Keith Emerson – Letter from the Front
After the sudden cancellation of the first three shows on the Keith Emerson/Greg Lake tour, Emerson posted an explanation on his facebook page.
I must apologize for the very last-minute cancellation of the show in Lakewood, and also of Glenside and Ridgefield shows, and for my absence of an issuance of any sort of statement.
The production we had hoped to put on was lacking in its musical and technical preparations. I was too distraught and embarrassed to come on stage to perform or even to announce the sudden cancellation myself, and to issue a statement immediately. What we were embarking upon was completely new ventures for both of us. I could not appear in front of an audience with high-expectations so unprepared. At that particular time, the quality of music I wished to present was more important to me than my reputation or financial gain. I now realize fully that the decision had a devastating effect on many including fans, my crew, staff, the promoters and the venues.
I will make every effort to fulfill our commitments to fans and friends at the re-scheduled dates in May for the cancelled shows.
I realize that I have disappointed my loyal fans. I know that many of you have traveled afar, used your precious vacation days, and spent your hard-earned money just to see the show. I am very sorry not only to those who came to Lakewood and those who bought tickets for Glenside and Ridgefield shows, but also all fans for whom I have deep respect.
I hope you can accept us delivering good shows, starting on Monday, April 5 in Annapolis, as a form of sincere apology.
Keith Emerson
Annapolis, 3 April 2010
here are the remaining dates of the tour:
April 5 (Mon) Annapolis, MD/Ram’s Head On Stage
April 6 (Tue) Alexandria, VA/The Birchmere
April 8 (Thu) New York, NY/Nokia Theatre Times Square
April 9 (Fri) Westbury, NY/Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury
April 10 (Tue) New Bedford, MA/Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
April 11 (Sun) Lynn, MA/Lynn Memorial Auditorium
April 13 (Tue) Montreal, Québec/Place des Arts, Theatre Maisonneuve
April 16 (Fri) Milwaukee, WI/Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Northern Lights Theatre
April 17 (Sat) Merrillville, IN/Star Plaza Theatre
April 18 (Sun) Indianapolis, IN/Old National Centre (Formerly Murat Centre)
April 22 (Thu) Chandler, AZ/Gila River Casinos: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
April 24 (Sat) Las Vegas, NV/Las Vegas Hilton Theatre
April 25 (Sun) Los Angeles, CA/Orpheum Theatre
April 26 (Mon) San Francisco, CA/The Regency Ball Room at the Regency Centre
April 28 (Wed) Colorado Springs, CO/Pikes Peak Center
April 30 (Fri) Dallas, TX/Granada Theater
May 1 (Sat) Dallas, TX/Granada Theater
May 2 (Sun) Houston, TX/Verizon Wireless Theater
rescheduled dates for Lakewood OH, Glenside PA, and Ridgefield CT – TBA.
It’s unfortunate to see the highly touted tour start out like this. It’s still unclear if it was just simply “stage fright”, lack of rehearsal time or something else entirely. hopefully things will go more smoothly for the two legendary musicians from here on out!
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**Update:**
here’s Greg Lake‘s statement posted on his message board. Sounds like he’s pointing his finger at Keith (i.e. stage fright). hhmmmmm….
To all my friends and fans: It is with great sadness that we were forced to cancel our shows in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
I am pleased Keith has admitted the reasons behind the cancellation, and I trust we can leave it at that.
The performance was ready; many of you heard or saw the sound check. Keith and I are both perfectionists.
You will see that Keith has released a statement on his site explaining he felt the need to cancel because of his worry that he couldn’t perform up to standard. Keith is not the first performer to have experienced stage fright, and my heart goes out to him.
This has been a difficult time and we are now moving forward with a show we both believe is technically and musically wonderful. The crew and performers rehearsed non stop through February and March. I have dedicated my life to trying to make you happy through my music and nothing saddens me more than to see that you have been disappointed by anything I was involved in. Please accept that these cancellations were entirely beyond my control and know that I am doing everything possible to ensure that these shows are rescheduled as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to seeing each of you again. I take my fans, music, and personal and professional reputation very seriously.
Thank you for all your kindness and support.
Greg Lake
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**Update #2:**
OK, this tour is getting a bit ridiculous. last night’s Birchmere gig got cancelled!! apparently Greg is experiencing throat problems. yikes!! with all the canceled gigs, this tour appears to be doomed. I feel for all the fans that travel long distances to see these gigs and then learn about the show being cancelled at the last minute. not a good thing.
here’s the official statement from Keith Emerson’s FB page:
Those of you at the Annapolis show may have heard that Greg was performing with laryngitis.
This has dramatically worsened overnight to the point where he has no voice and after a visit to a specialist today,is under doctor’s orders not to sing again until April 8th, Thursday at the Nokia Theatre in NYC. The doctor’s decision was made at 5.00pm. We had hoped that the doctor would be able to provide a solution that would allow Greg to go on but that was not medically possible.
We apologise.
p.s.
Keith Emerson tried to go to the Birchmere on behalf of Greg and himself to tell fans face to face and meet with those who were patiently waiting and were on their way, but unfortunately there were legal and security issues which prevented him from doing so.
Naturally both Keith and Greg feel horrible about this turn of events and the Birchmere show has been rescheduled on May 9th.
- The Management
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