ELP: Pictures at an Exhibition Live (1970)

Full title: Emerson, Lake & Palmer playing Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
Date: December 9th, 1970
Location: London, UK, Lyceum Theatre
Runtime: 42 min

Although this footage from an early ELP concert is somewhat spoiled by the back-then-very-groovy-but-not-so-anymore visual effects, the musical performance is superb.

The piece is performed nearly as good as on the album released the year after, and actually a few minutes longer too. It's fun to see Emerson constantly tuning and switching the buttons on his equipment to get the sounds he wants, not to mention when he rubs the Moog ribbon controller against his ass or wrenches feedback out of the organ during "The Great Gates of Kiev". Greg Lake sings beautifully and always in tune, although he seems to struggle a bit with the acoustic solo in "The Sage". Carl Palmer proves that he was one of the most talented progressive rock drummers and had a kind of boyish charm here, smiling and giggling behind the drums through the whole concert.

(via vintageprog.com)

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Watch the concert:
(four parts)