Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed on this day in 1974 at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas.
ELP were at this time on their Brain Salad Surgery Tour, one of the most legendary tours this legendary band undertook. Since it’s beginning the previous November at the Jai Alai Fronton in Miami, Florida, it had been across North America, pausing only for the Christmas Holiday season and Greg Lake’s marriage before getting back into gear.
On stage, the group performed a wild mix of old standards interlaced with the entire new album played straight through. As far as I know, Brain Salad Surgery was the only studio album the group played in its entirety onstage. This proved that the album had succeeded in its design, which was to be playable onstage.
There is no known recording of this concert.
The venue at which the band performed, the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, actually predated the Dallas Convention Center which eventually absorbed it! It was originally built in 1957, designed by noted Dallas architect George Dahl. Wikipedia gives it a capacity of around 10,000.
Unfortunately, due to it being out of compliance with the American Disabilities Act, the Auditorium is not often used anymore. It is still around, though, with discussions about renovating it to serve the Dallas community once more.
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