Marshall PTZ Cameras Power 'An Evening With Emerson, Lake And Palmer' Tour

The 'An Evening with Emerson, Lake and Palmer' tour is returning the pioneering prog-rock trio to venues by merging real-time images of drummer and surviving member Carl Palmer with carefully curated archive of his late bandmates, Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, who both died in 2016.

Using giant LED video walls, the production gives the impression that the original line-up is sharing the stage once more, with the show mounted in full co-operation with the Emerson and Lake estates.

To deliver the immersive effect, Production Manager Steve Supparits — owner of live events specialist Resurrection Studios — specifies Marshall Electronics’ CV620, CV730-BHN and CV625-TW PTZ cameras. "The audience walks away having witnessed Emerson, Lake & Palmer performing together again," said Supparits. "The production has to be absolutely seamless for that to work, and Marshall PTZ cameras have become a critical part of making that happen."

With nearly 40 years in concert production, Supparits has overseen audio and video for Palmer’s international touring for the past nine years. The production first added a Marshall CV620 PTZ camera when the show launched in 2022, mounting it on a low-profile tripod directly in front of Palmer’s drum riser to capture dramatic close-ups, sweeping crowd shots and alternative angles of the three live musicians. After several successful runs, the team expanded its Marshall set-up with CV625-TW and CV730-BHN units at front of house, all operated via Marshall’s VS-PTC-300 Compact PTZ Controller.

The expanded rig enabled the video director to run all three PTZ cameras while also switching content across the production’s three LED walls in real time. “Carl wanted to streamline the production while maintaining the highest production value possible,” added Supparits. "The addition of the Marshall cameras and PTZ controller made it possible to automate much of the camera operation, reduce crew requirements and increase the creative possibilities."

"The use of the Marshall cameras is crucial to success of the show," said Palmer, now in his fourth year of touring the Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) event, which has been warmly received by the international music community. “Mixed on screen with the greatly enhanced original concert footage from The Royal Albert Hall, our live on-stage performances blend together seamlessly. Together, they create a live music experience that captures the essence of what ELP was as a live performing act.”

Across each performance, the cut alternates between live feeds of the current band — Carl Palmer, Paul Bielatowicz and Simon Fitzpatrick — and synchronised archive of Emerson and Lake. The Marshall PTZs offer multiple programmable presets for tight drum close-ups, intricate guitar work, audience reactions and wide stage coverage, while operators transition smoothly between positions.

According to Supparits, the combination of image quality and control set Marshall apart during testing. "When I started evaluating PTZ cameras, Marshall stood out because of the optical quality, the smoothness of the pan and tilt motors and the overall precision of the camera movement,” he said. "Whether we're making fast moves across the stage or incredibly slow adjustments during a drum solo, the movement is exceptionally smooth and natural."

Durability on the road has been equally important. The original CV620 has toured internationally for five years, enduring trucks, buses and commercial flights without missing a show. "These cameras have been everywhere with us ― from Japan to South America, across the U.S. and Canada ― and they’ve never let us down," added Supparits. "They've been packed in road cases, bounced around in trucks and even had an accidental fall from a tripod and still perform flawlessly night after night. That's exactly what you need for a touring production."

For arena-scale distances, the CV625-TW and CV730-BHN deliver the necessary reach from far-off positions. "Marshall delivers crystal-clear close-ups from nearly 200 feet away," said Supparits. "That long-range optical performance was a major reason we stayed with Marshall. When we added the CV625, we also incorporated its auto-tracking feature to follow performers around the stage."

The cameras’ ability to send outputs to multiple switchers simultaneously has also streamlined operations. “In a production like ours, efficiency is everything,” adds Supparits. "The ability to split the camera outputs across multiple switchers gives us tremendous flexibility while reducing the overall camera count. It’s an incredibly useful feature."

Supparits further points to reliable autofocus, responsive auto‑iris and consistent colour matching as vital in a constantly shifting concert lighting environment. "Our lighting changes every few seconds with moving fixtures and dramatic color shifts,” he says. "The Marshall cameras stay locked in focus, adapt beautifully to the lighting changes and match perfectly with our other cameras. The audience never thinks about the cameras, they’re simply immersed in the performance. That's exactly what great production technology should do, and Marshall has helped us create an experience that audiences consistently describe as unforgettable."