Current:Home > FinanceIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -StockHorizon
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
Chainkeen Exchange View
Date:2025-04-11 07:05:46
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! (84)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- To figure out the future climate, scientists are researching how trees form clouds
- Los Angeles Rams to sign QB Carson Wentz as backup to Matthew Stafford
- Israel's war with Hamas rages in the Gaza Strip despite mounting calls for a cease-fire
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- 7 injured in shooting at homecoming party near Prairie View A&M University: Police
- Queen Camilla rewears coronation dress, crown worn by Queen Elizabeth II for State Opening
- Barbra Streisand regrets rejecting Brando, reveals Elvis was nearly cast in 'A Star is Born'
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Croatia recommends people drink tap water after several fall from drinking bottled drinks
Ranking
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- A bad economy can be good for your health
- Antibiotics that fight deadly infections in babies are losing their power
- Mom of accused Cornell student offers insights into son's mental state, hidden apology
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood faces misdemeanor charge over misuse of state vehicle
- Hootie & the Blowfish announces 1st tour since 2019: See all the 2024 dates
- Patrick Dempsey named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Horoscopes Today, November 7, 2023
WeWork — once one of the world's hottest startups — declares bankruptcy
Underdiagnosed and undertreated, young Black males with ADHD get left behind
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
MLB free agent rankings: No surprise at the top, but plenty of big names are up for grabs
Bill Self's new KU deal will make him highest-paid basketball coach ever at public college
Juan Jumulon, radio host known as DJ Johnny Walker, shot dead while on Facebook livestream in Philippines