Legendary Drummer CARL PALMER Is Back Home After Heart Procedure: I'm 'Feeling Really Good'

Legendary drummer Carl Palmer has released a video message thanking fans for their support after his recent heart procedure.

On Wednesday (April 26),the 73-year-old musician underwent an atrial fibrillation ablation, a treatment for an irregular and chaotic heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. The procedure uses heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart to block the faulty electrical signals and restore a typical heartbeat.

On Friday (April 28),Carl shared a message on his social media in which he said: "Hi everyone. I just want you to know I'm back home now, feeling really good. The people at the Brompton hospital were fantastic; the Royal Brompton in London. And my surgeon, Tushar Salukhe — fantastic man. It was about a two-hour procedure. And I'm just gonna take the next two or three days just to kind of recuperate. But all looking real good. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you — that's the most important thing — in July; that's my aim.

"Yeah, all good. It's just one of those things that came along. I had to get it done quickly. People out there who have atrial fibrillation, you know that the sooner you deal with it, the better the chance of it being corrected a hundred percent for you.

"Anyway, as I say, it's a trip. It's an adventure. And who knows what will happen down the line. But I'm really pleased I've got it done, and I'm pleased to be back out and feeling wonderful. Just tired — that's all.

"But thank you all for your comments, thank you for your concerns. It's all very much appreciated at my end.

"Stay safe, stay well, and I'll see you in July."

Palmer, who was voted by Rolling Stone as one of the 10 greatest drummers of all time, is a founding member of both EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER and ASIA. Since he began in the business in the 1960s, Palmer has sold over 50 million records. In 2011 he began working with a three-piece power trio. In 2019, the group added vocals from guitarist Paul Bielatowicz and Palmer.

Earlier in the month, Palmer, in association with the estates of his EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER bandmates Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, announced "The Return Of Emerson, Lake & Palmer" 2023 summer tour. Launching its second U.S .tour in July, the shows will actually again reunite ELP live on stage through modern technology.

The tour continues the successful run of show which began in November and December 2022. After exploring the idea of a hologram tour in detail, Palmer (with the estates of Emerson and Lake) opted for what they felt was a more honest approach using live footage of Keith and Greg on massive video walls alongside Carl (and his band) playing live on stage. The voice and instrumentation of Greg Lake and the unmistakable keyboard mastery of Keith Emerson will be mixed with Palmer's onstage live drumming to magically reunite ELP once again.

Emerson and Lake passed away nine months apart in 2016, leaving Palmer to carry on the band's enormous musical legacy.

Says Palmer: "The film ELP made of its sold-out run at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1992 had everything we needed to make these tours happen. We were able to use just the camera shots of Keith and Greg, with the sterling audio tracks of their performances resulting in a combination of film and onstage performance of my band that brings back the magic of ELP."

After establishing themselves in bands such as THE NICE, KING CRIMSON and THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN, ELP was formed in early 1970 as one of rock's first (and biggest) supergroups. With record sales of over 50 million and decades of sold-out tours through the 1970s and again in the 1990s, EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER has remained one of the best-selling classic rock bands of all time. The band's complete recorded catalog, now under the direction and distribution of BMG, continues to be a steady force on the international music scene. The tour will coincide with the new BMG box set of classic ELP hit singles pressed on vinyl with reproductions of the original picture sleeves.

The tour is being launched with the full approval of the Emerson and Lake estates, as well as the various managers who have represented the members of the band. "Welcome Back My Friends - The Return Of Emerson, Lake & Palmer" will be focused on the U.S. and Canada through the rest of 2023, and eventually play all over the world where ELP toured throughout its career.