Current:Home > MarketsIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -ProfitSphere Academy
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-18 14:59:06
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! (2121)
Related
- Average rate on 30
- Oweh to miss 4th straight game, but Ravens ‘very close’ to full strength, coach says
- In New Zealand, Increasingly Severe Crackdowns on Environmental Protesters Fail to Deter Climate Activists
- Florine Mark, former owner of Weight Watchers franchises in Michigan and Canada, dies at 90
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening
- Israeli shelling along Lebanon border kills 1 journalist, wounds 6
- Jada Pinkett Smith Says Will Smith Hadn't Called Her His Wife in a Long Time Prior to Oscars Slap
- 'Most Whopper
- Why Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian Isn't Ready to Share Details of Her Terrifying Hospitalization
Ranking
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Coast Guard rescues 2 after yacht sinks off South Carolina
- An American mom and daughter are missing in Israel. Their family says Hamas is holding them hostage
- Now in theaters: A three-hour testament to Taylor Swift's titan era
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia for Ukraine war
- As Mexico expands abortion access, activists support reproductive rights at the U.S. border
- Israeli twin babies found hidden and unharmed at kibbutz where Hamas killed their parents
Recommendation
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
AP PHOTOS: A week of war brings grief to everyday Israelis and Palestinians alike
Chris Evans Breaks Silence on Marriage to Alba Baptista
Carlee Russell ordered to pay almost $18,000 for hoax kidnapping, faces jail time
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
US cities boost security as fears spread over Israel-Hamas war despite lack of credible threats
Grandson recounts seeing graphic video of beloved grandmother killed by Hamas
After years of erasure, Black queer leaders rise to prominence in Congress and activism