Penn's Peak sits in the hills above Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania — one of those venues that rewards the drive. On Friday, September 18, it hosts one of the more genuinely unusual shows on the 2026 calendar: An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Here is what this show actually is, because it deserves a real explanation. Both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake passed away in 2016. What Carl Palmer has built in their memory is not a tribute act. It is a synchronized multimedia performance — footage of Emerson and Lake from a legendary, sold-out 1992 Royal Albert Hall show plays across three giant screens while Palmer performs live alongside his ELP Legacy band, guitarist Paul Bielatowicz and bassist Simon Fitzpatrick. The production carries full cooperation from both the Keith Emerson and Greg Lake estates. Penn's Peak calls it “THE REAL THING,” and that framing is deliberate.
For anyone who grew up with Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus, or Trilogy — nine RIAA-certified gold albums, a band that defined what progressive rock could sound like — hearing this music performed this way carries real weight. Synchronized footage and live musicians on stage is a fundamentally different experience from a standard tribute night or archival screening, and the East Coast leg this September is the closest most of us will get.
Doors open at 6:00 PM, showtime at 8:00 PM — arriving early gives you time to find your spot inside the Penn's Peak room (capacity 1,800) before things get going. Jim Thorpe itself is worth building a night around: a well-preserved Victorian hill town with enough character to make the drive feel like a real trip, not just a commute to a show.
Tickets & Pricing
Reserved seating starts at $27.00, premium reserved at $32.00, and super premium at $37.00. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, the Penn's Peak box office (Monday–Friday, 10 AM–6 PM), or Roadies Restaurant on-site. Sneak Peak Club members get early access. This is the Hudson Valley region stop on an 11-date East Coast run closing out September 26 — get in before it moves on.