On This Day (January 28)…Works In Landover

Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed on this day in 1978 at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland.

ELP had had little rest since beginning their Works Tour’s second leg. In fact, they’d only had two rest days up to this point, the previous night only being one due to a postponement of a concert! Nonetheless, ELP welcomed their friends back to the show that never ends night after night, probably only with inklings that they would disband by the end of the year.

A recording of the concert is known to exist.

The Capital Centre continues ELP’s proud Works Tour tradition of playing in a sports arena; this one was built for hockey. In fact, it was built in a mad dash to be ready for the 1974 NHL season after a rush creation of the hockey team Washington Capitals by an NBA franchise owner eager to move his basketball team to Washington, D.C. (source). The venue opened on December 2rd, 1973, with a basketball game (source). It seated just over 18,000 people.

The venue was infamous for its strain on the transportation nearby, causing traffic jams when there were events. On the flip side, it included innovations such as computerized ticketing, a rarity in those days. In the 90s, it was known as the U.S. Air Arena.

The concert’s use as a music venue began almost immediately after its opening, with the first concert there taking place on December 4th, 1973 featuring the Allman Brothers (source). Here are a few of the concerts which took place here over the years; others that are known to have been recorded can be found here.

The center was demolished on December 15, 2002 (source).

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