Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed on this day in 1970 at Newcastle City Hall in Newcastle, England.
The band were at this time on their debut tour, which took them throughout the UK and to a few German-speaking locations. It went from late August to early December of the year, setting the tone for ELP’s strong work ethic and extensive touring schedule. During the tour, the group performed the entire first half of their first album, which would be released late in the tour. They also performed “Pictures at an Exhibition” in its entirety, as well as “Nutrocker”, a song by B. Bumble and the Stinger, and “Rondo” originated by the Nice. This tour’s standard setlist featured the highest ratio of classical adaptations or songs based on classical quotations of any of their tours; only “Take a Pebble” did not adhere to this mold.
No recording of this concert is known to exist.
This was the first of four concerts ELP performed at Newcastle City Hall. About six months after this concert, ELP would return to the hall for one of their single most famous concerts, part of which became the LP Pictures at an Exhibition. I talk about the venue in greater detail here.
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