Current:Home > NewsIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -WealthFlow Academy
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-14 09:39:16
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! (51)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Is that ‘Her’? OpenAI pauses a ChatGPT voice after some say it sounds like Scarlett Johansson
- You may want to eat more cantaloupe this summer. Here's why.
- Still unsure about college? It's not too late to apply for scholarships or even school.
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- 16 family members hit by same car, 2 dead, Michigan hit-and-run driver arrested
- Uber and Lyft say they’ll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
- Climber found dead on Denali, North America’s tallest peak
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Former Red Sox pitcher arrested in Florida in an underage sex sting, sheriff says
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- New York-Dublin video link is back up after shutdown for bad behavior
- Push to enforce occupancy rule in College Station highlights Texas A&M students’ housing woes
- Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. will drive pace for 2024 Indianapolis 500
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Pope Francis says social media can be alienating, making young people live in unreal world
- CBS News poll: Abortion access finds wide support, but inflation and immigration concerns boost Trump in Arizona and Florida
- 6 dead, 10 injured in Idaho car collision involving large passenger van
Recommendation
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
Arizona man gets life in prison in murder of wife who vigorously struggled after being buried alive, prosecutors say
Simone Biles won big at U.S. Classic with Taylor Swift routine. Who might join her on Team USA?
Adele Sends Her Love to Rich Paul’s Daughter Reonna During Concert
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
New romance books for a steamy summer: Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Kevin Kwan, more
'Hungry, thirsty, and a little confused': Watch bear bring traffic to a standstill in California
Genesis to pay $2 billion to victims of alleged cryptocurrency fraud