Carl Palmer talks about Keith Emerson and Greg Lake’s deaths

Carl Palmer has been touring under the banner of the supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer during the past years although his former bandmates passed away 10 years ago. The shows are a celebration of the band’s career and he plays live with Greg’s and Keith’s unseen footage most of the show. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the drummer talked about the passing of their former bandmates and said he was taken by surprise like all the fans of the band when they died.

Carl Palmer talks about Keith Emerson and Greg Lake’s deaths

“Keith and I spoke a bit more than what I did with Greg – for no real reason. It just turned out that way. When I got the news that Keith had committed suicide, I said, ‘Are you sure?’ But it was coming from a good source. I was very saddened to hear it. I didn’t know that Keith had such a mental illness, to be honest. I don’t think anyone knew.”

“Obviously, I didn’t know that Greg was that ill. I heard he didn’t want people to know how ill he was. And to be honest with you, that whole period – 2016, March, December, and then leading into January 2017 when John Wetton died – was incredibly difficult,” Carl Palmer said.

Besides being a member of ELP, Palmer was also part of bands like Asia, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster, 3 and Qango.

Next ELP tour dates

April

• 8 – Las Vegas, NV – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 10 – Tempe, AZ – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 12 – Tucson, AZ – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 16 – San Luis Obispo, CA – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 17 – Monterey, CA – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 18 – Livermore, CA – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 28 – Baton Rouge, LA – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 29 – Arlington, TX – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• 30 – San Antonio, TX – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer

May

• 1 – Hidalgo, TX – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer