Theresa's Tale - cont'd.

There was a local radio station broadcasting live from outside the amphitheater and was conducting interviews. I was asked to be on the air as they were very impressed that we'd taken such a long trip just to see ELP. The station was running a promotion in which a small amount of listeners would be allowed to sit in on the sound check. We were given VIP passes and escorted into the venue a couple hours prior to the show, and there they were, ELP on stage! Greg Lake sitting cross-legged in a chair (he is still a babe!!), Carl Palmer at his drum kit and Keith Emerson making some adjustments to one of his keyboards.

After a short moment the band broke into their soundcheck with an extremely electric version of "Touch and Go"; followed by "From the Beginning" and "Knife-Edge". They wrapped up the sound check and came down to mingle with the 28 fans that had been allowed into the sound check. Much to my surprise Steve was allowed to bring our camcorder in with us, and managed to get the entire soundcheck and visit with the band on video. We were able to meet all three of them and had a tambourine that Steve had caught at an ELP concert in Seattle in 1977 during their "Works" tour autographed.

Shortly before the band made their exit to the dressing room I asked Greg Lake if I might get a picture with him and the rest of the band. Unfortunately Carl Palmer had already gone, but Greg and Keith agreed to be pictured with me. This was an ELP fan's most extreme dream come true, and I know I will never...ever forget this fabulous evening spent with my favorite band of all time. Many thanks for letting us share our experience with other ELP fans.

Kind regards, Steve and Theresa Larson