Sadly I never got the see ELP in the earlier days. I had really wanted to see the Toronto show in Dec 73 but just didn't have the money at the time - being 14 I had limited ways to get vinyl and concert funds. My first time was in Detroit in '77 with the orchestra...blew me away...intensely loud but crystal clear sound. Saw them a few months later n Toronto with no orchestra...still a good show but the stadium sound was not great and it just was not quite the same without the extra orchestral punch. I went to both Toronto shows in Feb 78, lucky to have a 2nd row seat for one of them - great to be so close! Many years later I saw the Black Moon show in Vancouver, which was at the end of the North American leg of the tour....they were back...they did a really good show, and it seemed they had found a way to be "ELP" but not just nostalgic. Sadly though, as is often with ELP it seems, things happened (Keith's arm surgery, bad direction decisions etc) and it all went awry.
I had a ticket to see the Emerson & Lake show in Colorado Springs and had spent the day in the car driving up from Abq only to have Greg fall ill at the last minute and cancel. I was really disappointed, not just because of the time wasted driving, but it seemed like such a great show for them to do...strip it down, do the storyteller thing, without having the pressure to add all the ELP pomp to it.
Still, in the end I feel pretty lucky to have seen the shows I did, and I've got those fond memories forever.