Current:Home > MarketsIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -StockPrime
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-14 05:13:48
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! (585)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Montana education leaders take stock of changes to school quality requirements
- 'The Sims' added a polyamory option. I tried it out.
- West Virginia school ordered to remain open after effort to close it due to toxic groundwater fears
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Philadelphia-area man sentenced to 7 1/2 years for his role in blowing up ATMs during 2020 protests
- Olympic triathletes don't worry about dirty water, unlike those of us on Germophobe Island
- Squid Game Season 2 First Look and Premiere Date Revealed—and Simon Says You're Not Ready
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley says she thought baby died after she gave birth
Ranking
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Ex-leaders of Penn State frat where pledge died after night of drinking plead guilty to misdemeanors
- Ex-leaders of Penn State frat where pledge died after night of drinking plead guilty to misdemeanors
- Judge hears NFL’s motion in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case, says jury did not follow instructions on damages
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley says she thought baby died after she gave birth
- Kathie Lee Gifford hospitalized with fractured pelvis after fall: 'Unbelievably painful'
- Great Britain swimmer 'absolutely gutted' after 200-meter backstroke disqualification
Recommendation
Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
Map shows 13 states with listeria cases linked to Boar's Head recall
2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game: Date, time, how to watch Bears vs. Texans
University of California president to step down after five years marked by pandemic, campus protests
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Nicola Peltz Beckham accuses grooming company of 'reckless and malicious conduct' after dog's death
How do canoe and kayak events work at Paris Olympics? Team USA stars, what else to know
Philadelphia-area man sentenced to 7 1/2 years for his role in blowing up ATMs during 2020 protests