Current:Home > FinanceIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -StockSource
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-18 02:21:21
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! (6)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Man is charged with cheating Home Depot stores out of $300,000 with door-return scam
- Mortgage rates tick higher: 30-year, fixed home loan is at 6.90%; 15-year at 6.25%
- Woman escapes from cinderblock cell in Oregon, prompting FBI search for more possible victims
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Mississippi ex-law enforcement charged with civil rights offenses against 2 Black men during raid
- Donna Mills on the best moment of my entire life
- Topical steroid withdrawal is controversial. Patients say it's real and feels 'like I'm on fire.'
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Gunman shot on community college campus in San Diego after killing police dog, authorities say
Ranking
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Trump is due to face a judge in DC over charges he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election
- Veterans sue U.S. Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to get access to infertility treatments
- Chief Uno player job from Mattel offers $17,000 to play Uno Quatro four hours per day
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Iowa kicker Aaron Blom accused of betting on Hawkeyes football game
- North Carolina county election boards can now issue free ID cards for new voting mandate
- Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian Shares Glimpse Into Beachside Getaway With Travis Barker
Recommendation
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Dwyane Wade Shares How His Family's Cross-Country Move Helped Zaya Find an Inclusive Community
Arkansas governor appoints Finance and Administration Secretary Larry Walther to state treasurer
Woman Breaks Free From Alleged Oregon Kidnapper’s Cinder Block Cell With Bloody Hands
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Mortgage rates tick higher: 30-year, fixed home loan is at 6.90%; 15-year at 6.25%
Kim Cattrall Makes Surprise And Just Like That Appearance Ahead of Season Finale Cameo
Surfs up takes on new meaning as California waves get bigger as Earth warms, research finds