Emerson, Lake & Palmer: 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert
(2010)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer: 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert Blu-ray offers solid video and decent audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
The legendary Rock Band reunited to celebrate their 40th Anniversary and headlined London's first High Voltage Rock Festival. This was the historic moment when Emerson Lake and Palmer performed for the first time since 1998. This spectacular performance with extravagant special effects and lighting recaptured the magic and musical genius of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer as they performed their greatest hits in front of thousands of fans and leaving a lasting memory of the stunning musicianship of these three legendary performers.
I was there at the birth of MIDI and I can tell you I utilized it as much as anyone, building huge edifices of orchestral sound in insanely complex strata that I would never have been able to by myself or indeed with many of the musicians, either professional and amateur, with whom I've gigged over the years. But I lament the generation that has only known machine driven sequences, and has never bothered to actually master an instrument. When I think back to my own childhood and the absolute plethora of virtuoso musicians who were regularly performing and recording, I'm not so much overcome with nostalgia as I am with a mind boggling realization that kids today (yes, I know how old that makes me sound) are being exposed to such Pro Tools autotuned automatons that they'll probably never have the joy of going to a concert and actually reveling in the sheer excitement of a musician who knows every nook and cranny of their instrument. Now don't get me wrong: even major pop superstars tend to have crackerjack touring bands, many of whom have paid their dues probably more than they should have to, but how many supergroups are there around today that can match the pyrotechnics of the classical prog-rock champions of the sixties and especially the seventies, bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer? That's alright, I can wait for a minute for you to come up with an answer. You may have in fact been able to think of an individual musician or two who fits that bill, but chances are you actually did have to think about it for a moment. And, really, that's kind of a sad commentary on where the music industry is currently. While it's fun to wallow in the golden-hued memories of rock gods in their prime, and while ELP hasn't quite gone the way of the dinosaur, unfortunately time has not been kind to at least some elements of the group, as they themselves admit in the documentary accompanying the main concert footage on this Blu-ray. Interpersonal tensions have long roiled the group's history, and the fact that the three reunited for this one off concert, part of a new series called High Voltage, came as more than a bit of a surprise to not just the band's legion of fans, but the ELP's own management team. Whether their long hiatus from working with each other is to blame, or simply the ravages of time, while it's absolutely wonderful to see this iconic trio back together again, more critical fans are most likely going to be disappointed with at least some aspects of this concert.
Any of you who are, say, past 40 or so know that metabolisms change drastically in that decade of life and even the best intentions and strongest disciplines can't entirely fight the body's own proclivities toward slowing down. I'm the last person to ever make light of someone's physical changes as they age, but it was something of a shock to see how gargantuan Greg Lake has become. While none of the guys are the wiry big haired gurus of their heyday, Palmer and Emerson are at least a little closer to looking like what they did than is Lake, and it's Lake himself in the documentary who talks about how hard it is physically to play these songs at age 60 (plus) after having written them forty years ago when energy seemed limitless. And so there's a certain lethargy to some of this concert that is understandable, but which deprives it from being at the height that is perhaps unreasonable to expect after so long. Lake is not the only "problem" (for wont of a better word) here, as Emerson is incredibly sloppy on his various keyboards at times, with muffed notes, clusters that shouldn't be there that seem to be him simply whacking his hand down without care, and other fluffs that occasionally throw Palmer especially for a loop. In fact it's Palmer who comes off best here, with an athletic prowess and forceful demeanor that at least keeps the band's offering propulsive if not always clear and nuanced.
While ELP made their reputations early on (and of course had pre-existing accolades from former bands like King Crimson individual members had been in), the group only really made an impact on the touring side of things a few years after they had stormed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. And their touring days (as a unit) were really relatively numbered, especially when you consider the multi-decade run of such similar troupes as Yes (which of course went through innumerable personnel changes over the years). A one-off concert like this, especially one in the out of doors and without the ability to sound check (at least according to the documentary) may also have contributed to some of the lackluster results here. But there may be a more simple, human force at work: nervousness. All three guys admit in the documentary that they harbored incredible apprehension at doing something like this, and that fear may have simply rattled them to the point where they weren't at one hundred percent.
All of this is not to say that this concert is horrible, by any stretch. While there really aren't any major music fireworks here, there's a good, solid accounting of ELP's biggest hits and best known songs (though one has to wonder what Carl Palmer thought of having to do "Touch and Go," a song that charted for ELP's successor trio Emerson, Lake and Powell). While none of these performances is going to supplant the originals, they at least prove the guys are out there still managing to try, if not always to outright succeed. The concert is notable for rather ambitious extended offerings like ELP's iconic takes on "Pictures at an Exhibition" and especially "Fanfare for the Common Man."
Emerson, Lake & Palmer. . .Welcome Back My Friends 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert (that's quite some title, don't you think?) is presented on Blu-ray with a VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As far as live concert videos go, especially those shout outside, ELP looks decently sharp and well detailed, though the vagaries of the stage lighting often produce posterizing and similar effects that some may feel are unsightly. Close-ups reveal the most, as is to be expected, with midrange and far shots being considerably softer and even bit murky at times. Black levels are not especially robust and shadow detail is nonexistent in several shots, with more than moderate crush upstage when the lighting isn't at its brightest.
No, you are not misreading those audio specs listed above. There is no lossless audio on this Blu-ray, simply incomprehensible for a live concert music BD that features one of the all time classic bands of 20th century rock, whether or not this particular performance is their best. Instead we get serviceable if unremarkable Dolby Digital mixes, one in stereo and the other a decent enough surround 5.1 mix. But audiophiles the world over are going to be wondering what might have been with this release, especially with regard to the pulsating drum work and synth-laden fills that make up so much of ELP's oeuvre. While there's nothing overtly wrong with either Dolby mix, they both suffer from that typical Dolby narrowing of the high end, and both feature nothing more than an okay low end. The mix is very good, with all three band members given pretty much equal weight, and discrete channelization is also quite good. Crowd noise can be overwhelming at times, and once again we get a sing along audience, especially on such evergreens as "Lucky Man."
ELP High Voltage Documentary (HD; 29:38) makes up for at least a little of what the live concert lacks. This is a really interesting, thoughtful and even confessional piece which features good interviews with all three guys, as well as their longtime management team. The warts of their on again off again relationships are not glossed over and the guys are very forthright about how much trepidation they have about reuniting and performing live.
I really had high hopes for this Blu-ray but those hopes were at least partially dashed by a haphazard and at times surprisingly sloppy performance that has it moments, but nowhere near enough of them. They say you can't go home again, and that may be the overriding emotion for even ELP's most diehard fans. While this reunion is certainly historically important, it also is a little on the sad side, as the boys simply aren't up to their old pyrotechnically amazing ways. Still and all, longtime fans may simply want to check this out for the joy of seeing these three icons playing together again, but with lackluster audio options and less than overwhelming image quality, it's hard to recommend this release.
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