Current:Home > MyIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -TradeBridge
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-11 14:20:00
WASHINGTON – Six years ago, Jeff Lynne delighted fans when he brought his Electric Light Orchestra to the U.S. for the first time in decades.
Never one to tiptoe out of his preferred studio confines with any regularity, Lynne nonetheless crafted an absolutely dazzling production stocked with gripping visuals (in a pre-Sphere world) and perhaps the most pristine sound ever heard at a rock show.
Guess who’s back and as aurally flawless as ever?
This Over and Out Tour – a believable farewell given his age (76) and the reality that he isn’t a road dog – is in the middle of its 31 dates and will wrap Oct. 26 in Los Angeles. At Capital One Arena in D.C. Wednesday, Lynne, still shaggy, sporting tinted glasses and mostly in supple voice, didn’t have much to say other than many humble acknowledgements of the crowd’s affection. But who needs to blather on when there is a brisk 90-minute set of lush ‘70s and ‘80s classics to administer?
More:The Eagles deploy pristine sound, dazzling visuals at Vegas Sphere kickoff concert: Review
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
ELO dropped a setlist that romped through '70s classics
Aside from the opening “One More Time” – obviously chosen for its literalness – from ELO’s 2019 album “From Out of Nowhere,” the sonic feast concentrated on the band’s ‘70s output, seesawing from Top 10 rock smashes (“Don’t Bring Me Down”) to deep cuts (“Showdown”).
Complementing these impeccably recreated gems was a slew of eye candy. Lasers and videos and spaceships (oh my) buttressed each offering in the 20-song set, with an animated witch morphing into a creepy eyeball (“Evil Woman”) and green lasers enveloping the arena like ribbons in the sky (“Telephone Line”).
Lynne’s band was loaded with familiar names from the previous tour, including the rich string section of Jessie Murphy (violin) and Amy Langley and Jess Cox (cello) and standout vocalists – really more than mere backup singers – Iain Hornal and Melanie Lewis-McDonald, who handled the heavy lifting on the giddy “Rockaria!”
One unexpected offering, “Believe Me Now,” was added to the setlist a couple of weeks ago. An instrumental album track from ELO’s 1977 mega-selling double album, “Out of the Blue,” the song, an intro to the equally moving "Steppin' Out," exhales chord changes so sumptuous, they’ll make your eyes water.
More:Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band still rock, quake and shake after 50 years
Jeff Lynne and ELO say goodbye with a smile
But that’s a feeling frequently evoked during the show, coupled with the joy of hearing these sculpted beauties one final time.
The crisp opening guitar riff of “Do Ya,” the disco-fied “Last Train to London,” the wistful dreamscape “Strange Magic,” all unfurled with precision, but not sterility.
A sea of phone lights held aloft accented “Can’t Get it Out of My Head,” a technological illumination replacing the lighters that reigned 50 years ago when the song was released.
But that all preceded the standout in a show stuffed with them – the musical masterpiece “Turn to Stone.” Between the rapid-fire vocal breakdown nailed by Hornal and Lewis-McDonald – which earned its own ovation – and the furious, frenetic build to a musical climax, the orchestral pop dazzler electrified the arena.
Close to the bliss of that corker was show closer “Mr. Blue Sky,” an anthem of optimism that still sounds like sunshine. Bassist Lee Pomeroy high-stepped through its Beatles-esque bouncy rhythm while Lynne and the band traded layered harmonies on the pop treasure.
It was as obvious a closer as “One More Time” was the opener, but really, how else could Lynne leave a multigenerational throng of fans other than with a smile?
veryGood! (2594)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- US applications for jobless benefits inch higher but remain at historically healthy levels
- Texas Rangers win first World Series title, coming alive late to finish off Diamondbacks
- Taylor Tomlinson set to host 'After Midnight,' replacing James Corden's 'Late Late Show' slot
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Martin Scorsese’s Daughter Francesca Shares Insight Into His Bond With Timothée Chalamet
- Bank of England keeps main UK interest rate unchanged at 15-year high of 5.25%
- Vanessa Hudgens Reveals If She'll Take Cole Tucker's Last Name After Their Wedding
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- State funded some trips for ex-North Dakota senator charged with traveling to pay for sex with minor
Ranking
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Northern Michigan man pleads guilty to charges in death of 2 women
- California officials confirm 2 cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness rarely transmitted in US
- Teachers kick off strike in Portland, Oregon, over class sizes, pay and resources
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Mississippi voter registration numbers remain steady heading into Tuesday’s general election
- New Study Warns of an Imminent Spike of Planetary Warming and Deepens Divides Among Climate Scientists
- 5 Things podcast: Climate change upending US fishing industry
Recommendation
The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
Hailey Bieber Models Calvin Klein's Holiday Collection ... & It's On Sale
Officers fatally shoot knife-wielding man at a popular California restaurant after machete attack
Bank of England keeps main UK interest rate unchanged at 15-year high of 5.25%
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
Trump sons downplay involvement with documents at center of New York fraud trial
Judge sets rules for research on potential jurors ahead of Trump’s 2020 election interference trial
Trial testimony reveals gambling giant Bally’s paid $60 million to take over Trump’s NYC golf course