Current:Home > MyIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -Mastery Money Tools
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-12 18:16:26
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! (517)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Epic Games to give refunds after FTC says it 'tricked' Fortnite players into purchases
- Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
- Rebecca Minkoff says Danny Masterson was 'incredibly supportive to me' at start of career
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- When fire threatened a California university, the school says it knew what to do
- 'We are all angry': Syrian doctor describes bodies from prisons showing torture
- Pakistan ex
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- When does the new season of 'Virgin River' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- As a Major California Oil Producer Eyes Carbon Storage, Thousands of Idle Wells Await Cleanup
- Austin Tice's parents reveal how the family coped for the last 12 years
- How Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen Navigate Their Private Romance on Their Turf
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Man on trial in Ole Miss student’s death lied to investigators, police chief says
- Rebecca Minkoff says Danny Masterson was 'incredibly supportive to me' at start of career
- Jim Carrey Reveals Money Inspired His Return to Acting in Candid Paycheck Confession
Recommendation
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Here's how to make the perfect oven
'Unimaginable situation': South Korea endures fallout from martial law effort
Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Biden and Tribal Leaders Celebrate Four Years of Accomplishments on Behalf of Native Americans
Neanderthals likely began 'mixing' with modern humans later than previously thought
Social media platform Bluesky nearing 25 million users in continued post