Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed on this day in 1973 at the Forest National in Brussels, Belgium.
ELP’s Get Me a Ladder Tour was the first tour that ELP undertook which didn’t begin in England. Instead, it took them to Western Europe, where they enjoyed a good deal of popularity.
It was the people who came to these concerts who first heard the music that would later make its way to the album Brain Salad Surgery. Three songs, “Karn Evil 9: First Impression”, “Still…You Turn Me On” and “Toccata” were played on this tour. The songs were not yet done being written and the album was not yet recorded, so there are some differences between these songs on tour and on the album.
There is no known recording of this concert.
This gig took place at Forest National, a large indoor arena in Belgium. At the time of this concert, the arena apparently sat 5,500, with renovations in the mid-90s bringing the capacity up to over 8,000.
The arena opened on October 8, 1970 with a ballet performance. Since then, it played host to many concerts, including these.
It is still in operation today; it’s website can be found here.
Venue Sources