ELP Finish Strong

Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed on this day in 1972 at Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland.

This was the last performance they undertook in 1972, giving them a well-deserved break before beginning their activities in 1973. That year would involve two separate tours and the recording/release of one of their most famous albums, Brain Salad Surgery.

This tour was undertaken to support the Trilogy album they had released earlier that year. While no setlist information can readily be found (not even setlist.fm shares what happened!) it can be readily assumed that they played a setlist identical to others late on their Trilogy tour, such as the concert they performed at Brighton. There’s pretty definitive photographic proof they performed “Tarkus” at this concert, at least!

Above photo retrieved from redirect link given here. Link also confirms that this was indeed taken at this date.

No recordings of this concert have yet surfaced.

The Venue

The gig took place at Caird Hall, the fourth time the band was at this location. They had first performed here in October of 1970. It was named for James Caird, a jute mogul and the hall’s benefactor. The auditorium was constructed between 1914 and 1923 and can hold 2,300 people if everyone is seated. If reconfigured for other settings, the hall can hold more.

Exterior of Caird Hall. Retrieved from here.

Caird Hall is still holding events as of 2020, as can be seen here.

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  • Edit on 2020-01-15: Additional information added regarding venue.
  • Edit on 2020-12-01: Added some information about 1973. Optimized for new site.

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