Current:Home > reviewsIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -ForexStream
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-21 09:53:24
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! (5)
Related
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis has 'rare' left leg injury, questionable for NBA Finals Game 3
- MLB's most affordable ballparks: Which stadiums offer the most bang for your buck?
- What’s next for Hunter Biden after his conviction on federal gun charges
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- This new restaurant bans anyone under 30: Here's why
- Opelika police kill person armed with knife on Interstate 85
- Johnson & Johnson to pay $700 million to 42 states in talc baby powder lawsuit
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Lionel Richie on the continuing power of We Are the World
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- 4 Cornell College instructors wounded in stabbing attack in China; suspect arrested
- Southern Baptists to decide whether to formally ban churches with women pastors
- Rihanna Reveals the “Stunning” Actress She’d Like to Play Her in a Biopic
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- With 1 out of 3 Californians on Medicaid, doctors push ballot measure to force state to pay more
- Oprah Winfrey is recovering after emergency room trip for gastroenteritis
- Johnson & Johnson reaches $700 million settlement in talc baby powder case
Recommendation
Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
Shop Old Navy Deals Under $15, 75% Off Yankee Candles, 70% Off Kate Spade Bags & Today's Top Deals
What benefits can help improve employee retention? Ask HR
YouTube Star Ben Potter’s Cause of Death Revealed
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Opelika police kill person armed with knife on Interstate 85
Is honeydew good for you? A nutrition breakdown
Federal judge strikes down Florida's ban on transgender health care for children